The Faces of UMi

Leigh is UMi’s go to person for all things HR and has come a long way since starting out as a business administration apprentice at Port of Tyne.

Having been with UMi since 2013, Leigh is now a key member of the senior management team and recently added a Diploma in Leadership and Management to her long list of achievements.

Her favourite thing about working for UMi is when we come together to celebrate our big wins and outside of work, you’ll find her trying new places to eat, listening to good music and getting a little too competitive in her Peloton classes.

Simon has vast experience in business support for many sectors and industries. At UMi, he leads on business investment and growth programmes, including grants, loans, consultancy and specialist business advice. For Simon, the programmes he creates and delivers play a part in helping businesses go further and bring about real positive change. Simon is also the chair of UMi’s employee ownership trust which drives long term benefit for every member of the UMi team.

He manages to offset a nerdy interest in public funding and State Aid rules with a love of fast cars – he’s a real petrol head. But that’s not all. Simon also has a degree in archaeology and has worked on excavations in Poland and Orkney. Indiana Jones, eat your heart out.

Mike oversees the North of Tyne Growth Fund and The Growth Fund. He manages the internal teams for both funds, to ensure crucial KPIs and milestones are met, while working closely with the programme funders to report figures and on progress.

In true UMi style, Mike helps businesses to do more and go further by guiding them through the various stages of the funding cycle, calling on his many years of banking experience to get the best result. Mike applies rigorous diligence to the investment decisions, but his excellent communication skills with his business customers ensure mutual respect and understanding. He also makes sure that all ERDF and State aid regulations are observed at all times.

As well as being fluent in the language of finance, Mike’s also hoping to become fluent in Spanish, with the aim of travelling there regularly and blending in with the locals, relaxing and drinking Rioja.

Leading the fund management team, Tom is all about helping businesses of all shapes and sizes get to where they want to be. He wants to make a tangible difference and is amazed at the energy, talent and experience that exists within the UMi community.

He’s constantly looking for innovative ways of doing things from all sectors that we can adopt within UMi Finance Scotland to make the process less daunting and more user friendly.

Tom’s a keen rock climber, hillwalker and skier, and (proving he could give Eddie the Eagle a run for his money) he once skied off the summit of Ben Cruachan in Argyll, destroying a set of skis in the process.

Nicki’s experience comes from working across numerous sectors – she’s been involved with many different cultures and ways of doing business, which makes her perfect as our Chief Exec. Her career’s felt more like an adventure, with some help from great people and a little bit of luck thrown in.

In her time, she started out in banking, travelled the world selling posh soft drinks, and has set up a number of businesses and social enterprises. So you could say she knows a thing or two about helping businesses go further, as well as our own.

Mum to two amazing boys, Nicki is an outdoorsy type and at her happiest up a hill or on the sea. She equally loves what she does at UMi and working with entrepreneurial people, for her it’s all about the difference UMi makes every day.

Paul leads our team which is in charge of developing and delivering world class events and workshops for UMi partners. His experience in leading trade delegates all over the globe and running large festivals means he is perfectly placed to turn a simple concept into a dynamic and crowd-drawing live experience. He is passionate about devising quality networking and learning events where businesses leave with pioneering ideas, sales leads, inspiration and advice.

Another passion is Paul’s renewed interest in getting fit and healthy, so it’s less of the couch potato and more 11 mile assault courses in the mud. Lots and lots of mud – but true grit.

With over 22 years as a banking and corporate finance professional, Julie is dedicated to enhancing the ways in which we make it easier for businesses to access the support and funding they need to succeed.

She is on a mission to use her expertise to empower businesses and champion inclusive practices. Julie brings a diverse perspective and a collaborative approach to driving impactful strategic initiatives for businesses and individuals across the UK.

Away from work, Julie is also a Board Trustee at Smart Works, a UK-wide charity that works to give women the confidence they need to reach their full potential, secure jobs, and transform their lives.

Thanks to degrees in chemistry, a decade in the chemical industry, setting up his own business to help others secure investment, and travelling the world creating supply chains for UK based businesses, Simon has so much experience to share. It won’t surprise you to hear he’s the driving force behind our innovation, technology and investment services.

