Amy has been a trusted face in Yorkshire homes for over twelve years, presenting BBC Look North. She’s brought us stories that have shaped our region and done it with warmth, compassion and credibility. Amy is a straight talking northerner and a natural at putting people at ease. In her time at Look North, Amy has covered four General Elections and some of the biggest stories to affect the Region including the covid pandemic, cost of living crisis, Manchester Arena bombing, Rotherham grooming, end of deep coal mining. Amy is at ease interviewing politicians and celebrities but it’s normal Yorkshire folk she enjoys meeting most –“ Giving them their moment in the spotlight is what regional news is all about”. Amy always says “yes” no matter how epic or unusual the challenge – Last year she took on a series of “job swaps” for Children in Need which saw her crab fishing on a trawler off the east coast, becoming a diary- farm hand and bin refuse worker. This year she’ll be walking 3 legged, arm in arm with Lindsey Burrow visiting communities and projects that CIN support. Prior to her life on the Look North sofa, Amy spend some time a Senior Journalist at BBC South Today and was a regular face on BBC3’s 60 second news for BBC 3. Her career in TV started at the age of 19 in Childrens, presenting programmes for CITV, and The Disney Channel. She also fronted a sports show for CBBC which involved getting Freddie Flintoff to play cricket with a baguette! She went on to front travel and property shows for SKY which sent her overseas to explore real estate and meet Brits who had taken the plunge to live abroad. Ten years after leaving school, she decided to do an MA in TV Journalism at Goldsmiths University of London (2009) and has never looked back. Away from work Amy loves the great outdoors and is a paddle boarding fanatic. She lives in York with her song writer husband Tim, two children and 6 pet chickens.
Ben joined as Head of Communications and Engagement in March 2025, where he leads the strategic development and delivery of all internal and external communications.
His connection to the STEP programme goes back to 2021, when he led the campaign to bring STEP Fusion to West Burton as Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council. As a former Member of Parliament and Board Member of the East Midlands Combined Authority, Ben brings significant experience and a unique understanding of both local and national stakeholders.
Paul McCartan, HR Manager in Yara at the Global Biological production site in East Yorkshire. Paul has been part of Yara’s DEI journey since it was formalised in 2019 and now part of Yara’s Global Pride ERG. He Chairs the CATCH EDIB Network, a network that brings companies & people in our region together to make positive impact and make here a destination. He is passionate about people & driving change to fulfil everyone’s potential and comfortable having uncomfortable conversations, otherwise things won’t change or improve.
Since his appointment in 2017 he has established the Northern Powerhouse Partnership as the business led organisation which convenes the North together. From making the case for significant investment in key transport priorities and further devolution deals for the North, to challenging for a better deal for the most disadvantaged from the education system, his team are focused on how government, business and partners can drive the North’s ambitions. Before joining the Partnership, he worked in senior research and policy roles in policing and financial services, and as a former senior local government figure in Newcastle upon Tyne remains a commentator on regional and wider industrial policy. Since 2020 he has also served as a member of the Royal Society Science, Industry and Translation Committee, is a member of the Council of Newcastle University and is a board member of Future Humber.
Tracy Brabin is a British Labour and Co-operative politician who was elected as the first Mayor of West Yorkshire, and the first ever woman Metro Mayor in England, in May 2021. During her campaign, Tracy pledged to create 1,000 skilled jobs for young people, lead a ‘Creative New Deal’ for the region, bring buses back under public control, tackle the climate emergency and build 5,000 affordable and sustainable homes. As Mayor, Tracy also inherits the roles and responsibilities of the former Police and Crime Commissioner. Her priorities for policing include to recruit more frontline officers and staff and to prioritise the safety of women and girls. Prior to her election as Mayor, Tracy was the Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen from 2016 until 2021. As MP, she held appointments as Shadow Early Years Minister, Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Shadow Minister for Cultural Industries. Moreover, Tracy is a former member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee and a former chair of the Gaps in Support All-Party Parliamentary Group, having led the campaign on behalf of the three million people excluded from Government financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Born in Batley, Tracy was an actor and screenwriter prior to entering politics, appearing in several British soap operas and writing for several television series. Tracy now lives in Kirklees, West Yorkshire. She has a husband and two daughters, all of whom work in the creative industries.
Born and raised in the region, Oliver took office as Mayor in May 2022 on a platform of restoring the pride, purpose and prosperity of South Yorkshire. He was re-elected in May 2024 when the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner was brought under the remit of the South Yorkshire Mayor.
