Darren Winter

Darren Winter is chair of the Town Deal Board. He is the Company Director of Duco Digital, a digital marketing & training business based in Redcar.

Darren also manages the Redcar and Cleveland Business Network and is the acting Chair of the Redcar Cleveland Place Board. Darren’s favourite things about Redcar are the fantastic coastline, a welcoming and supportive business community, and its close proximity to the North York Moors.

Stella Hall

Stella Hall FRSA, has a passion for connecting people and place through culture. She is now freelance. As Deputy Director, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, she led the Culture10 programme of events across the North East. In 2013 she co-founded the hugely popular Festival of Thrift in Redcar which celebrates building creative communities through sustainable living.

Alongside arts, culture and placemaking consultancies she regularly mentors’ younger professionals across the UK. She loves Redcar and Cleveland for its contrasting landscapes, urban and rural, its warm and welcoming people and for its commitment to our sustainable future.

Cllr Mary Lanigan

Councillor Mary Lanigan has been an Independent Councillor for 16 years and was the Leader of the Independent Group before taking up the role of Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council following the Council Elections in 2019. Councillor Lanigan is married and has three grandchildren and worked as a nurse for over 30 years. She is passionate about the area and is looking forward to Redcar having a bright future.

Andrew Carter

Andrew Carter is the Assistant Director Economic Growth at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Andrew has a multidisciplinary professional background and is a Chartered Town Planner having worked in Local Government for the last 15 years, managed Planning, Housing, Learning & Skills, Economic Growth, Regeneration Projects, Estates & Asset Management and Museums & Performance Venues teams. Previously he worked as a geologist at the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and started his professional working life as a Secondary School teacher. In his spare time Andrew enjoys the outdoors with family and friends making the most of the exceptional cycling and walking opportunities in Redcar & Cleveland, particularly Guisborough Woods and the coastal Cleveland Way routes.

Matt Parsons

Matt Parsons is General Manager External Affairs for Anglo American’s Woodmsith Project, which he has been part of for the last nine years. Matt is also a member of Redcar Cleveland Place Board. Having spent his working life involved with projects that aim to support social and economic development, he is excited to be part of the Town Deal Board. Matt fell in love with the area having moved from down south almost twenty years ago. He is not going back! 

Jason Faulkner

Jason Faulkner is the Principal of Redcar and Cleveland College, a member of the Redcar Ambassadors Board and the Vice Chair of Freebrough Academy Council. After spending 14 years in the military Jason came back to Teesside and embarked on a career in education.

The power of education has helped transform his life, he now uses education and his role as Principal to ensure Redcar and Cleveland has a College that is vibrant, high performing and delivers real skills for real jobs.

John Sampson

John Sampson has been employed by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council since April 2009 and commenced his current role as Managing Director in 2019.

Over the years he has worked in various roles within the Council and has gained a vast knowledge about the borough and its residents. When John, he visited employees within their workplaces to connect with life on the frontline.

John has responsibility for an organisation employing over 2,200 employees with a gross spend of circa. £300 million per annum, and represents the Council on a range of boards and partnerships, including The South Tees Site Company (employee Trust) and ARCC (a CIC Probation service for Durham & Tees Valley), where he is both a board member and the chair of the Audit Committee. John believes in delivering our best and has some bold and ambitious plans for Redcar and Cleveland.

Jacob Young

Jacob Young is the Member of Parliament for the Redcar Constituency since December 2019.  Born in Middlesbrough, Jacob studied at both Redcar and Cleveland College and Teesside University, and previously worked in the Petrochemical Industry on Wilton Site before his election. Jacob also sits on the board of the South Tees Development Corporation. Having lived in Teesside his whole life, he describes the pride in our heritage, our uninterrupted coastline – and Lemon Tops – as his favourite things about Redcar.

Sarah Walker

Sarah Walker is the Head of Development and Delivery for Tees Valley Combined Authority. She is working on the development and delivery of numerous public and public/private projects and programmes across the Tees Valley. Sarah grew up in Redcar and Cleveland and currently lives in Marske-by-Sea with her husband and two small children, where she loves the 5-minute walk to the beautiful coastline.

She has been working within the Tees Valley partnership since 2009 and is passionate about the area and making a difference for its residents. She is also on a Local School Board in the area and worked within Children’s Centres in Redcar for many years. Sarah’s first job was selling Lemon Tops and Candy Floss on Redcar Seafront and she is proud of its history and the exciting future ahead for Redcar and its people.

Chris Gallacher

Chris Gallacher is the Cabinet Member for Growth and Enterprise at RCBC. Chris started his working life at ICI and worked in many roles in engineering in the Petro-Chemical industries for a large portion of his civilian life, ending up running his own CAD and E commerce solutions business. Concurrent with this, Chris was involved actively with the Army, both Regular and Reserve, for forty two years.

Chris was born and raised in Middlesbrough but has spent time abroad working. He has a keen interest in the area and loves to spent time on Redcar wide open beaches in all weathers. Like many of his generation, Chris remembers many happy days on crowded Redcar beaches and looks forward to seeing those crowds return.

Jenny Archer

Local business owner

Jonah Morris

Jonah Morris is the Partnerships Manager for Sustrans, covering the North East and Cumbria. Sustrans is a UK-wide charity with the aim to enable everyone to make active journeys, by walking, wheeling and cycling. Jonah’s position on the Board is to advise on transport issues to enable Redcar to be accessible to all and enable visitors to enjoy all that Redcar has to offer.

Jonah is involved in the roll out of Active Travel Hubs across the Tees Valley including the establishment of a permanent Active Travel Hub in Redcar.

John Anthony

John has been retired for nearly 7 years. He is currently Vice-chair of Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency but previously served as Chief Education Officer with Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council from 2012 – 2016 having been a successful secondary school headteacher both in this borough and in South Lincolnshire. John represents the voluntary sector on the Town Board and is keen to see the investment in the town leading to residents living happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives. Since his retirement John has embraced his love of travel, golf and of course his family.

Catherine Clennett

Catherine recently joined the board and is excited to be involved in something that will have such a huge impact on the town. Catherine lives in Guisborough and works in Redcar, and her personal values are about helping people to achieve their full potential, hence Catherine’s role at Beyond Housing (the main provider of social housing in the Redcar and Cleveland area).

Part of Catherine’s role at BH is to deliver an employability agenda to support people in our communities into good quality employment. Catherine’s other passions are around health and wellbeing – she has been a run coach and cycle guide leader, and is really keen on improving both physical and mental health. Catherine is therefore enthusiastic about projects that encourage people to come together, to connect, to move more and enjoy the benefits of outdoor spaces.

The Town Deal project is a unique opportunity to deliver transformed local spaces in Redcar that will boost employment and opportunities for leisure, social connection, wellbeing and training.

Nigel McIntyre

Nigel recently joined the Town Deal Board and is really looking forward to being part of the journey to revitalise the town.

Nigel is the Manufacturing Director for Alpek Polyester UK based on the Wilton Site. He has lived in the local area his whole life and has spent over 35 years working in the Redcar area.

Nigel has many fond childhood memories of time spent visiting the town. The investment in the town is the catalyst to bring back visitors, boost the economy and attract long term investors in the area.