Equality Panel Members

Philip was born the eldest of four in the summer of 1967 on the outskirts of Heswall, Wirral. His father, born in Hoylake, Wirral, was an engineering draughtsman at Cammell Lairds shipbuilders and his mother, born in Islington, London, worked in a children’s home until Philip was born. She later worked as a chauffeuse.

Philip was home-schooled and, from the age of 11, attended Birkenhead Park High School. Upon completing his A-levels, Philip applied to become a cartographic draughtsman at Ordnance Survey in Southampton. Nine years later he returned to Wirral and retrained as a town planner, studying for a masters degree at the University of Liverpool Department of Civic Design.

Upon graduation, I Philip to become a salaried Housing and Planning Inspector at the Planning Inspectorate. After working in that capacity for a few years, he resigned and set up his own planning practice, based at his home in Birkenhead.

In 2017 Philip applied to become a self-employed Scottish Government Reporter and still occupy that post, working mainly as a local development plan examiner.

Philip has been disabled all of his life and started using a wheelchair in 1997. Philip is the first wheelchair user to be appointed as a Planning Inspector and as a Reporter. He concerned to ensure that disabled people are supported to discover and then make the most of their talents.

Caroline Keep is a highly accomplished Autistic/ADHD educator and data scientist.

She is currently a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Central Lancaster, where she is developing digital tools for education using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

With a track record of success in her field, Caroline has received numerous awards, including the National TES Award for teaching and the Bima100 for her work organizing the Liverpool Makefest at the Liverpool Central Library for seven years.

In addition to her professional pursuits, Caroline is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity, having worked with the Global Equality Charter as a teacher advocate to make education more inclusive for young people.

Adele is from Wirral. She has two children who are almost 5 and 8 and Adele works at the University of Liverpool.

Her hobbies include music, dabbling in design and going out with the kids.

Adele is a disabled person and passionate about equality and inclusion. Disability and caring for those who are disabled has touched Adele’s family in many ways over the years.

Cosima is the Partnership Coordinator for the Access to Advice Network at Citizen Advice Liverpool. She is also a founding member of the In Limbo Project which advocates for citizens’ rights. 

Mark has Asperger’s Syndrome and is the Founder of the website/project Aspie Heroes (www.aspieheroes.com).

Mark has always wanted to be normal but then realised that having a disability is not a bad thing to have as it has advantages such as long-term memory.

In Mark’s search to find what he wanted to do for a job, Mark took up a web design course where he had to come up with a subject for his website, this is when Mark realised that his struggle to find a job could be his subject and thus Mark created Aspie Heroes, a website celebrating autism, Asperger’s and what people had achieved with these disabilities.

Mark now dedicates his life to helping other aspies learn to manage their conditions and achieve greatness.

Mark competed for Great Britain in Table Tennis for over 10 years and was a member of GB team at the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000. Mark also qualified for the Athens Games 4 years later but retired from international competition shortly after qualification because of the arrival of his daughter. Mark participated in numerous international competitions, European and World Championships.

Mark has been the Sports Development Manager at Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool, for over 18 years and have also played an active role on the committee of the British Table Tennis Association for the Disabled. (2004 – 2013) as well as various other sports bodies. This includes being the North West representative for the Activity Alliance, member of the Cheshire and Merseyside Neurological Alliance, trustee with GB Power Hockey Association and long standing member of the Liverpool Physical Activity and Sport (PAS) Strategic stakeholder group which helps drive the Liverpool Active City strategy.

Mark’s passion stems from his own lived experiences. Mark has a genetic disability/long term health condition called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and married with 3 children.

Mark is passionate about breaking down the barriers that exist for disabled people in sport and leisure. Mark believes strongly that disabled people deserve more choices in sport and leisure and want to see greater representations the workforce.

Steven is the founder and CEO of the Dyslexia Foundation which it is the largest Adult Dyslexia Charity in the UK.

Through his work as, he has set projects throughout the Liverpool City Region, including Moss Side, Rusholme, St Helens, Halton and Sefton which provide support for people with dyslexia within those communities.

Steven also works with public and private sector organisations to reduce the barriers adults with learning disabilities face in education and the workplace.