Since graduating from Leeds University, Oliver has worked for a range of organisations including Barnsley Council where he worked on low carbon regeneration projects, in Parliament and the US Congress, South Yorkshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership and the charity BookTrust. He was Chair of the Board at Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union and has worked on a number of high-profile political campaigns, both within the region and abroad.
As Mayor, Oliver is working on delivering his manifesto pledge to fight for a better deal for South Yorkshire. In line with another of his pledges, to improve transport in the region, Oliver has already brought the tram network back under public control.
Gary Hitchmough has over 25 years' experience in the delivery of outsourced public services, in a career spanning transport, healthcare, justice and immigration across the UK, Middle East and Australia/New Zealand. He is Managing Director for Government and Business Development at First Bus, where he leads a business unit designed specifically to meet the needs of authorities who have opted to move to franchised bus operations.
As an Executive Director of First Bus, Gary helps steer an organisation with more than 18,000 colleagues using over 5,700 buses to connect people to education, employment, health and leisure opportunities in their communities – enabling over 1.5m bus journeys every single day. First Bus is on a mission to inspire the nation to love and use the bus.
Dan Fell MBE is Chief Executive Officer at Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, where he has spent almost two decades championing inclusive economic growth across Doncaster and South Yorkshire, including the past ten years as CEO. His leadership has been central to many of Doncaster’s landmark achievements, including the successful bid for City Status, the establishment of Doncaster University Technical College, and ongoing advocacy for the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Under his stewardship, the Chamber has grown into a leading national voice for business and was recently recognised by the British Chambers of Commerce for its outstanding contribution to the regional economy. Dan is deeply committed to making Doncaster a better place to live, work, and invest. Alongside his work at the Chamber, Dan contributes his expertise to a range of civic roles. He is Director of Finance for Enterprise, Governor of DN Colleges Group, Co-Chair of Doncaster’s Education and Skills Portfolio Board, and chairs Mayor Ros Jones’s Business Advisory Board. He also sits on the South Yorkshire Skills Advisory Board and Doncaster’s City Centre Board. His previous roles include Chair of CAST Theatre and membership of the South Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Vikram Doraiswami has served as India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since September 2022, leading efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in trade, technology, and culture. As part of the Indian Foreign Service since 1992, he has previously been Ambassador to South Korea, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan, and headed the Americas Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. Doraiswami has also worked with the Prime Minister’s Office and played key roles in major international diplomacy initiatives. He speaks several languages and has a keen interest in history, global affairs, cricket and literature, in particular the works of P.G. Wodehouse.
Nikki has been with the College since 2019, serving first as Vice Principal and then taking up the role of Principal in August 2022. Nikki is also a trustee of the CITB, and Leeds Learning Alliance, and is a member of the Construction Skills Mission Board, helping to drive the governments agenda on housebuilding and infrastructure investment through a highly skilled workforce. Before working at Leeds College of Building, Nikki held the post of Vice Principal (Technical and Professional) and Assistant Principal (Employer Engagement) at York College, Head of Department at Kirklees College, and Programme Manager at Leeds City College. Nikki is passionate about improving diversity in construction, which in turn helps to tackle nationwide skills shortages. She believes a truly inclusive sector is crucial for everyone to access the incredible opportunities offered by construction. Green and sustainable skills training is also a priority, helping contribute to important national net-zero targets.
Greg is an award-winning journalist who has worked for major regional newspapers, regional magazines, the Press Association and a pioneering news website which earned a place in The Guinness Book of Records. He’s also supplied business stories for the national newspaper, the i, (including an obituary of Sir Ken Morrison) and for The Yorkshire Evening Post. He’s won 19 business journalism awards and been ranked at 158 in Richtopia's list of the top 250 business journalists in the world. The Yorkshire Post's former business editor Mark Casci said: "Greg is one of the finest journalists I have worked with in my career. He embodies the spirit of investigative journalism which The Yorkshire Post has been synonymous with for decades." James Mitchinson, the editor of The Yorkshire Post, said after he was voted Regional Business Journalist of the Year at the Society of Editors' Awards 2019: "A more worthy winner you will struggle to find. Technically brilliant; tenacious; compassionate." Kevin Hollinrake MP, the former co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, described Greg as "one of a small number of journalists who have continually highlighted banking scandals and the need for truth and redress". Greg’s role as The Yorkshire Post's deputy business editor has given him the opportunity to chair a wide range of political debates and business seminars with celebrities including Sir Clive Woodward. He’s interviewed the likes of Bob Geldof, George Osborne, Sir Keir Starmer, Gordon Brown and Angela Rayner. He was one of the first journalists to write about the "Calendar Girls" of Rylstone WI, a story which inspired a major film. During the dotcom boom, Greg worked on the business desk at Ananova.com, the news service which featured the world's first virtual newscaster. He’s played a major role in developing The Yorkshire Post's award-winning business coverage and establishing the Excellence in Business and the Ward Hadaway Yorkshire Fastest 50 awards. He’s appeared on Sky News, the BBC news channel and BBC local radio to discuss business-related topics. He’s also been interviewed on talkRadio about the loan charge scandal and the economic success of Ilkley. Greg has chaired a childcare coalition fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester and hosted The Yorkshire Post's Environment Awards, alongside Natalie Bennett, the former leader of the Green Party.
