Our Community
Our Community
As our community grows we will include a directory of all of our members who give permission for their details to be shared with other members.
Are you a Connector?
You want to connect in, learn more and connect other people, projects and funding streams into the project - you like to chat to others and connect ideas, you are a strong networker.
Are you a Creator?
You want to help create research, outputs and tangible things - you like to get involved in the process and contribute directly to something. You like working with people and learning new things.
Are you a Catalyst?
You want to develop ideas in their earlier stages and be involved in the seeding and growth of projects - their initiation - but aren't necessarily going to be involved in their creation. You like ideas and imagining.
India Holme
Principal Investigator and Project Manager
(She/Her)
Connector, Creator and Catalyst
University of Warwick
With over 15 years of experience, including work at a Local Authority and the University of Warwick, India is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary project manager skilled in relationship-building, research engagement, and translation.
Adela Glynn-Davis
Project Co Investigator - Research
(She/Her)
University of Warwick
Adela is the Head of Warwick's Design Studies department, working on practice-led pedagogy and research, weaving industry, public and academia towards impactful learning and applications for sustainable development. She is an internationally experienced multidisciplinary designer working on systems change and complexity driven design with a focus on community-led practice and radical methods for co-design. A curated list of her published design practice can be viewed on HIPER/RITMIKA.
Hayley Beer
project Co Investigator - Research
(She/Her)
University of Warwick
Haley is Associate Professor of Operations Management, Warwick Business School andfocusses on the creation and measurement of social value and social impact: how organizations can have, and demonstrate, a positive influence (physical, emotional, cultural) on all stakeholders - not just make financial profit for shareholders.
Mark Scott
Project Research Fellow
(He/Him)
University of Warwick
Mark is an experienced monitoring and evaluation specialist in the sporting, creative and cultural sectors with experience encompassing community-led projects to major events. Mark was awarded in 2022 Collaboration and Co-Production funding from Warwick Institute of Engagement which saw him partner with Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre to co-create evaluation tools and training materials with artists working in the city. Mark has practical experience in training communities and running knowledge exchange sessions as demonstrated through work undertaken for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.
Roze Navab
Project Research Assistant
(She/Her)
University of Warwick
Roze Navab is a first-year PhD student at Warwick Business School, interested in understanding how businesses in the cultural, social, and third sectors can better engage with their communities and make the most of their grant funding. Her academic journey builds on her previous research into key performance indicators in the cultural sector, where she sought to contribute to practical insights for the field.
Roze has a background in events production, having worked on various projects during Coventry's year as the UK City of Culture. She is also involved in youth work and runs a small social enterprise, combining her experiences to support meaningful community initiatives and social impact.
Marie Clews
Project Co-ordinator
(She/Her)
Creator
University of Warwick and Third, voluntary or creative sector
Sindhu Khanna
(She/Her)
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
I am passionate about fostering community-driven research and creating opportunities for collaborative solutions.
Key Words: Community, Sustainability, Empowerment
Helen Bates
(She/Her)
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
I'm a Warwick Medical School Alumni (HMS BSc) now working on my PhD at Coventry University (Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities). I've done many PPI roles, got involved in WMS projects such as research culture. athena swan, etc and worked with the HRA on a round table project and I'm a REC LayPlus member... I live permanently on the border of Coventry (Balsall Common). I think this is a great opportunity to bridge Warwick and Coventry for me personally, and use my experiences etc to hopefully add something whilst also adding to my professional development!
My three key words would probably be Researcher, Advocate, healthcare.
Salinder Tandi
Connector
University of Warwick
Neeha Labba
(She/Her)
Phonetic spelling Nee-ha La-bba
Creator
University of Warwick
I am excited to be part of CovenTRY CollaborACTION because I believe in the power of community-driven collaboration to create meaningful change. With a background in finance and economics, I am particularly interested in how financial systems can support sustainability, inclusion, and community-driven initiatives. I enjoy working with diverse perspectives to find innovative solutions that create long-term impact.
