meet Our Board Members

Father, Explorer, Adventurer. 

Twenty-three Years of experience of working with consecutive Labour, Coalition and Conservative Central Government departments on varying elements of policy creation, design, dissemination and delivery, with a particular focus on the Health and Social Care Act, the Mental Health Strategy, Active Nation Strategy, HIAP Strategy, Early Years Strategy, Sporting Future Strategy and more recently the NHS Improvement Plan. Supporting the Government and their associated agencies and delivery agents to implement policy communication strategies, including those named above, along with the launch of the Climate Change & Energy Act, Sport & Activity Strategies and the NHS 5 year forward views and many other leading agendas.

Board advisor to a portfolio of national organisations across Health, Sport and Activity verticals, operating as Chair, NED, Executive coach and consultant.

Experienced in fund-raising and growth planning, as well as Governing Board development. 

Current Organisations include: 

Chief Executive Officer - Govconnect 

Co-Founder Director - Why Sports Media Group 

Founder, Director - Active Communities Experiences

Chief Executive Officer - Board Connect 

Initially embarking upon a sales and marketing career with Cadbury-Schweppes, I subsequently spent 34 years in the professional sport sector, leading the commercial and marketing operations at Manchester City Football Club, Lancashire County Cricket Club and Warrington Wolves. 

Since finishing my career in sport, I have taken on several Non-Executive Director roles, initially with one of the UK’s largest housing associations, Jigsaw Homes and more recently with The Together Trust, who provide individual care, support and education services across the North West. Most recently I am delighted to have been appointed Vice Chair for Great Minds Together of course! In December 2023 I was selected to join the DFE’s new Fostering Advisory Board which is responsible for assisting the implementation of Government policy in the Childrens Social Care sector. Similarly, I work co-productively with Stockport LA to help revise and improve fostering-related policies, including assisting with the fostering recruitment strategy.

I am also Vice Chair of Stockport Foster Carers’ Association, which runs events for our cared-for children, in addition to representing our foster carers with Stockport Fostering Service.

In 2015 my wife and I become short- term foster carers and had the privilege of caring for some very special young people until 2023 when we took on a new fostering role as Mockingbird Hub Carers with Stockport LA, responsible for supporting up to ten fostering families. 

Away from “work” my interests include music (listening and also singing, some have said at low-quality pub singer level!), watching Manchester City and trying to learn Padel tennis.

Dr Guy Northover is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust where he works clinically within the early intervention in psychosis team. 

Additionally Guy is the NHS Trusts Lead Clinical Director, and as such is operationally responsible for the 7 divisional Clinical Directors and provides direct leadership and governance input to the executive team

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust is a Global Digital Exemplar and rated outstanding by the CQC. Guy is the Trusts Chief Clinical Information Officer and Clinical Safety Officer and central to the implementation of their Digital Strategy. 

Nationally Guy is the National Clinical Lead for the Getting It Right First Time project for Children and Young People urgent care pathways which is identifying and rectifying unwarranted variations in care through CAMHS crisis and inpatient services. Dr Northover is the chair of the Specialist Commissioning Clinical Reference Data Subgroup and works closely with the NHSE policy teams and improvement teams. Guy is the Finance Officer for the faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and undertakes the role of Faculty Quality Improvement Lead. 

Guy is an expert advisor for NICE Centre for Guidelines having inputted into the recent guidelines on self harm and also management of acne. Guy is involved in a number of research projects with a particular focus on CAMHS inpatient and crisis services but also the impact of acne on mental health. 

Professor Matthew Cripps BA MA CPFA is Director of Behaviour Change at NHS England and NHS Improvement and also leads the National Menopause Improvement Programme. 

Previously, Matthew created and embedded NHS RightCare as a national improvement programme in England. He now leads on spreading the concepts of behaviour change, population healthcare improvement and optimal value in health, and is a member of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Medical Directorate senior team.

Matthew is a Professor at Warwick Business School, with a focus on sustainable health systems, Honorary Professor of Population Healthcare Improvement at the University of Salford, and was previously Professor of Business Processing and Knowledge Transfer at the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School. 

Matthew has held a number of director positions across local and national NHS bodies, including in Finance, Transformation and Improvement. He has written seven publications on sustainable healthcare improvement, finance and business process engineering.

  A former international athlete, Russ studied at Leeds Beckett University and Loughborough University.  

Russ was a teacher of Physical Education for 14 years, including as Head of Department in two large secondary schools. 

In 2005, he moved into the School Improvement Service at Stockport Council as the Physical Education Consultant and continues to provide physical education and school sport advice, support and guidance to schools across the borough. 

He is also a member of the Public Health Senior Management Team in Stockport and has a strategic role for aspects of lifestyle behaviour change. 

Away from the workplace, he is Chair of Governors at a local primary school.