After being a disability advocate for 25 years he is passionate about increasing equality in employment and education for everyone.

Assistant Director Customer Delivery, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Gary has 30 years’ worth of customer service experience in both a social housing and transport setting. Gary was appointed Head of Customer Delivery in February 2013, later becoming Assistant Director. Gary currently oversees all operations at Mersey Ferries, Mersey Tunnels, a range of Customer Services through our Contact Centre team, along with Facilities and Asset Management functions for the organisation.

Siwan is an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager for Arup, a multinational organisation within the built environment sector.

Outside of Arup, Siwan also holds the role of Associate Director for Diversity & Inclusion at Anchored In, working to make innovation more inclusive within the UK, Lead EDI Trustee at The Blue Coat School in Liverpool, and volunteers time to support LMF Network, dedicated to support career development for minoritised groups.

Previously holding roles as Head of Diversity, Equality & Inclusion for Merseyside Police, and Knowledge Transfer Manager – Diversity & Inclusion for KTN, leading on activities for Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation and Young Innovators programmes, Siwan is passionate about enabling and empowering underrepresented groups into business, innovation and employment, and ensuring equitable treatment for all.

In 2021, Siwan was announced as a winner in WeAreTheCity’s Rising Star Awards for Diversity, and as runner up for Women’s Business Club Diversity & Inclusion Award, and in 2022 Siwan was shortlisted as a Finalist for the Ladies First Inspirational Woman Award, and was recognised in Diversein’s 130 Women Who Break The Bias list 2022.

Wherever Erika can, she makes sure women are at the table. Once there, in a majority, women radically change things. Erika uses the opportunities and privileges she enjoys trying to demonstrate the financial, social and environmental benefits of a much more inclusive economy and hope others will join in.

Erika initiated One Day – an Economic Strategy for Liverpool City Region written from a diversity of Woman’s perspectives to benefit everyone which has subsequently been endorsed by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and resulted in their Gender Equality Action Plan.

Erika is the Director of Creative Economist undertaking regional, national and international work to deliver placemaking by unlocking local, social, and creative entrepreneurs that exist everywhere.

Erika helped set up and continues to work part time with Kindred-LCR a £6.5M social investment fund – the only social fund in the UK, as far as Kindred are aware, led by a woman.

She has assisted Islington Mill in Salford secure and realise a £7M expansion of creative space that will serve an expanding, diverse Queer community.

Erika helped set up and then Chaired Baltic Creative CIC for over 10 years maintaining at least 50% women on the Board throughout and am delighted to see her successor further diversify that Board, the sector it serves, and the wider Baltic Triangle.

Cleo is a software engineer who is passionate about seeing more women in STEM and improving diversity throughout the sector. 

Fiona is Programme Leader in Executive Education at Liverpool Business School and Chair of Baltic Creative Community Interest Company. She combines her practice, teaching and research to explore how social enterprises and community owned business models are a catalyst for responsible business growth, better ecosystems and contribute to sustainable local and regional economies.

Kim is a town planner, specialising in creating inclusive urban environments and community engagement. She has helped to write a number of publications including ‘Designing cities that work for women’.

Whilst working at ARUP she has previously been an Equality Diversity and Inclusion champion and the Chair of the Royal Town Planning Institute. She is also founder of Ideas for Liverpool. 

Kirsten is Chief Operations Officer and co-founder of Make CIC. She has been involved with other projects across the LCR such as the Generation for Change, BinARTary, Dada Fest and Farm Urban Community Growing.

Samantha is a socially engaged practitioner and PhD scholar, with extensive grass roots experience in community building and citizen led initiatives.

As a creative coproducer with Homebaked Community Land Trust she ran green space initiatives which led to and development Homegrown Collective, a women led community organisation which teaches local women horticulture, low carbon brewing and environmental technology in Anfield.

She has worked extensively with communities, locally, nationally and internationally to reimagine, reconnect and redesign their local environment, public space and creatively explore methods of tackling climate change.

