Clive Spencer- Director
Clive has over 30 years management and leadership experience and has been Director of the Regional Leadership Academy for over 10 years. Initially trained and qualified as an Industrial Engineer he has gained experience in the private and public sector, mainly within Improvement/OD and Leadership Development roles but also has NHS senior operational experience. He is a qualified executive level coach and facilitator. He is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys walking, golf, skiing and DIY.
Sarah Knowles – Senior Programme Manager, System Leadership
Sarah brings over 20 years of NHS experience spanning organisational and leadership development, talent management, HR and medical staffing, project and programme management, communications, and business management. She has worked across provider, commissioning and arm’s length body settings, giving her a broad perspective on healthcare system challenges and opportunities. A qualified coach and facilitator in 360 feedback and psychometrics, Sarah is passionate about supporting people to achieve their potential. In her current role she combines programme design, commissioning, delivery and evaluation with coaching and programme management to develop collaborative leadership across the region.
Sarah is currently undertaking a Level 7 apprenticeship in Systems Thinking, reflecting her commitment to understanding and addressing complex organisational challenges. Outside of work, she enjoys music, pottery, travelling, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and walking the North East coast with her husband and their Border Collie, Brody.
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Deb Whalen – Senior Manager Leadership & Lifelong Learning
This role encompasses support for staff at all levels across the NHS to see and reach their potential through formal leadership development, talent management support and crucially through access to coaching and mentoring. Throughout her career the key driver has always been to help people be their best selves.
Deb has worked as a coach & mentor in the NHS for 15 years, but has worked in the NHS for 34 years starting her career in nursing. Her career path has evolved into the current role through work in primary care, public health, service improvement and organisational development. Throughout this skills have been gathered through training in the use of varying psychometric and 360 assessment tools, plus coaching, mentoring and supervision development.
Claire Carrick- Leadership Development Co-ordinator
Claire joined the North East and Yorkshire Leadership Academy in March 2017 having previously worked in the NHS for 5 years.
As the Leadership Development Co-ordinator working within the Leadership and Lifelong Learning team, Claire is responsible for the planning and delivery of Leadership and Coaching and Mentoring interventions and programmes. She is also responsible for the management of the Mary Seacole Local programme.
She is a Healthcare Leadership Model 360 trainer and facilitator and MBTI Step 1 practitioner.
Outside of work she loves spending time with her family outdoors at local beaches and parks. She also enjoys keeping active.
Steph Wilton- System Development Manager
Steph provides corporate support across business management and planning, performance management, communications, and budget oversight, as well as coordinating system leadership interventions. She also supports office operations, diary management, and the planning and delivery of events and programmes for the Academy.
Steph holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership and Management and a first-class honours degree in Management. She is a trained Healthcare Leadership Model 360 feedback facilitator and an accredited facilitator for the Mary Seacole Programme.
Narinder Kaur- Leadership Development Co-ordinator
Narinder joined NEYLA team in 2020 having previously worked in NHS England/ Improvement predominately in HR and Organisational Development. She has a keen interest in Organisational Development and has a degree in Business and Human Resources. In the academy Narinder is a Leadership Development Co-ordinator supporting Primary Care and Systems Leadership workstream. The role involves event planning, recruitment and marketing of Regional Programmes.
Outside of work she loves spending time with her family and going on walks with her Alaskan Malamute.
Ashley Sands- Leadership Development Administrator
Ashley joined the team in January 2019 after previously working for the County Durham Substance Misuse Service.
Ashley is responsible for administration and communications support to the team including the fortnightly NEYLA newsletter, as well as ensuring the smooth running of the academy’s Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring workstream.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, visiting the Lake District and local beaches with her Cockerspaniel Miles, and attending live music concerts.