Oxford Road Corridor Board

Professor Duncan Ivison, FAHA FRSN, is President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester. He holds degrees from McGill University and the London School of Economics. With over 20 years at the University of Sydney, Duncan has extensive experience in academic leadership, including roles as Dean and Deputy Vice Chancellor. A distinguished political and moral philosopher, he’s received numerous awards and held visiting positions at prestigious institutions worldwide. Duncan is passionate about public engagement and building partnerships between universities, communities, industry, and governments.

Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University in 2015, having previously held positions at the universities of Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester and UCL. 

Malcolm is an ecologist who has studied the impacts of climate and environmental change in northern Europe and the Arctic, the regeneration of tropical rain forests in Malaysian Borneo, and the impact of parasitic weeds on subsistence farming in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Malcolm is currently a trustee of the British Council and English National Opera (ENO), and President of Universities UK (UUK).

Previously, he has served as president of his subject association, the British Ecological Society, and has also served as a trustee of UCAS, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and WWF-UK, a council member of the National Trust, and a board member of the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE). 

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 in recognition of his contributions to education. 

Bev became Leader of Manchester City Council on 1st December 2021. First elected in 2011 as a Burnage Councillor, she held a range of responsibilities on Manchester City Council, including serving for4 years as Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, then as Deputy Leader overseeing resources, capital programmes, social value and digital.

Born and raised on a council estate just outside of Belfast, she was the first in her family to go to university, moving to Manchester in 2003 to study and made it her home. After graduating from the University of Manchester she began her career in Local Government, before working in higher education and then a national trade union leading on social care. Alongside working full-time Bev completed postgraduate degrees at Warwick Business School and the University of Manchester.

As Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing she oversaw the integration of Manchester’s health and care services, led the city’s COVID health and community response, managing the crisis and focusing on a more equal recovery, and has championed the City’s work to become a Living Wage City.

Since becoming Leader her focus has been on Manchester’s ambitious COVID recovery, the importance of building a more inclusive and sustainable economy, children and young people, equalities, housing and zero carbon. She holds a range of responsibilities on behalf of the city including the GM Work and Skills Portfolio for the Combined Authority and the GM Local Enterprise Partnership.

Outside of politics, she enjoys sports and being outdoors, music, culture and enjoying all that Manchester has to offer.

Chris grew up in Manchester, studied at LSE and City University, London and worked briefly in the City before returning north in 1991 to work for the company his father founded in 1976. He was appointed CEO in 1999 and has overseen the growth of the business to one that owns over £1bn of commercial property across the city regions of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds with a further £1bn development pipeline across all four cities.

Chris is the majority shareholder of Bruntwood, which was founded on a belief that its success comes from the success of its colleagues, customers and the communities in which it operates. This commitment to creating thriving cities has led to Chris playing an active role in many public and private sector partnerships including CityCo, MIF, Manchester Oxford Road Corridor, the Business Leadership Council and Manchester Climate Change Forum.

Continuing its strong partnership approach, in 2018 Bruntwood created Bruntwood SciTech; a 50:50 joint venture with Legal and General Capital focussed on the creation of environments and ecosystems for companies in the science and technology sector. This includes Alderley Park, Innovation Birmingham, Citylabs, a development for the Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester Science Park, part of Manchester Science Partnerships which includes the Councils of Manchester, Salford and Cheshire East, the University of Manchester and MMU and the Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Bruntwood is recognised nationally for its support of cultural and community initiatives, donating 10% of its annual profits to charitable causes. Chris is a trustee of The Oglesby Charitable Trust, which works with more than 40 community-based charities a year, is a board member of youth charity Young Manchester and a school governor.

Mark has a long-standing career in the NHS having joined as a nurse in Greater Manchester in 1992.

Mark became Group Chief Executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in April 2023. Prior to that, he was Chief Delivery Officer for NHS England.

Mark has held a range of senior leadership roles in his career, including Chief Executive at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, regional Chief Operating Officer for NHS Improvement in the Midlands and East of England, and several director roles in London NHS trusts, including Moorfields Eye Hospital, Whipps Cross and Barts Health.

