Chris Hope (Chair)
Born in Darlington, the Foundation's Chair, Chris Hope spent a significant portion of his career working as a Manager and then a Partner with KPMG in the North East.  Currently Chris is Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary to Aeon PLC and is a non executive director to several SMEs.  At present he is assisting UK Steel Enterprise Ltd in respect of the Teesside Corus closure.  During his all too rare breaks from work Chris enjoys playing bridge and golf, watching rugby and walking his dog.

Pam Taylor (Vice Chair)
Pam Taylor is Vice Chair of the Foundation who enjoyed a successful career in accountancy.  She was a partner of PWC based in Middlesbrough and other offices in North of England. Pam joined the Foundation in 1983 with the objective of helping the local community following her retirement from PWC. She is Chair of the Investment, Risk and Governance Committees.  When not working for the Foundation Pam enjoys skiing and playing tennis.

Brian Beaumont
Business Development Specialist at Waltons Clark Whitehill.  His career began in commerce and industry in finance and general management across a range of sectors.  Later he has been involved in feasibility studies, strategy, business planning, funding packages, mentoring and coaching.  He has always been involved in unpaid work in infrastructure organisations and the third sector and joined the board of the Foundation in December 2006 bringing skills and expertise based on strategy, planning, a long experience of the third sector and a wide range of contacts.  In his spare time he enjoys walking and challenges, photography, research and writing.

Rosemary Young
Born into a local farming family having spent her life in the lee of the Cleveland Hills.  Rosemary was educated at Yarm Grammar School and Teesside University.  Her career has included 10 years in HR with Northumbrian Water and 25 yrs as Lawyer now specialising in private and elderly client work.  Rosemary was invited to become a Trustee in 2006 and thoroughly enjoys the role, particularly as panel member of
The John Bloom Law Bursary Fund giving annual assistance to aspiring law students from disadvantaged homes the chance to achieve their potential as lawyers.

John Harrison
Born and raised in Billingham John Harrison returned to the region after a long military career retiring as an Air Commodore in 2007.  After working in New York and London as an asset manager he has now settled in the Tees Valley.  His involvement with the Foundation began in 2009 and allows him to put something back into the community that gave him opportunity and the role models of his youth. His military service included Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq as well as work in the FCO, the US Pentagon, and with other national organisations. He commanded Royal Air Force Halton near Aylesbury, and was also appointed Aid de Camp to Her Majesty The Queen.

Marjory Houseman
Marjory has worked for Northumbrian Water since 1992, currently as Business Customer Manager. Her role involves customer retention, negotiation of contracts and commercial arrangements and representing NWL at a senior level with customers, suppliers and Regional Development Agencies. These roles have ensured that she has a broad network and knowledge of the region.
She has been involved with the Foundation since 1993, firstly working on the grant making committees and progressing to trustee. Currently, she chairs the Evening Gazette Making A Difference Fund, and sits on the Foundation's Risk Assessment Group and Pay and Remuneration Committee.

John Irwin
John is a director of Storeys:ssp, the property consultancy and chartered surveyors’ practice which advises clients on all aspects of their commercial and industrial assets.
He has practised in the North since 1970 and became a founder shareholder after the management buy-back of Storey Sons and Parker in 1991. John moved to Teesside from Newcastle in 1980 and has expanded the office to provide the full range of property services.
He has played a consistently active role in the business community, ranging from holding regional and national honorary positions with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, to being a governor of Teesside University, president of the North East Chamber of Commerce; joining the Foundation in 2006.  He was also key in the formation of the Foundations partner organisation, Tees Valley Professional Services Group.

Neil Kenley
Neil works as Strategic Investment & Marketing Director of Tees Valley Unlimited. He joined the Board of the Foundation in September 2005.  Bringing a broad experience of both private and public sectors, he brings a wealth of strategic, marketing, promotion and inward investment knowledge to the table.  Neil’s first career upon leaving school was in the Merchant Navy, where he became involved in scuba diving, a sport with which he is still very closely connected.  Neil was born and brought up in Thornaby, he is married with 2 children and is Vice Chair of Billingham Forum Life Saving Club.