Sian Booth leads on policy, skills, and campaigns at Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, championing South Yorkshire’s economic growth, transport and infrastructure, city centre regeneration, and workforce development. She oversees the Local Skills Improvement Plan for South Yorkshire, drives insight-led initiatives such as the Quarterly Economic Survey and other business intelligence studies, and builds strong partnerships across education, employers, and local stakeholders. A passionate advocate for SEND reform and opportunities for care-experienced young people, Sian’s career spans the third sector, creative industries, and local government, giving her a deep understanding of what makes communities thrive. She works to ensure that business success goes hand in hand with stronger, more connected places.
Sarah’s career in heritage and culture spans over 30 years. As CEO of Cromford Mills, part of the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, she led on the masterplan for the site, and the successful regeneration of several Grade I Listed buildings including B17. The B17 project was awarded a Europa Nostra in Finland in 2017, the highest award for conservation in Europe.
Sarah founded the Heritage Trust Network (HTN) in 2014, an umbrella organisation that provides peer to peer support to community led regeneration projects across the UK. HTN now has offices in all 4 countries of the UK.
Sarah was engaged as the first CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse in May 2017. Since taking on the role she has established a successful trading company and launched both the Wentworth Woodhouse Masterplan “A New Life” which details the £200 million regeneration programme for the site, and the WWPT Cultural Strategy which sets out an ambitious plan for the Trust’s work in diversity, access and inclusion, breaking down barriers to engagement in arts, culture and heritage. Since 2017 she has raised and delivered over £30m of capital regeneration, her latest project, the Camellia House, won Sarah her second Europa Nostra award in 2025. Today the site is a thriving visitor destination with ever growing numbers of staff, apprentices, trainees and volunteers.
Sarah joined the National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Committee in 2023, where she is part of the team adjudicating grant requests between £250,000 and £5million.
In January 2025 Sarah was appointed Chair of the public and private sector collaboration the South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership (SYLVEP).
Sarah has lectured on the MSc Historic Buildings course at Cambridge University for the last 14 years, focussing on the establishment of the community led regeneration movement in the UK in the late 20th century and its impact today. Sarah is a published writer and is currently a contributor to a book “The Public Country House” in conjunction with the Victoria & Albert Museum, The National Trust and UCL Press. In addition she is co-authoring a book on the rescue of Wentworth Woodhouse to be published in 2027.
She is the mother of a profoundly learning-disabled son and has been an advocate for disability rights and improvements in the care system for the last 30 years.
She was awarded an OBE in 2024 for Services to Heritage.
Fiona joined Insider Media in 2021 and primarily covers the corporate finance sector, as well as manufacturing and technology. She began her career after training as a journalist at the University of Central Lancashire. She has previously worked at World Textile Information Network, an information provider to the global textile industry, as well as Manchester Evening News.
David Horne has been Managing Director of LNER since its inception in June 2018.
He has held senior positions with several train operating companies including as Managing Director of East Midlands Trains from 2011 to 2015, and Virgin Trains East Coast from 2015 to 2018.
David leads the Executive Team at LNER with ambitious plans to transform train services on the East Coast route. Following the introduction of the Azuma trains, the team are now moving forward with delivery of the new timetable and the East Coast Digital Programme to continue the transformation of the LNER service.
David is passionate about customer experience, improving the railway network and generating sustainable growth.
David grew up in Cornwall where he started his railway career before studying transport management at Aston University. He now lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and their two children.
Journalist of 23 years. A proven editorial leader experienced in driving business transformation through strategic planning and delivery. Bringing together disparate news publishing silos to create a single, efficient, agile, effective publishing structure that is data-driven and target-audience focused.