She has took part in ‘In Transit – Urban Development and Placemaking’ research exchange led by the Goethe-Instituts, Eutropia : Cooperative Cities workshop and symposium, Berlin and presenting at ‘Transforming Places from the Inside out’ One Manchester, ‘How do we reclaim our communities?’ Interdependence-Utopia-Now, Manchester international Festival, “Social Making: Socially Engaged Practice Now and Next” Plymouth University & Take Apart, ‘Food and Sustainability for the 21st Century’ Oxford Brookes, ‘Geographies of Co-production Conference’ Royal Geographic Society, ‘Creative Citizens Conference’ Royal College of Art, ‘Co-Production as Practice’ The Royal Art Institute of Stockholm, ‘The City in Co-Creation Symposium ’ Denmark and ‘Giant Step Symposia’ Vessel International Curatorial Workshop, Bari, Italy

Steph is an experienced relationship manager with a demonstrated history of working in the philanthropy sector. Skilled in coaching, event management, fundraising, leadership, and Steph has a strong networking professional.

Steph has worked in the charity sector for over 10 years and has worked closely with young people who face numerous challenges, in Steph’s most recent position Steph’s focuses on development for young people across the LCR who are at risk of under employment due to social mobility barriers.

The charity Steph works for specialise in placing young people into long lasting meaningful careers by bridging the gap between businesses across the region and the talent pool of young people who need support to reach this business network.

As a neurodivergent and transgender woman with disabilities, I hope to represent intersectional as well as gender diverse experiences on the panel. Advancing women’s rights, safety, and capacity to thrive in the LCRCA are of major importance to me, as well as providing better infrastructure to support gender diverse communities whilst raising awareness of our unique struggles navigating day to day life. Our world is naturally diverse, painted with an array of dazzling pigments. As such, addressing the multifaceted problems in society requires an equally diverse perspective – One that I hope we can wholeheartedly achieve together.

Assistant Director, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Claire is Assistant Director at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, leading a team responsible for developing policy and strategy for the combined authority. Her role covers a wealth of areas including transport, housing, economic development, culture, employment and skills and spatial planning. Over the last 12 months Claire has played an integral role in developing key policies for the City Region including the Plan for Prosperity and Five-Year Climate Action Plan. Claire and her team work closely with local authorities and government departments and are responsible for leading the city region’s work on devolution.

Claire is passionate about the power of education, having previously spent nearly 20 years working for a succession of skills funding agencies, most latterly as Deputy Director for the Northwest. She joined the Combined Authority in 2019 to oversee the devolution and delivery of the Adult Education Budget before moving to her current role. She is also a Governor at a local specialist high school for pupils with autism.

Ant Hopkinson (he/him) is a Merseyside-based LGBTQ+ rights campaigner and mental health awareness champion.

He is passionate about confronting homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexism and racism. Ant draws heavily upon his lived experience as a “working class queer person lad with a hidden disability” to inform and shape his work.

He is a fervent advocate of a participatory action approach to community engagement – with the aim of encouraging community members’ self-empowerment through codesign practices. Ant current serves as the CEO of Sahir House, a vibrant and inclusive charity with a big heart. Sahir House is the largest and longest continuously running LGBTQ+ charity in Merseyside. The organisation serves a unique dual purpose – existing to nurture and embolden a thriving LGBTQ+ community whilst also promoting better sexual health for all. Sahir House has offered comprehensive HIV prevention and support services across Merseyside since its formation in 1985. Prior to joining Sahir House, Ant built a successful career supporting growth and transformation across a broad portfolio of not-for-profit organisations within the UK.

He has held senior leadership positions in several organisations including Nugent, a large multi-faceted social care and welfare charity based in Merseyside and the Royal Institute of British Architects. Ant lives in Rainhill (St Helens) with his partner John and four very energetic dogs. He describes himself as a ‘unapologetic geek’ and endeavors to learn something new every day.

Rian works for a small content marketing agency and is a trustee of the Michael Causer Foundation

Alice Tilley (she/her) is one of the educational psychologists who works for Liverpool Local Authority. Alice has worked for Liverpool Educational Psychology Service since 2002 and wake up every morning interested in what her day at work will bring. Alice is a governor in a Liverpool school and have been doing that about 15 years. Alice came to Liverpool to go to university in 1991 and has never wanted to leave; Liverpool is her home and where Alice wants to be. Outside of work Alice plays hockey for a local club and enjoys spending time with her 12 year old.

