Andrew has years of experience in the Voluntary and Community Sector,
undertaking a range of roles including those with a research, Outreach &
Engagement, and programme delivery focus. He has been involved personally as a
volunteer in a range of roles, and understands the impact volunteering can make
both to the individual but also to the wider community. Andrew has worked with
many groups and organisations who involve volunteers in a large array of roles and
is passionate about providing people with support to find roles that align with their
interests.
Elise has a range of experience in law, youth work, communications and social
justice. Elise has volunteered since a young age and knows how beneficial and
rewarding it can be. She is passionate about supporting young people to find roles
that are right for them, boost their futures and give back to their community.
Emma Patterson-Bennett is an equality, human rights and gender specialist with
over a decade of experience delivering policy and cultural change across public,
voluntary and media sectors. As Portfolio Manager for Inclusion at BBC Northern
Ireland, Emma works with senior leaders to embed diversity and inclusion across
organisational strategy, workforce and decision making. Emma brings extensive
experience in stakeholder engagement, policy development and training. Emma
combines strategic insight with practical delivery, with a strong focus on achieving
measurable and lasting inclusion outcomes. Through outreach initiatives Emma
hopes to inspire everyone to consider a career in the creative industry.
Lauren Rousseau is a product principal at Kainos, with over 18 years' worth of
experience in the IT industry. She is a problem solver at heart and passionate about
working with customer to solve their business problem and achieve their
organisational goals through technology and business transformation. Lauren
currently works within the public sector transport client group in Kainos and has
delivered a number of large scale digital transformations including the learning to
drive theory test service.
With a background in training, management and leadership, and mental health, I
have worked across a range of organisations and cultures. I joined the Labour
Relations Agency in 2012, where I work in employment relations, designing and
delivering training and helping employers and employees understand their rights
and responsibilities at work. I'm passionate about making employment rights
accessible, practical and relevant, particularly for young people starting out in the
world of work.
Gordon Cruikshanks is the Managing Director of Lidl Northern Ireland and has been
with Lidl since 2005, having previously served as sales operations director,
overseeing the growth and operations of 44 stores and a team of more than 1,500
employees across the region. Throughout his nearly 20-year career, Gordon has
held a series of senior roles, including sales operations manager, regional property
manager, and sales operations director, both in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Gordon holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Queen's University
Belfast and a certification in the IITD Training Skills Programme from the Learning
and Development Institute.
Helen McTokell is a senior apprenticeship, early careers and learning specialist with
14 years’ experience across HR, training, project management and workforce
development. She has built and expanded apprenticeship, graduate and capability
programmes across large, complex, multi-site organisations. Helen has managed
levy funding, provider partnerships, governance, compliance and stakeholder
engagement, while supporting recruitment, succession planning and skills
development. Her career includes roles with Bright Horizons, BDO and Harland &
Wolff/Navantia UK, where she now leads early careers strategy across six UK sites.
Andrew Slaine is Head of People & Culture at Brett Martin. He is responsible for
supporting the Company's people strategy, including recruitment, employee
relations, talent development, and employee engagement across the business.
Andrew is particularly interested in developing future talent and promoting the range
of career opportunities available within modern manufacturing.
Brendan Giffen is the acting Director of Corporate Services at the Northern Ireland
Prison Service. Brendan joined the Civil Service in 1996 and has held a number of
positions during his career including as a Government Press Officer – working on a
number of high profile areas including the Strategic Review of Parading and the St
Andrews political talks. He joined the NI Prison Service in 2012 to support the
reform of prisons following the devolution of policing and justice in 2010. Since then
he has been a member of the senior Headquarters team working on
communications, recruitment and industrial relations. He has a BA (Hons) in history
and a PG Diploma in Political Communications and Public Affairs.
I joined Deloitte's BrightStart programme within the Audit department in September
2023. Since then I have progressed through my Accountant Technician exams,
CAP1 and CAP2 exams with Chartered Accountants Ireland and I will be sitting my
FAE exams next summer. I am now an Associate 3 within the audit department and
have had the opportunity to work with many different clients, mainly within the
technology sector. Outside of work I love to play Gaelic and Golf.
