Neil is CEO of CLES www.cles.org.uk – UK’s leading independent think and do tank, realising progressive economics for people and place. CLES’s aim is to achieve social justice, good local economies and effective public services for everyone, everywhere. Neil’s work as the Chief Executive of the Centre Local Economic Strategies (CLES) is centred around strategic policy making, cooperation, developing strategies, and public sector reform.

At present he is driven by a range of economic, social and environmental challenges and is focused on thinking through and applying a new economic model for places which includes ideas around economic resilience, collaboration, networks and new forms of public service delivery. Neil has been commissioned and collaborated with a range of local and national governments, international, regional and local agencies as well as housing, business, community and voluntary organisations. His ideas, have been used in the thinking through the practice of new economic policy development and place strategy in UK.

Nick is an Honorary Fellow at the Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester, and a Visiting Fellow at Edge Hill University. He has recently given lectures and conference presentations in Russia, Lithuania, Spain, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States. He also delivered Masterclass tours in Australia in 2010, 2012 and 2013. He regularly engages with UK parliament, and devolved national, regional and city bodies within the UK.