I joined the Board at Rochdale and District Mind in October 2016 and became a Co-Chair in October 2022.

My varied professional experience includes fifteen years working in an in-house legal department in the retail sector at all levels of support functions. This incorporated direct management of up to 22 people and working within the senior management team working to set strategies and adhere to budgets. Concurrently, I volunteered for a wonderful mental health charity in Longsight, Manchester, during my training and after qualifying as a counsellor. I also worked as a volunteer supporting victims of crime with Victim Support for a few years.

I have now built and run my own private counselling practice in Oldham. I work with diverse clients from different backgrounds and with different experiences. I also work with trainee counsellors as they start their own journeys.

Having had my own personal experiences and supported family, friends, and colleagues, I hold a keen interest in mental health and emotional wellbeing. I have a deep understanding of how vital the right support at the right time is for mental health and emotional wellbeing. I am passionate about sharing my skills for the benefit of those who access the services of Rochdale and District Mind.

I joined the Board at Rochdale and District Mind in 2020 and assumed the role of Co-Chair in October 2022.

With a background spanning 25 years in marketing, I have held various positions covering a wide range of areas such as communications, digital, and social media. In recent roles, I’ve been a key part of several senior leadership teams, focusing on business strategy, financial oversight, risk, governance and personnel. I’ve sat on and chaired various groups, from Diversity & Inclusion, through to Environmental, social and Governance committees.

Having encountered mental health challenges in both my professional and personal life, I underwent training as a mental health first aider, and am currently the Mental Health senior lead at my current organisation. I am delighted to now play a role working alongside the wonderful and talented team at Rochdale & District Mind.

I’m a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in the housing and social services sectors. As the Vice Chair for Rochdale and District Mind since May 2022, I also serve as a Company Director for Rochdale and District Mind and their Café’s, while also contributing to various subcommittees.

In my role as an Associate Housing Development Coach at The Learning Foundry, I teach the Chartered Institute of Housing Professional Qualification to the next aspiring generation Additionally, I serve as a Regional Advisor for Foundations U.K., providing training, advice, and consultancy support to Local Authorities in the West Midlands and South West region on the Disabled Facilities Grant and Home Improvement Agencies.

My career highlights include tenure as a Housing Service Improvement and Performance Consultant at West Lancashire Borough Council, where I shaped housing services for optimal performance. I also held the position of Housing Services Manager at Langley House Trust, overseeing the delivery and expansion of accommodation for homeless individuals and offenders.

With a wealth of experience serving across four Greater Manchester Councils, I initiated several Housing Apprenticeship schemes and led strategic initiatives for housing needs and private rented sector strategies. I successfully delivered England’s largest sheltered and extra care housing PFI contract across Oldham and has managed several significant capital housing led regeneration programmes.

Throughout my career, I have been recognized for my leadership and management skills, holding various qualifications, including a Fellowship from the Chartered Institute of Housing, a Professional Qualification in Housing from Salford University, and Level 5 certifications in Management and Leadership and holds a Level 3 in Teaching and vocational assessment.

Beyond my professional accomplishments, I am dedicated to community service and I have volunteered for ten years as a group scout leader.

I proudly assumed the role of Trustee in June 2023, bringing with me over 14 years of experience in leadership within the Technology and Communications Industry. Throughout my professional career, I have had a particular focus in formulating and executing strategic initiatives. 

I am a passionate advocate for ensuring universal access to mental health support. Recognising the significance of mental well-being, I am enthusiastic about leveraging my expertise in strategy and technology to contribute to the goals of Rochdale and District Mind.

Hello! I’m Sam. I live in Middleton, am an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion leader, a Mum – and I have an MBE!  

I was born in Oldham, having spent 5 years in Liverpool at university to study Dance! And now I live in Middleton with my little boy. My career has centred around people, learning and development, early careers, apprenticeships, and more recently I have moved into EDI, wanting to make a positive difference in the world, through encouraging large corporate businesses to be more inclusive, have diverse representation and do positive things for the communities they serve.  

I am very passionate about supporting people, am values driven and motivated by making a difference. Over the last decade my career has spanned across a number of industries; retail, law, and telecoms – to name a few. I enjoy learning new skills, experiencing new cultures and companies to expand my knowledge.  In my most recent role at TalkTalk, I was lucky enough to lead on a project called Kickstart, which aimed to reduce unemployment rates amongst young people as a result of the pandemic, with the help of the government. I was able to bring 100 young people into employment on a 6 month paid contract, and we retained half of those beyond the initial placement. This work led me to being nominated for, and selected to appear in the Kings New Years Honours list in 2022, and I received my MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2023 by Her Majesty Princess Anne.  

The pandemic was also a time I decided to look into volunteering and becoming a trustee. Seeing the role at Rochdale and District Mind completely aligned with my values. Mental Health affects so many of us, and a lot of people close to me, myself included. I thought if I could contribute in some way to a fantastic organisation who helps improve people’s lives which is something I’m passionate about, and at the same time continue to learn and develop my skills then it was a no brainer. I was officially appointed as a trustee in October 2021 and I feel privileged to lead the charity amongst my fellow board members. I’m inspired by the staff and volunteers, and hope I can add value in some way.  

I joined the Board at Rochdale Mind in December 2023. 

My professional experience spans a number of public sector organisations from the NHS, Local Authority, Civil Service and currently in higher education. I began my career in marketing, public relations and media, working my way to a Head of Communications level in the Civil Service. I then ventured further into leading patient engagement in the South of England before leading on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), as Head of DEI in two different hospital Trust’s managing 12 people with budgetary responsibility of £250,000.

My current role is the senior strategic EDI lead at Manchester Metropolitan University managing a team of 4, and leading DEI for over 37,000 students and nearly 5,000 staff. I am extremely passionate about volunteering and giving something back to local causes and communities and I have previously volunteered for Oxfam, The LGBT Foundation, Brooklands Radio, Surrey Police and most recently as head of fundraising for Salford Pride. 

Having worked across the NHS in commissioning, acute services and mental health, coupled with my own personal lived experiences of mental health, I remain passionate to make a difference to people’s lives, by listening to understand and provide the best possible support.

I have an advanced expertise and knowledge on a range of subjects, with qualifications in Marketing and Public Relations – and my recent distinction in HR Management, Level 7, CIPD. On a personal level, I am proud to represent several intersectional communities and love being creative, with previous experience as a Radio Presenter and podcaster and my current online blog and presence on X (formerly Twitter).

Join Date 2020

If university had been anything to go by, I’d have become an engineer. However, after I completed my degree I started a career in finance.

In the years following, I qualified as a Chartered Accountant at a Big 4 accounting firm, before later continuing my finance career at a major insurance company and a high street bank.
As I gained this experience, I was really looking to combine the skills I was learning with my desire to volunteer somewhere. As destiny would have it, I ended up becoming the Treasurer at Rochdale and District Mind.

It’s an especially important cause for me given experiences I’ve had in my own life, being able to support an organisation that focuses on mental health is a great opportunity, which I cherish every day.

I know full well that finance can be an impenetrable topic at times, and so while part of my contribution as a trustee is my financial knowledge, I also see myself as something of a translator that opens the finance discussion to everyone. Through this I’m proud to support the work this organisation does!