Three Keywords: Sustainability, Inclusion, Finance
Gulnaz Iqbal
Connector
University of Warwick
Keywords: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Clinical trials Co-creation
Salla Virman
(She/Her)
Catalyst
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
I want to ensure that our plans for arts, culture and creative industries are linked to the wider work of CovenTRY CollaboACTION project.
Three keywords: Alignment, strategic, partnership
Sherrie Edgar
(She/Her)
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
Loneliness and Isolation, Mixed Heritage, Youth Culture and Feminism https://sherrieedgar.com/ What does the word collaborACTION mean to you? Creating together is the best action to take, accomplishing goals with people who believe in a vision, this can be seen out of the ordinary. Taking action to collaborate means we can cohabit together acting on our dreams, and focusing on the doing, rather than the effect, this is progress, and this is a healthy outcome.
Local Coventry artist Sherrie is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in artwork which explores human conditions. Fascinated by the moving image, fast youthful graphics, and embracing sounds, Sherrie produces work for the unconventional.
Nyasha Daley
Phonetic spelling njaa OR NYAH-SHAH
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
DALEY DIRECTOR, WEUSI LTD DIRECTOR, VARYAH LTD As an artist, arts practitioner and consultant, I am interested in collaborating with likeminded professionals, to inform and influence the creative and cultural landscape of Coventry, through research and curious interrogation.
Paul O'Donnell
(He/Him)
Phonetic spelling Porl Oh-Don-nul
Connector
University of Warwick
Collaborative action is the very best kind of action. Most interested in collaboration across disciplines, industries and sector to empower Coventry.
Kate Owen
(She/Her)
Connector
University of Warwick
I work at the medical school training future doctors and am interested in how these students can provide outreach services to the local community, in particular underserved groups. Keen to work with organisations already working with groups who struggle to access healthcare for any reason and local public health departments.
Three keywords: Heath-care. Access. Outreach.
Giuliana Famiglietti Pipola
Phonetic spelling Juliana
Catalyst
University of Warwick
Rhian Palmer
(She/her)
Phonetic spelling R-ian
Connector
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Communities - building connections to help work together to improve lives of local communities Climate Change - tackling climate change through collaboration, including developing ideas, research and funding Impact - taking action to make a difference
Dr Simon Newell
(He/Him)
Connector
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Head of Biodiversity
Working at Coventry City Council (Simon's team) helps manage, protect and improve the City's ecology and biodiversity through the planning process. We also work with external partners to help analyse and assess the City's natural environment.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
Laura Waller
(She/Her)
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Head of Digital Inclusion
"Laura spearheads the COV Connects program, a local authority-led digital inclusion initiative launched in October 2022 and inspired by 100% Digital Leeds. The programme has already made significant strides in addressing digital exclusion in Coventry.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
John Wilcox
(He/Him)
Connector
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Head of the Health Determinants Research Collaboration
The HDRC is building on Coventry’s track record of cross-sector engagement and is operating as a collaboration with the University of Warwick, Coventry University, University College London, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, the voluntary sector and local communities.
The HDRC is establishing a research infrastructure to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of Coventry residents as well as impacting nationally and internationally.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
Helen Wheatley
(She/Her)
- Director of Warwick Institute of Engagement (WIE)
University of Warwick
Helen is an experienced leader in public engagement and delivering research impact. She has led and participated in a variety of projects that take research out of the university and into our wider communities.
In 2020-2022, Helen assumed the role of Director of Warwick Institute for Engagement’s City of Culture Programme and the Resonate Festival.
Following this, she took on the role of Partnerships Lead, strengthening our ongoing work with cultural organisations and communities and working with our Regional Fellows, and she is now Academic Director of the Institute.
Nigel Driffield
(He/Him)
University of Warwick
Nigel is Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Regional Engagement and works with a number of stakeholders, both locally and nationally on issues relating to inward investment and economic development.