Angela was born into a working-class family on the Wirral and work in Liverpool but spent a good part of her life living and working in South Africa during the period when apartheid was ending and the rights of groups that had faced discrimination on the grounds of race, gender and sexuality were starting to be recognised.

Angela was involved in organising the first ever Gay Pride March in Johannesburg and have spent most of her life fighting for equality in one arena or another. Angela currently works for a charity working with adults with learning disabilities and involved with LGBTQIA+ work through involvement in local politics. Angela also runs a small charity in memory of her daughter that provides financial support to those undergoing treatment for blood cancer.

Angela’s personal background and her experiences in life have made Angela a passionate advocate for those who need support to have their voices heard and she hopes to be able to continue that work through the LCR LGBTQIA+ Equality Panel.

A former Royal Navy Education & Training Specialist and now a Reservist Instructor.

Her most accomplished role was to engage with communities and individuals who don’t traditionally engage with the Armed Forces in a bid to raise awareness about what the Armed Forces do, how they do it and how they contribute to society, alongside myth busting about women’s roles in the modern military.

Ann joined the Wrens in 1987 and served as a regular until 2011, then joined the Royal Naval Reserves in 2012 – she is currently based in Liverpool and work in Transformation and Training.

Her advocacy of diversity, inclusion and social mobility is threaded through both her professional and personal life and underpinned by robust values. Her interest spans the generations, and she supports various charities … as an Ambassador for the Association of Wrens, WRNS Benevolent Trust, and a Trustee for the very dynamic educational charity Diversity Role Models.

She is married to Emma, and they have recently adopted a toddler so has many stories to tell about becoming a parent in a pandemic.

Helen is excited to be a part of the new LGBTQIA+ panel.

Helen has lived and worked in Liverpool for over 2 years now and feels that this was a unique opportunity to positively contribute to the region.

Helen has recently completed their masters dissertation looking at ‘The Evolving role of the Archival profession in representing the LGBTQ+ Community archive’.

Helen looks forward to using this position to ensure voices are heard to bring about real, substantial change within the Combined Authority.

Jay is passionate about developing and maintaining a strong, independent third sector in the Borough, which is responsive and makes a real difference to the heart of local communities.  He has been described as a person-centered, innovative, solutions-focused leader, with key skills including strategic development & review, organisational restructuring, funding, and income generation, tendering and commissioning, people management, and change management.

His external roles include serving as a Director of Wirral Health & Wellbeing CIC and a Trustee of.  Committed to the growth of future leaders, Jamie spends a lot of time speaking on leadership and management issues and undertakes a lot of pro bono coaching and mentoring, supporting programmes such as those run by ACEVO, The Kings Fund and, more recently, providing support to other charitable organisations through being a Pilotlighter with Pilotlight.

Outside of work, Jay has a strong interest in performing arts, and worked as a Dance Teacher, Choreographer and Adjudicator across Europe for several years.  Having retired from professional teaching in recent years, Jay now enjoys spending his spare time with his five dogs.

Susan is a youth worker, leading on a LGBTQIA+ Youth Group.  She is also part of the internal corporate equalities group and the Merseyside Police’s community LGBTQAI+ Group. She won the Liverpool City Region Pride Award Winner in 2019 for Campaigner of the Year.

Head of Internal Audit, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Laura graduated from Liverpool University with a degree and master’s degree in Sociology and Social Policy. She became a CIPFA qualified Accountant whilst she was a Graduate Trainee working in Internal Audit at Wirral Council, and then progressed to Head of Internal Audit roles at Sefton Council and in 2018, the Combined Authority.

Her role is broad and varied and her service area conducts audit work across all parts of the organisation and also sets and facilitates the Corporate Risk Management Framework and establishes the organisation’s insurance arrangements. This gives a great insight into the many diverse activities of the Combined Authority.

In her spare time, she enjoys a good book, eating out, shopping and travelling, especially to Ireland, which is her “happy place”.