Patricia Bartoli joined Manchester City Council in 1990 to work in the Race Unit on initiatives to foster intercommunity tolerance. Since then she has held a number of senior posts within the Policy Unit of the Chief Executive’s Department, including Head of Strategic Developments. Patricia has led a number of city projects including the development of the City Centre Strategic Plan, the establishment of the Manchester City Centre Management Company, the development of Education Action Zones and delivery of high-profile regeneration strategies. In 2007, Patricia became Head of the City Centre Regeneration Team, which drives the ongoing regeneration of the city centre, and works with major partners to deliver the city growth objectives. The team is responsible for the delivery of a number of high profile schemes within the city including The Factory, HOME, Spinningfields, First Street, the NOMA regeneration scheme, St Michaels, the redevelopment of the city’s Civic Quarter and Medieval Quarter, HS2/Piccadilly, Mayfield and other major transport schemes affecting the city centre.

Darren held the role of Director of Strategy at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since April 2006 and has led a number of major organisation-wide initiatives including the successful Foundation Trust application in January 2009 and the acquisition of Trafford Healthcare Trust in April 2012.

He was a member of the Greater Manchester Devolution Transition Team, helping to shape the governance arrangements linked to this historic agreement which has now matured into the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership.

Darren is responsible for all aspects of strategic planning and for providing an overarching framework for the development of corporate and service strategy. He manages many of the Trust’s major stakeholder relationships and works closely with the hospital leadership teams to ensure that our service delivery and development plans support the achievement of our vision.

Darren is a qualified accountant and has held senior financial and operational management positions within the NHS prior to joining the team.

Esme Ward is Director of Manchester Museum, at the University of Manchester, with a commitment to lead the world’s most inclusive, imaginative and caring museum. She is the first woman in Manchester Museum’s 132-year history to hold the role of Museum Director.

Prior to this, Esme was Head of Learning and Engagement across both the Whitworth and Manchester Museum where she led the growth of learning and public programmes, embedding award-winning health and culture, early years and age friendly work.

Esme is currently leading a £15 million ambitious capital project, hello future to transform Manchester Museum into a larger and more extraordinary place to visit and renew its creative and civic mission to bring more joy, inspiration and care to its communities.

Esme is Co-Chair of the National Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance; Co-chair of the University Museums Group; Environmental Sustainability Lead for Manchester Cultural Leaders Group and sits on the National Museums Directors’ Executive Council.  She is a fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme, and Honorary Professor of Heritage Futures at the Institute for Cultural Practices, University of Manchester.

Linda holds the position of Principal and Professor at the RNCM, and UK representative for Howarth Clarinets. She has an international profile as a clarinet soloist, recording artist and clinician.

Her catalogue of over 20 solo CD recordings includes new concertos by Gary Carpenter, Nigel Clarke, Martin Ellerby, Kit Turnbull and Guy Woolfenden (Polyphonic), Philip Sparke (Anglo Records), Stephen McNeff (Campion), John McLeod (Chandos), Edwin Roxburgh (NMC), and Philip Spratley (Toccata).

Linda’s chamber music output includes premiere recordings of four new clarinet quintets with the Navarra Quartet (Naxos), a new clarinet quintet by John McCabe with the Kreutzer Quartet (Guild), Wilfred Joseph’s Clarinet Quintet and Robert Crawford’s Clarinet Quintet (Metier), chamber works by Malcolm Arnold and John Ireland (Maestro), and Martin Ellerby (ClassicPrint), and new works for clarinet and electronics with Chris Thorpe (Voiceprint).

Linda has broadcast for BBC Radio 3, Radio France, DRS1 Switzerland, CKWR Canada and Arte TV South Korea, and performed as a concerto soloist across America, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, the UAE, and throughout the UK.
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Linda is a founder member of the contemporary ensemble ‘Sounds Positive’, with whom she has premiered over 70 works by British composers, and released 3 CDs.