Intelligence Forums ‘Who Are You’ Podcasts are interviews with people who are creating Inspiration and Opportunities today in Great Britain.

Intelligence Forums 'Who Are You Podcast' with Keith Madeley

Keith Madeley has one of the most effective networks in Yorkshire and a high profile in the County of Yorkshire which he uses to promote and support a number of charities and businesses. The organisations he works with receive the benefit of his wealth of experience in the corporate, not-for profit, charity and financial services sectors, and from his ability to quickly identify key issues and objectives and turn them into actionable plans

His personal achievements include receiving an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list in 2011 for service to the communities of Yorkshire and his appointment as Lay Canon of Ripon Cathedral in 2013 for services to business and education. His most recent accolade in 2018 and 2019 was being made an Honorary Fellow of Leeds Trinity University for services to education and business

He is also currently promoting a series of bestselling and award winning educational children’s books written by his wife, Chris, and has secured sponsorship and support from both regional and global companies enabling them to communicate effective messages to children.  The characters are the humble traffic cones 

Keith is the Founder and Chairman of the Unity Club based in Leeds Beckett University’s campus at Cloth Hall Court in the centre of Leeds. The business club gives members the chance to meet in a prestigious business environment and also has many benefits at city centre restaurants.

Intelligence Forums 'Who Are You Podcast' with Enver Solomon

Enver Solomon joined the Refugee Council as Chief Executive in December 2020, following nearly three years as CEO of Just for Kids Law, a charity providing youth support and legal representation to children and young people facing adversity.

He holds a wealth of experience in the charitable sector, including senior roles at the National Children’s Bureau, The Children’s Society, Barnardo’s, the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and the Prison Reform Trust. Prior to working in the voluntary sector he was a BBC journalist for ten years.

Enver has been on advisory boards for the Department of Education, HM Inspector of Prisons and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner as well as chairing a number of cross sector coalitions including the End Child Poverty Campaign and the Standing Committee for Youth Justice. He has also played a pivotal role initiating sector wide strategic communications and campaigning projects. Enver served for five years as Chair of Trustees at the charity Asylum Aid and was a founding trustee of the charity British Future.

Enver is proud to be the first CEO in the organisation’s 70 year history who is from a black and minority ethnic background. In his spare time he enjoys cycling, camping and generally getting out into the British countryside.

Enver was named Charity CEO of the year at the Charity Times Awards 2023.

Intelligence Forums 'Who Are You Podcast' with Ryan Shorthouse

Ryan Shorthouse is the Founder and Executive Chair of Bright Blue. He was Chief Executive from 2014-2023. Under his leadership, Bright Blue has grown significantly in size, reputation and impact. The organisation was shortlisted for the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 UK social policy think tank of the year and UK environment and energy think tank of the year in the prestigious annual Prospect Magazine awards.

Ryan was appointed a Commissioner of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at King’s College London and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bath. He is also a trustee of the What Works Centre, Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO), and was previously a trustee for the Early Intervention Foundation (2017-2023), Young Women’s Trust (2014-2019) and the Daycare Trust (2010-2015). He sits on the advisory council of the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research, and was previously on the advisory council of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Shelter’s Big Conversation on Social Housing. He is a mentor for the Social Mobility Foundation and was governor of a new secondary school in East London from 2017-2023.

 INTELLIGENCE FORUMS ‘WHO ARE YOU’ PODCAST with Zoë Russell

Zoë Russell is the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Rethink Carbon, a climate-tech startup based in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands. At Rethink Carbon, Zoë helps to drive the company's mission to equip land managers worldwide with cutting-edge technology, enabling them to make informed, sustainable decisions that support carbon capture, biodiversity, and land stewardship aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

With a background in ecology and land management, Zoë’s career began with a PhD focused on red grouse population dynamics. She spent 16 years at NatureScot, Scotland’s nature agency, where she specialised in monitoring protected species, collaborating with land managers, and managing software development projects. This blend of science and technology spurred her transition into the tech sector in 2018, where she joined Ginger to lead agile development as a Certified Scrum Master. In 2022, Zoë co-founded Rethink Carbon, where she now oversees product development, scientific direction, and business operations.

 INTELLIGENCE FORUMS ‘WHO ARE YOU’ PODCAST with Jez Collins

Jez Collins is the founder and director of the Birmingham Music Archive C.I.C., a creative and cultural arts organisation that captures, documents and celebrates the music history, heritage and culture of Birmingham and its communities through a range of diverse and engaging projects. He is the founder of Atticus Creative & Cultural Consultancy, a cultural and creative consultancy that help develops cultural, creative, community and place-making strategies for those working in the built environment sector. Collins is also a co-Director of Un-Convention C.I.C., a global grassroots music network that helps build sustainable music infrastructures.  He is a board member of Soul City Arts and a member of Bearwood Promoters in the Black Country, a group of music lovers who programme live music on a Victorian Bandstand.

INTELLIGENCE FORUMS ‘WHO ARE YOU’ PODCAST with James Newby

James Newby is President & Chief Executive of New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering. Prior to joining NMITE, James worked for the University of Surrey in a range of roles involving the leadership of teams responsible for most non-academic aspects of the University’s activities including Estates, IT, Commercial Services, Community relations, Fundraising and Institutional Governance. In his final year at Surrey, he led an organisational change team to reshape the University to prepare it to meet the many challenges facing the Higher Education sector. In addition to his role at Surrey, James has worked with other Higher Education institutions as an advisor on organisational change and as a trustee of their Students’ Unions. This combined his HE and governance experience with his desire to work closely with students to improve the universities they attended. James specialises in organisational development and business change having worked with a number of organisations on restructuring projects. He is also a data compliance specialist so spent considerable time working on projects across the HE sector to prepare universities for the changes resulting from the introduction of the GDPR regulations in 2018. Prior to joining the University sector, James worked in High Street retailing splitting his time between working in operations for companies such as WH Smith Limited and running his own businesses.