As managing director of Islam & Co Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, Tawhid specialises in advising start-up businesses to large multinational companies. Tawhid utilises his corporate background to advise a diverse client portfolio.

Tawhid is one of the founders of the registered charity Liverpool Region Mosque Network (LRMN) which acts as a single representative entity, working with both local and central government, Merseyside police as well as others in relation to community-based issues. As a grass roots community charity, LRMN has been focussing on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on deprived and vulnerable families with young children resulting multiple food poverty projects helping thousands of people across the city in partnership with LFC Foundation and Islamic Relief UK.

Tawhid has also led on organising the award winning Taste Ramadan event in both 2019 and 2022 which brings together thousands of people across the City Region to share food and friendship at the Pier Head and recently won “best community event of the year” at the Echo awards 2022.

Tawhid is also a Trustee of British Art and Design Association an arts organisation whose main objective is to advance public education and appreciation for excellence in the arts, by promoting fine art, design, craft and developing and promoting artists and designers with a focus on providing opportunities for students from deprived backgrounds to purse arts.

Tawhid is also board member of the Professional services board of the Liverpool City Region.

Lisa Shoko is an Equity and Inclusion Leader who specialises in strategies focusing on improvements in higher education and in healthcare. Lisa is interested in asking critical questions about health inequalities through the lenses of critical race, intersectionality and decolonial theories.

Matt Kayoka- Ilunga, is a qualified Solicitor and currently works as a Contracts Officer at the University of Liverpool.

Matt is originally from London and moved to Liverpool in 2016.

Matt has a background in the legal industry having worked in a few different law firms in Liverpool and Manchester. In consequence, Matt has developed an interest in Equality and Diversity, especially in the legal industry.

Matt has previous experience of being a Trustee for a charity in Tottenham and has been involved in Committees focusing on EDI matters.

Win has achieved a Combined Arts Degree at University of Liverpool, BA (Hons) 1993-96 in English, Sociology & Irish Studies – including study of Irish Traveller culture.

She worked at Wirral Met College for 5 years as a lecturer culminating in developing/implementing Key Skills Communications across Additional Learning Needs, Health & Social Care & Computing Depts.

In 2001, Win began work with Irish Community Care; where she was the first full time Irish Traveller worker, I developed the role and now have a strategic local, regional & national remit.

She is Safeguarding Lead at ICC ensuring a safe culture for reporting, knowledge-sharing, learning & trust.

She has also been a Trustee of YMCA Together since 2008 and Movema since 2022

As a woman of dual heritage, within all her roles Win consistently strives to develop & ensure spaces are accessible & include a wide range of seldom heard communities, as core, not additional to activities.

Assistant Director Mayoral Programmes, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Lorna is a UK leader in major programme delivery and has over 30years experience delivering innovative and societal interventions across the public and private sector. Currently heading-up the Mayoral Programme Delivery Team at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Lorna has successfully led on many regional programmes that are positively changing communities, business investment and society, including leading the creation of the UK’s first Race Equality Hub – which will tackle racism in employment and business, providing greater accessibility to employment and a voice for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups who have gone under-represented and hold a wealth of un-tapped skills, including in digital.

Since 2018, Lorna has developed the digital team at the Combined Authority, working with partners to lead on Mayoral manifesto pledges ensuring no-borough gets left behind in the digital age. Lorna has led the team in creating a regional Digital Inclusion programme, establishing a Digital Inclusion Network, becoming a regional National Device Bank and delivering Digital Champion Training programmes. Alongside the inclusion work, Lorna has created a new innovative and market leading Joint Venture Partnership to improve infrastructure connectivity across the region.

Lorna is the Combined Authority’s Board Member on the Joint Venture – LCR Connect – bringing resilient and competitive full fibre backhaul connectivity to businesses across the City Region and driving £1.5bn in productivity benefits.

Lorna has been instrumental in driving forward the digital agenda across the City Region, working closely with Local Authorities and creating infrastructure enablers such as an LCR Dig-Once Policy and Advance Wireless Network programmes, to continue supporting telecoms infrastructure investment.