Nigel is also a Professor of International Business at Warwick Business School with research interests currently revolving around the links between FDI and productivity, and also better understanding the drivers of productivity at the regional level.
Professor Jon Coaffee
(He/Him)
University of Warwick
Jon is a Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor Chair (Research) with a focus upon research impact, governance and ethics and an appointed member of the ESRC Strategic Advisory Network (SAN)
He is also the Director of the Warwick Institute for the Science of Cities (WISC), an Exchange Professor at New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress
(CUSP) and an expert member of EU and UN policy groups linked of protective security and disaster recovery.
Graeme Currie
(He/Him)
Warwick Business School
Principle Investigator Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration
Graeme is a Professor of Public Management at Warwick Business School. His research focuses upon evidence-based health & care improvement, with particular interest in leadership, innovation, & workforce development. He was Principal Investigator on ESRC funded EXIT study that identifies how to support innovation for care leavers. He is currently Principal Investigator for Department for Education funded What Works in SEND (Special Education Needs & Disabilities) service improvement research programme in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, and the implementation science theme for NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands.
John Bernard
(He/Him)
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
John is a Coventry based poet, rapper & writer hailing from Stoke Aldermore. John uses his artistry to inspire, influence and invigorate his listeners with meaningful messages. His work commentates on social issues, youth empowerment, faith and purpose.
Adom Agyapong
(He/Him)
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
Adom is a director and cinematographer with a BA in Film and Television from the University of the Arts London. Adom has worked behind the camera to create narrative films, documentaries and commercial content, he possesses a strong dedication to craft visually captivating and emotionally resonant films.
Josh Leach
(He/Him)
Creator
Third, voluntary or creative sector
Josh is a Freelance Animator with a BA in Visual Communication: Film and Animation from Birmingham City University with over four years of experience in creating engaging animations for various clients and projects, using Adobe Creative Suite and other tools.
Brett Willers
(He/Him)
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Head of Climate Change and Sustainability
Bret is an entrepreneurial environmentalist and ecologist and is dedicated to driving change change across multi-agency partnerships for sustainability. Bret is responsible for strategic oversight of all energy and environmental programmes across the city and passionate and action oriented.
Bret is also Retrofit Lead for the 3 Cities – a unique collaboration between Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton to make these cities great places to live, work and play.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
David Hope
(He/Him)
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Business Development Manager
David has successfully managed and delivered projects and programmes on behalf of a wide range of public and private sector organisations, including the European Commission, Polish Government, UK Government Departments, Local and Regional Authorities, and universities. David's main areas of expertise include business support, innovation, sector development, and sustainable urban development.
David currently leading Coventry City Council's Economic Strategy & Funding Team, which is responsible for designing and securing investment for major publicly funded economic development programmes within Coventry.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
Harmony Lully
(she/hers)
Phonetic spelling har-mon-ay
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Programme Officer - Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC)
Harmony has worked for Coventry City Council for 8 years, in numerous customer focused roles. Harmony now works with the HDRC at Coventry City Council and feels excited to be part of a journey focussed on embedding research as part of Council culture.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
Daisy Hollingsworth
(she/hers)
Project Communications Officer - HDRC
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Daisy has experience in project coordination, marketing and communications, client relationship and management, stakeholder engagement, and event organisation
Highly motivated and driven self-starter with a passion for communication and project development, specialising in community outreach.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads
Michael Ogunyemi
(he/his)
Phonetic spelling o-gun-yemmy
Coventry City Council and/or HDRC
Project Assistant - HDRC
Michael has experience in public health research, microbiology research, public health project management and empowering vulnerable people.
Michael also have experience in conducting systematic reviews, empirical research, data analysis with Excel and SPSS, and evidence synthesis in healthcare and project administration.
Coventry City Council Extended Operational Team and Strategic Theme Leads