People.

I joined Focus as a Researcher in 2017 as part of a local internship scheme with the University of Nottingham. After a few years, I earned my stripes and stepped up to Consultant (2020) and Senior Consultant (2022) respectively.

The exciting thing about Economic Development Consultancy is that no two days are the same. At any one time we might be working across a range of sectors: from local government and business support to technology and logistics, heritage and culture, even bioenergy, sports, or the food and drink sector. My roles vary from project and programme evaluations, business planning, options appraisals, feasibility studies, impact assessments and funding strategies. I am often spinning lots of plates at once, but it keeps me on my toes.

The nature of Economic Development means working across a complex web of sectors, predominantly for local authorities, community organisations, universities, private sector organisations and Local Enterprise Partnerships. We’re currently involved on many Towns Fund, Shared Prosperity Fund and Levelling Up Fund related projects, as well as Community Renewal Framework initiatives and some European Regional Development Fund projects. It’s incredibly rewarding that our work can support projects to transform from just an idea or concept into a physical space or initiative that really supports local people, local places and the local economy.