Alan Kitching
Alan Kitching is a consultant at the Leeds office of Charles Stanley, having worked for most of his business life on Teesside where he was a founding partner of a small provincial stockbroker in Middlesbrough that grew over ten years to over 30 offices covering the UK.  Prior to that, he had served in the Royal Navy and worked in Zambia as part of the Provincial Administration. For many years he served on the Northern Stock Exchange Council and its successor bodies, including a spell on the Stock Exchange Council.  As well as being a trustee of the Foundation he is actively involved in a number of charities, acting as Chairman of Cleveland Alzheimers Residential Centre,  and Treasurer of Hope & Homes for Children(NY). When not busy with matters charitable or financial he enjoys most sports and training dogs.

John Sparke
John Sparke has been a Trustee since September 2002. He retired as General Manager for the Teesside Operations of Conoco Phillips in 2003, having worked on Seal Sands since 1975.
He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a past President of the Teesside Chamber of Commerce. John has been involved in the mechanics of the Foundation as a long serving member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee and as Chair to the Fair Share Trust Board in Stockton.
Outside the Foundation, he is  Chairman of the Swaledale Festival, a life-member of Durham County Cricket Club, and a season-ticket holder at Hartlepool United.

Craig Monty
Craig is partner with Dickinson Dees LLP, the leading law firm in the North of England.  He is a commercial disputes specialist but also heads up the firm’s corporate social responsibility activities.  Craig was born and raised in the Tees Valley and returned to Stockton on Tees in 2004 having spent 17 years in the City.  Craig lives in Stockton-on-Tees. He is a keen sports fan, particularly Middlesbrough Football Club and horse racing.

Jack Ord (OBE)
Jack has been a significant force behind the ongoing success of the Foundation since it's inception.  When he became a Trustee he was Deputy Chief Constable to Cleveland Constabulary. His extensive network and powers of persuasion were key to the initial establishment of the Foundation and he played a major part in attracting sufficient initial donors to the Foundation, making it the first Foundation in the UK to secure £1m and win the $1m CAF/MOTT match funding.  Jack is Chair of the Development Committee and the Grant Fund Advisory Panel.
It is often said by Trustees and stakeholders of the Foundation that there is no one in the area that Jack does not know.  He is dedicated to the people of the Tees Valley and strongly believes that to influence improvement in a community, you need to be at the very heart of it at all times.

Keith Robinson
Keith Robinson trained as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London before transferring to Zambia and Nigeria for 3 years. In 1978 he founded Keith Robinson & Co in Middlesbrough which was sold to Vantis in 2008. He is currently one of five members of Evolution Business and Tax Advisors LLP which completed a management buyout of the North Eastern offices of Vantis in June 2010.  Keith became a Trustee of the Foundation in 2006 to put something back into the area. Keith has a degree in Russian and French and enjoys travel and eating good food.

Peter Rowley
Peter Rowley retired as a director and chief executive of Darlington Building Society in 2009 after 17 years in post. Now a coach, organisational consultant and a non-executive director in charities, education, public and private sector organisations, he leads a national team of business advisors to the third sector voluntary groups and social enterprises as Head of Business Support for The Social Investment Business, utilising his background in finance, governance and marketing to good effect.
Peter is a keen runner, competing weekly at club level at all distances from 5k up to and including marathons.

Wendy Shepherd
Wendy has over 20 years social work experience. She is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist and has worked with children and young people who have suffered sexual abuse for the past 17 years.  Wendy is programme manager of the Barnardo’s SECOS Project.  She is also Chair of the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership on issues related to prostitution, trafficking and sexual exploitation, which was set up following research in 1999.
Wendy is the Chair of Middlesbrough Community Network for the Voluntary & Community Sector and the Vice Chair of Middlesbrough Local Strategic Partnership.
In 2010 Wendy was named in the Independent on Sunday’s ‘Happy List’ as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better and happier place to live.