Simon believes responsible business can be a power for good and is on a mission to improve lives for the better. For him, there’s nothing more heartwarming than helping people improve themselves and make a positive contribution to society. Away from the office, Simon happens to be a school governor and loves spending time with his wife and two great kids. He’s a sci-fi fan. It’s a whole other world.

Julia (aka The Oracle) is the queen of multi-tasking, keeping us all in check and plays a significant part in UMi’s business development activities.

Julia believes fate definitely plays its part in life and her work is an important part of who she is, so she needs to get personal satisfaction from a job well done. In a previous life, she could be found driving a wagon and setting up roadworks for her family’s traffic management business.

Her proudest moment was overcoming a fear of being underwater to scuba dive off the coast of New Zealand. Julia also volunteers with the National Trust; from office support to building mouse houses and messy mud painting, there’s always lots to do.

Claud is a trailblazer, both across the UK and internationally. Not content with just developing and delivering marketing plans with national partners, he also leads on many of UMi’s trade missions to more exotic overseas markets.

He’s extremely enthusiastic about designing campaigns and delivering projects that really engage with the audience. Claud loves the changeable nature of the projects he works on – he constantly has to adapt to new products, locations and audiences, so you could say every day is different.

And this is the man who, whilst on top of a double-decker bus in Times Square, NYC, belting out "Living on a Prayer’" could have had a very different life if he had succeeded in impressing Jennifer Lopez who was passing by at the time.

Suzanne oozes energy and ideas, and has over 15 years' experience in leading the UMi team. She started her career in the private sector managing leadership and management programmes for a range of businesses.

She has many stories to tell, as her role takes her the length and breadth of the country ensuring that our partnerships and services are just perfect and most importantly deliver tangible impact.

Outside work, Suzanne is a keen hiker and can be found walking the dog at the coast with her hubby and three boys. Throw in some fish and chips and she’s happy. She’s also a lover of live music. Speaking of love, she’s got a crush on Robbie Williams. Mon cher.

With a degree in Business, Chris is delighted he’s now in a role where he can use his academic training to positive effect. At UMi, he makes sure the provision of funding runs smoothly and our systems and processes are as efficient as possible, so we can deliver great customer service. For him, customer service is everything – he’s happiest knowing we’ve gone above and beyond what’s expected.

When he’s not going the extra mile at work, Chris is going the extra mile hiking in the Lake District with his family.

He also happens to be the proud owner of a Blue Peter badge! Along with two friends, they won the BBC’s ‘Young Parliamentarian of the Year’ competition at the age of 17 for writing a Bill proposing the reformation of the House of Lords.

Karl looks after the national Business Support Helpline, run on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and has the crucial role of ensuring that it offers the best possible customer experience.

Karl’s work experience has been all encompassing but always with a strong element of customer service, which makes him the perfect person to manage our Virtual Services and make sure that all of our contract relationships are strong and meet Best Practice in every way.

His greatest achievement is his three boys, and he’s also a self-confessed gamer and uber geek, as well as singing in a ‘dad’ band - sometimes even in public.

Having spent much of his career in marketing, sales and business development, Kevin is at home when working with partners and bringing people together. So much so that he even delivered a deal worth £26m in a previous role.

Kevin loves working on UMi’s campaigns and making connections, almost as much as he loves football. The Newcastle United season ticket holder never misses a game and is no stranger to doing business on the golf course, where he is trying to get back down to a handicap of 11.

You might remember Kevin from his appearances on 90s’ quiz show Going For Gold where he was a contestant and the blockbuster film Goal! Where he ‘played’ a Newcastle fan.

Beverley is an experienced finance professional who has been with UMi in various guises for 25 years working on numerous ERDF projects, finance and compliance issues.

She is the go-to person for all things accounts, expenses and payroll and someone who knows UMi inside out and back to front.

Outside of work, you’ll find her engrossed in Formula One racing – a passion that has taken her down to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix numerous times – or pursuing her love of crafts and making things. An ex-ballroom dancer, Beverley could have had a second career as a Strictly Come Dancing judge.