Alison Hornsby - Managing Director
Alison is the Managing Director of The Enterprise Centre Ltd, her background has been predominantly focused on business development and innovative action learning. At the age of 18 she opened her first successful business and through the years she has gained extensive experience in the real issues that face businesses today. Using her experiences and the relationships within the business networks she has the ability to provide a practical, creative and stimulating environment in which Small Businesses and Social Enterprises can flourish. Most recently Alison has used her experience and expertise to write a practical and competence based business training programme on Project Management at both Level 2 & 3, this has now received qualification status by The Qualification Curriculum Authority. Alison also works with a number of schools across Greater Manchester bringing her expertise and creative solutions to manage the new Enterprise curriculum.

Adrian Carridice-Davids - Director
Adrian is a Co-Director and Company Secretary of The Enterprise Centre Ltd, he has over 14 years experience of working with and advising the voluntary and community based sector. His work with this sector and latterly with the concept of Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprise development has made him a key player in the development of regional strategies concerning social enterprise across the country. Adrian is involved in several projects that link models of social enterprises to continuous improvement and sustainability within the social economy. This experience and the networks that it brings, which covers both urban and rural areas, provides a unique tool in assisting new and existing entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential in the markets in which they operate. Adrian is a Non-Executive Board Member of The Harvest Housing Group and chair of the Audit Committee. He also sits on the North West Development Agency advisory forum on social enterprise and has chaired a regional committee for BITC working with the private sector and community organisations, developing strategies for the promotion of economic activity among minority ethnic citizens.

Chris Walsh - Director
Chris is a Co-Director of The Enterprise Centre Ltd and has considerable expertise in environmental projects. Chris brings creativity, drive and enthusiasm to all he works with. His achievements in Social Enterprise stand for themselves: Chairperson and Co-founder of MERCi Manchester Environmental Resource Centre initiative, co-founder and secretary of Fairfield Materials Management, active member of the wider Fairfield group of social enterprises engaged in both commercial composting and awareness raising around composting, gardening and healthy food, co-founder of Manchester Progressive Enterprise Network (MPEN), a network of over fifty social enterprises, community businesses and workers co-operatives and co-founder and the Initiation Worker for Manchester Social Enterprise Forum (MSEF) of over 20 support agencies for the social enterprise sector in Manchester.
Chris is currently working with others to establish individual social enterprises and charities including Powwow – an environmental arts collective; RTN Timber - a timber reclamation company and MERCi's Fruit & Veg Van delivering fresh fruit to East Manchester.

Associates

Allan Lawrence
Allan Lawrence operates as a consultant in the field of education and training and has worked in further and higher education for over 25 years. During most of that time he has been involved in the development and management of a large number of international education projects within the European Union and the Far East. Whilst Project Manager at the Salford Innovation Park and subsequently, he has been involved in several projects with Salford and Manchester based SMEs, NGOs and social enterprises.
He has a growing international reputation for the development and use of interactive teaching and learning techniques and one example of this is the Personal Mastery™ course. In the 1970s, Allan ran a landscape design business in London; now thirty years on, he is a Director of three education consultancies based at the Enterprise Centre, Manchester, each with a distinct focus of promoting entrepreneurship, enterprise and innovation.

Helen Woodcock
Helen Woodcock is an Associate of The Enterprise Centre and was a co-founder of MERCi – Manchester’s centre for sustainable living. She has raised over £1 million in funds and she project managed the £1.5 million refurbishment scheme. She is responsible for implementing various other projects including; community gardening projects , and a year long environmental project that was awarded 'Urban Regeneration” project of the year award. In 2005/06 Helen worked in Guatemala for a year with Peace Brigades International, this stoic work earned her the International Service Human Rights award. Now freelance her work has developed further and she has developed the comprehensive training package 'Greening your Organisation'.

Sandra Smethurst
Sandra Smethurst is a charismatic, inspirational woman whose reputation in the field of Human Development and Empowerment is without question. Recognised globally as an Inspirational Change Agent for a Future Worth Choosing, Sandra wo rks with individuals, corporate groups, schools, colleges, universities, charities and government departments to bring about positive change. Sandra enables transformation for any person, team or organisation who commits to work with her using tried and tested strategies that achieve startling results and allow clients to maximise their potential.

Andy Peers
Andy Peers- managed businesses for several major high street retailers before joining The Big Issue in the North in 2000 where he worked with social enterprises for nearly six years before developing and launching THE SPRINGBORAD service in April 2006. Andy has a vibrant passion for delivering the detail needed to achieve a businesses aims and objectives and this resulted in winning national “swing in sales” initiatives and significantly improving audit and financial performances in the private sector businesses he managed. Andy has an unending dedication to the delivery of excellent customer service and believes in the power of team and organisational development to achieve goals. Andy works to apply commercial and management skills in the social business environment. He has also worked as the Chief Executive for The Big Issue South West and worked with West Yorkshire Social Enterprise Link in delivering workshops at their Social Enterprise School.

Jolanta Nowak
Jolanta is a Polish National and began her career teaching English, first at primary level then for secondary and further education. She undertook professional training in the USA where she also able to meet Bill Clinton.
In 1993 she started working for the Mayor of Starachowicie, this time was most significant as it was the first democratic election in Poland. This work also included the development of International links the first of which were Skovde in Sweden then with Rochdale and Heywood in England.

Jolanta established the International Learning and Tourism Centre ( ILTC) which was responsible for delivering languages in English and German. The centre also boasts a suite for the delivery of a range of ICT programmes for individuals and groups. The international links have continued to thrive and she has delivered joint projects with Salford University and a variety of organisations in Germany.

In 2007 the ILTC became a satellite provision and partner with The Enterprise Centre Manchester. The two organisations now work in parallel delivering a range of creative and practical business related programmes.

A. Basit Shah (MBA) Managing Director Vision Associates
Basit has had a varied career with a number of organisations including Citizens Advice Bureau , Oldham NHS Trust, Coppice Community Centre, Community Partnership Support Team (SRB6), and Oldham Race Equality Partnership where he initiated and organised the groundbreaking Oldham Diversity & Equality Awards. He is currently delivering equality and diversity training and other initiatives focusing on public and private sectors, nationally, and he specialises in equality and diversity. As well as being a valued Associate of The Enterprise Centre he is Managing Director of Vision-Associates a Social Enterprise based in Oldham.

Basit has been involved in the creation of many voluntary organisations, theses include: Glodwick Clarksfield Intercommunity Forum, Oldham Interfaith forum, and Oldham Mosques Council. These organisations have since been pivotal in community relations and integration

Kathy Dunkinson
is a consultant specialising in Marketing. She has over 15 years experience working for the public sector, private sector, charities and more recently working with social enterprises. Kathy initially worked as a teacher and deputy head teacher in schools in socially disadvantaged areas. She has worked closely with children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties helping to raise their self-belief and confidence and helping them to achieve their full potential in all areas. She completed a MSc in Marketing and Management and worked for a National Charity developing their marketing in order to increase awareness, help with fund raising, organise events and generally to develop their PR. Kathy has also gained experience in the private sector working on the Marketing in the manufacturing industry. Recently Kathy decided to work independently as a consultant and has been involved with working with social enterprises helping them to gain the most from effective marketing in order to promote their uniqueness in the market place. She uses a step-by-step approach offering practical and achievable marketing guidance.

Michelle Henshaw