Future-pro Development Committee
Building essential skills for tomorrow’s business leaders. Join us shaping the future of professional development.
About our committee
Our committees are at the heart of pro-manchester’s activity and impact. Made up of senior professionals from across our membership, industry representatives and supporting associations, they help shape our programme, strengthen our networks and ensure we’re reflecting the priorities of Greater Manchester’s business community. The Skills Committee work collaboratively to share insight, champion best practice and create meaningful opportunities for connection, learning and growth
Become a Member of Our Committee
Becoming a member of a pro-manchester committee is an opportunity to play an active role in shaping the future of Greater Manchester’s business community.You’ll work alongside industry leaders and experts to co-create activity, share insight and drive initiatives that create real opportunity for members and the wider region.
The Skills Steering Group
This committee connects employers, educators and skills providers to address the region’s evolving talent needs. It develops insight, shares best practice and helps shape a future-ready workforce that enables businesses and individuals to thrive.
Hemant Patel
Founder & CEO
Hemant is the founder and CEO of Anumana, a digital transformation and bespoke AI solutions business.
He has built high performing technology teams and platforms for fast growth organisations, such as Arrow Global and Azzurro Associates.
Hemant founded Anumana to help other fast growth organisations convert their data into an asset, leading businesses to become more data driven in their decision making. Alongside the commercial endeavours of the business, Hemant has developed a social mobility programme – the Anumana Code Academy, delivering free python training programmes to disadvantaged children across Greater Manchester.
Nikki O’Sullivan
Chief of Staff for London & Manchester
Nikki holds the position of Chief of Staff at the Manchester site, one of the company’s six strategic locations. With 30 different functions and comprising 2000 employees, Nikki provides direct support to the Site Executive. Her role encompasses leading the Management Office team, implementing site strategy, managing relationships with charitable organisations, government entities, and industry partners, supervising diverse projects, enhancing the firm’s reputation to attract new talent, and advancing the infrastructure and real estate development plans.
Nikki embarked on her career with BNY Mellon in January 2011 as a Human Resources recruiter and has progressively advanced through multiple positions with greater responsibility. She has served as the EMEA HR Service Delivery Manager, leading a significant operational team, and worked as Principal in Third Party Governance, where her responsibilities included overseeing operations teams in dealings with inter-affiliates and external vendors while ensuring regional regulatory compliance.
Known for her expertise in people management, strategic planning, and operational oversight, Nikki is an advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion. She champions these values as the executive sponsor of ‘HEART’, the internal employee resource group dedicated to raising awareness for disabilities and fostering a working environment where all colleagues feel valued and included. In 2023, she received a ‘Community & Inclusion’ award for her efforts in promoting Manchester’s cultural advancement and establishing the first global ‘Unwind Room’ catering to neurodiverse staff.
Among Nikki’s significant contributions was her pivotal involvement in the Global MYHR project in 2017. She played an instrumental part in the deployment of a case management system which modernised and automated HR procedures throughout the EMEA region, significantly improving efficiency, accuracy, and regulatory adherence of HR endeavours while also refining the overall employee experience. She deftly handled project leadership, stakeholder communication, change management, and training for this extensive initiative
Deborah Walker
Deborah Walker is MIDAS’ Head of Financial and Professionals Sector working with new and existing businesses setting up or expanding operations within the city region. Originally working for the Hong Kong and Shanghai bank specialising in Trade Finance, Deborah has spent more than 25 years in Manchester working for some of the UK’s largest financial and Professional institutions, with a career spanning Trade, Commercial and Private Banking in addition to spending four years as Head of Client Service for an national law firm.
Latterly Deborah spent eight years working alongside professional service businesses as part of a role within Manchester Metropolitan University where she developed and launched the UK’s first post graduate qualification in Law Firm Management and the largest legal apprenticeship pilot.
For the 18 months prior to arrival at MIDAS Deborah worked for an innovative GM Homeless Charity working on systems change initiatives that included Housing First and poverty truth commissions. Acutely aware of the generational impact of poverty and lack of aspiration for some young people Deborah is committed to building the GM economy and creating job opportunities that can be accessed by all residents.
Cerys Jones
Employer Partnerships Manager
Manchester Metropolitan University
Cerys joined Manchester Metropolitan University in 2021 as Employer Partnerships Manager. Cerys consults with organisations of all sizes and across all sectors to help them recruit students and graduates from Manchester Metropolitan’s diverse student body. This covers all aspects of the recruitment process from attraction campaigns through recruitment to onboarding and retention. Prior to this, Cerys worked at another University in a similar capacity managing the Business Partnership Team bringing a range of experience helping employers to fill skills gaps, create talent pipelines and remove barriers to entry for students and graduates.
Cerys is passionate about social mobility and inclusion in the workplace, and helps local employers to become more inclusive in their recruitment practices by creating bespoke programmes to help them attract talent from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Samantha Quinn
Head of Programmes
Agent Academy
As Head of Programmes at Agent Academy, I’m privileged to lead strategic programme design and coordination across Manchester and Liverpool.
What drives me is simple: nurturing North West talent who feel locked out of creative, tech and digital opportunities. My two decades in education, across secondary state and independent sectors, has given me a panoramic view of young people’s potential, and I love using that experience to create real, tangible opportunities. We are fortunate to work with brilliant partners including CGI, Everton FC, Liverpool Race Equality Hub, Salford City Council, and Electricity North West to design programmes that genuinely transform lives. Working with our growing team to expand and strengthen what we do is genuinely rewarding. At its heart, my work is about people and possibility. It’s about creating genuine pathways, and I’m proud to do that work.
Stephen Hughes
Director & Co-founder,
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Our Committee’s Purpose
This committee connects employers, educators and skills providers to address the region’s evolving talent needs. It develops insight, shares best practice and helps shape a future-ready workforce that enables businesses and individuals to thrive.
Connect
Bring together professionals and organisations to build meaningful relationships, spark collaboration and unlock new opportunities.
Develop
Share knowledge, insight and expertise to help members stay competitive, build capability and accelerate growth.
Shape the Future
Champion ideas, influence priorities and play an active role in shaping the future of Greater Manchester’s business community.
Explore Our Related Committee
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Future-pro Events Committee
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Future-pro Mentoring Committee
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Join Our Community
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