Our board

Smart Works is governed by our Board of Trustees, who bring with them a wealth and depth of experience across a diverse range of industries.

We’re grateful for all the hard work and dedication of the members of our board. The work we do would not be possible without their guidance.

Chair

Jan Iceton

Jan Iceton is Chair of Smart Works Greater Manchester. Jan's professional career has always been in business development, with 10 years in global tech (Fujitsu), 10 years in Business Process Outsourcing in the UK and North America (Vertex) then 10 years running her own consultancy / interim business supporting multiple private equity owned companies. In 2015, Jan went into a board role with a fast growing, highly entrepreneurial Software As A Service backed by private equity in the north of England and, after a successful sale of this business in April '17,left full time professional life. Jan joined as Chair in July 2017 and has never looked back. ""Being Chair has been the most fulfilling leadership role of my whole career and I am both grateful and privileged to be part of this wonderful community.

“I’m passionate about supporting women in the workplace and the Smart Works proposition is both fabulously simple and uniquely empowering; the position of Chair embodies everything that I personally believe in. It is a privilege to lead the Smart Works Greater Manchester team of Trustees, Staff and Volunteers in helping more women every year to secure employment.”

Treasurer

Alison Lever

Alison Lever is a chartered accountant and our Treasurer. She joined Smart Works in 2018 as a Trustee after becoming involved through fundraising events supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“I love spending time in the Smart Works office seeing the transformation in confidence and self belief of our clients during a 2 hour styling and coaching appointment with our wonderful volunteers and staff.”

Honorary Treasurer

Ewa Kerin

Ewa is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants and has held a number of senior positions within the Financial Services industry for over 25 years at JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Willis Towers Watson and HSBC.

“I wanted to work with a team that all shared the same passion for helping women be successful and feel good about themselves, so am incredibly fortunate to have joined the committed and talented team that is Smart Works.”

Kay Barratt

“I was delighted to be asked to be a trustee of SWGM, I believe that we all need help and mentoring at some point in our lives and SW gives women confidence to flourish, realise their full potential and in turn change their lives”.

Kay Barratt works as Senior Creative Director and Joint Partner at Cheetham Bell advertising, part of the WPP group. Kay has worked on many clients accounts, building brands making them profitable, relevant and famous.

Sue Weighell

Sue Weighell is a Chartered Accountant and freelance finance professional who works with organisations on their financial strategy and business development. The work undertaken ranges from producing a business plan and budget to monitoring that plan with regular management information. Sue also uses information from the financial reports to recommend improvements to the business that impact on profitability and often works with clients on a regular basis in an FD type role.

Sarah Bateman

Sarah Martin is a trustee at Smart Works Manchester, Sarah’s background stems from Business development and relationship management predominantly in the Technology Sector. Most recently she has taken the lead in Manchester’s newest Technology Innovation Centre Mi-IDEA. First involved in Smart Works as a volunteer providing interview coaching Sarah now joins us as a trustee to offer her core competencies in Business operations and Strategy.

Emma Pickering

“I’ve been impressed by the team at Smart Works and it’s impact on boosting women’s confidence. I’m excited to bring my experience to the role of Trustee, particularly in developing corporate partnerships, to further our momentum and growth so we can extend our support to many more women across Greater Manchester.”

Helen Rendle

Helen Rendle is an experienced event manager having worked in the sector for a decade. She was drawn getting more involved with Smart Works after the opening of the City Centre Hub. Helen joined us in December 2023 as our new Fundraising and Events Trustee.

“I am excited to be part of Smart Works Greater Manchester and their mission to empower women into work. I was drawn to Smart Works GM as I feel strongly that providing women with the clothes to feel confident as well as the coaching support for them to truly believe in themselves is the perfect recipe for women’s empowerment in employment and beyond. I cannot wait to start working with the other volunteers and trustees to create memorable events to spread the message and ensure even more women are positively impacted by Smart Works and their mission.”

Natasha Gada

“I am over the moon to be joining the team at Smart Works Greater Manchester as the Young Women’s Trustee. Accessing employment post-education is becoming increasingly difficult for young women across the UK and at Smart Works, we have a real opportunity to change a young person’s trajectory here in Manchester. Our future generation needs us now more than ever!”

Who we are > Our board

Our board

Smart Works is governed by our Board of Trustees, who bring with them a wealth and depth of experience across a diverse range of industries.

Chair

Treasurer

Honorary Treasurer

Support our mission

Who we are > Our board

Our board

Smart Works is governed by our Board of Trustees, who bring with them a wealth and depth of experience across a diverse range of industries.

Chair

Treasurer

Honorary Treasurer

Support our mission

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