Welcome to our Governance page! Doing the right things are important to SWY and strong governance keeps us on track to be the best we can be. We are lucky to have a talented Board of Directors and leadership team who are committed to SWYs Purpose and Values, they are our guiding stars behind our success, bringing knowledge, skills and challenge to help the team create Positive Change.
Scott Darraugh, Chief Executive of health and wellbeing spin-out, Social adVentures, is a prominent social entrepreneur. With over 10years of driving public health service reform, his notable role as Project Director in NHS Salford birthed innovative community programs in deprived UK neighbourhoods. In 2010, he led his team to establish one of the first NHS Social Enterprises, diversifying its portfolio beyond healthcare to include a community garden centre and social enterprise childcare nurseries. Nationally recognized, Scott contributes to the Cabinet Office's public service mutualisation agenda as an official 'Mutuals Ambassador' and was named among the UK’s Top 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs in 2011. He also chairs Bevan Health and Global Grooves.
Scott says about his new position as Chair: "I am honoured to be the new Chair at SWY building on the great work of Mike Corfield. It is a challenging and exciting time for SWY as it enters a new phase of growth and development!"
Richard has a strong background in project management and construction within the social housing sector. With over a decade of senior management experience, he spent 2 years on the Bolton at Home Group Leadership Team and has worked in housing since 2007. His roles included Building Surveyor, Sustainability roles, and later managing multiple teams at Bolton at Home. By 2021, as Group Director of Property Maintenance, he expanded his responsibilities to include oversight of Procurement, Asset Management, and Planned Works teams.
Alison, a seasoned professional in the social housing sector, has held significant not-for-profit roles over the past 19 years, including board memberships at Six Town Housing and Starts with you. Currently, she plays a pivotal role in Bolton at Home group's finance team, handling substantial budgets. A Business Studies graduate and Chartered Certified Accountant with a level 5 CIH award, Alison's expertise is robust. Her dedication to Starts with you's goals is strengthened by her personal experience as a mother of two adopted children from challenging backgrounds, fostering empathy that's advanced her career.
Mike has worked in a wide variety of roles in social housing, for local authorities and housing associations. Currently Chief Executive of a community-based housing association in North Manchester Mike is committed to trying ensure that organisations maximise their social impact in order to help improve people lives and the environment. An experienced non-executive director he has served on boards in fields of culture, housing and education both in England and North Wales.
Previously in his career, James was the Director of Property Management for Lloyds Banking Group. His experience also includes being a Director at Sequence / Connells which is part of Skipton Building Society. In both of these Director posts James was responsible for the successful delivery of large-scale residential lettings operations. James holds an Honours Degree in Estate Management which provides him with technical knowledge about property construction, development and valuation methods. James Kelly is a Board member at Starts with you. In his day-to-day role James works for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arms-length government body that supports people across the UK by offering financial wellbeing guidance,resources and tools. James leads MaPS relationships with key employers in theSocial Housing, Council, Credit Union, NHS, Retail, Manufacturing and Charitysectors.
Hayley has been Managing Director of SWY from day one and has been instrumental in shaping the company’s culture and values. She is passionate about demonstrating a better way of doing business; operating ethically and profitably, focusing on making Positive Change, with the people and in the places where we work. Hayley has 30 years of experience in social housing, regeneration, and social enterprise across the public, private, and third sectors. Despite involvement in many successful projects, her proudest achievements are supporting others to grow and achieve, and leading SWY with its mission “to create opportunity and empower people” is a dream job. As well as leading SWY, Hayley is actively involved in promoting and championing Social Enterprise and advocating for a kinder, fairer more ethical economy. She is actively engaged in strategic forums locally in Bolton and across the sub-region, she is a founding member of the Greater Manchester Proper Good Programme and of Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham’s Social Enterprise Action Group. Hayley is always interested in exploring ways to grow SWY, deliver more opportunities, and champion responsible business. If you would like to find out more or think you can help please “Contact us”. Together we can do more.
Claire is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and also has qualifications in Criminology, Business, and Health and Social Care, and brings over 10 years’ experience in private and third sector business administration and HR. Claire is passionate about ethical practice and developing people, has an eye for detail, and has been pivotal in supporting the Company’s mission to “create opportunities and empower people”. As a member of SWYs Senior Leadership Team, Claire is responsible for business administration and people practices, ensuring the smooth running of the business and best practice in employment practice. Her role covers everything from policy and strategy development, data protection and compliance, HR management, employee practices (sourcing, engagement, relations, reward, resourcing, inclusion), corporate culture, and learning and development. She has been instrumental in SWY becoming a Real Living Wage and Hours Employer, securing GM Good Employment Charter Membership, and developing an employee wellbeing support package to meet the needs of our people. Claire is also an advocate for the Good Employment Charter and plays an active role in championing excellence in HR and employment practice across Greater Manchester and beyond.
Since 2019, Jayda Mulligan has been our invaluable Operations Manager. With 14 years of extensive experience in employment, education, and regional skills development, she contributes significantly to our organisation. Jayda's passion lies in promoting employee growth and furthering business progression. She masterfully manages 14 unique services and multiple contracts, constantly innovating and expanding our offerings, making no two days the same. Her responsibilities span contract and people management, health and safety, and continuous improvement. Working with HR and Finance, she ensures policy compliance and budget adherence. Jayda is well-known around the office as the friendly disrupter and noisemaker, keeping the work atmosphere fun and light-hearted. Jayda's knack for securing new business is evidenced in wins like the Big Lottery Energy Smart Grant and the Digital Coffee and Chat from the Bolton Fund. She thrives on problem-solving and deepening her understanding of different business areas, thereby expanding our influence. She is proud to work for Starts with you and privileged to work alongside an SMT who are so passionate about creating a positive workplace culture.
Rita Patel is the Commercial Finance Manager for Start with you. She oversees the day-to-day finances, banking/cashflow, management accounts, budget setting, payroll, financial processes, staff expenses, yearend statutory audit, business taxation and procurement. She also line manages the brilliant Finance Administrator whose role is integral to ensuring the day the day finances run smoothly. Prior to SWY, Rita worked for various organisations in the VCSE sector with over 10 years of accounting experience. Rita was funded to do her CIMA exams with a prior employer and became a qualified Management Accountant. Rita is a keen learner and likes to analyse and interpret data. She also understands the importance of being a financially sound and profitable organisation, this strongly aligns with her role at SWY. Rita chose to work for SWY, a value-based organisation as she is keen to work with like minded people who make a difference, understand the challenging environment and care about people and communities they work with. Although Rita is the quieter member of the leadership team, she brings a wealth of experience and is happy to support the team.
