our core Team
Liz Zeidler
Co-Director
Liz is an internationally recognised leader in new economic thinking and sustainable wellbeing. She has over 30 years of experience in connecting, challenging and supporting change-makers around the world. As co-founder of Centre for Thriving Places Liz has been a key part of the development of all aspects of the Thriving Places approach.
She is an in-demand speaker, writer and advisor to local and regional governments, academia and ambitious place-based change programmes across the UK and beyond.
What Liz loves most about Centre For Thriving Places: “That everyone cares deeply – about the importance of this work, about the people we work with and for and about each other.”
Rosie Maguire
Co-Director
Rosie is a researcher with almost two decades of experience in generating and using evidence and insight to inform the design, management and evaluation of policy and practice. She has extensive experience of place-based approaches, and the development of system actors and connections between them.
What Rosie loves most about Centre For Thriving Places: the trust and support to ‘just crack on’.
Adekemi Omisakin
Data Analyst & Researcher
Kate Broadhurst Rodd
Operations and Communications Coordinator
Kate works in the Operations team, providing administrative support across the business, including within the Project and Finance functions.
Kate brings a strong background in Project Management and Executive Support, as well as an eye for the creative, having worked as an art teacher for many years alongside her more office-based work.
What Kate loves most about Centre For Thriving Places: “I enjoy being part of a brilliant team of good people who care about their work, support one another and make a positive difference in the world.”
jo burkill
Strategic Communications Manager
Jo has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications. She was previously Head of Communications at the social enterprise Timewise, where she worked for 16 years. She trained at the Red Consultancy, one of the UK’s leading PR agencies. Her specialist skills are media relations, campaigns and social media. Jo is passionate about high quality data, real human stories and challenging the status quo, through creative means.
What Jo loves most about her Centre For Thriving Places: “The changemaking, the hope and the fizz and crackle of brilliant minds.”
NERISSA SCHUIT
Data Engineer & Analyst
Nerissa’s work at Centre for Thriving Places spans data engineering, analysis and visualisation, including for the Thriving Places Index. She has developed the structure of our Thriving Places Index database (‘TPI’), enabling analysis and the creation of clear, accessible outputs that support place-based understanding. She holds an MRes and BSc in Chemistry, which underpin her strong analytical approach and attention to detail.
What Nerissa loves most about Centre For Thriving Places is the people: “The care, kindness and humanness that shape both the culture and the work.”
our Associate Team
Saamah abdallah
Wellbeing Measurement Advisor
Saamah is a globally recognised expert in wellbeing measurement and policy, having won the Community Indicators Consortium award in 2016 as an emerging leader in the field of community conditions and wellbeing. Saamah has conducted complex analyses for a range of clients including Eurostat, the Big Lottery Fund, the European Network Against Racism, RAND corporation and Eurofound and served on multiple advisory boards, including the ONS, OECD and Eurostat.
jennifer wallace
Communities Associate
With 25 years’ experience in social research, including over a decade dedicated to developing wellbeing frameworks, Jennifer is passionate about measuring what matters. She focuses on evidence-based approaches to understand and improve quality of life, delivering meaningful, measurable, and lasting change.
Sam Wren-Lewis
Wellbeing Measurement Advisor
Sam is a writer and philosopher with extensive experience in wellbeing research and measurement.
He’s worked on numerous wellbeing policy projects in collaboration with a wide range of local, national and international organisations, including UK Cabinet Office, Office of National Statistics, Public Health England, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, and New Economics Foundation.
Byron Lee
Training Associate
Byron has 30 years experience in health and social care, community, higher education and leadership development.
His passion is supporting individuals, teams and organisations weave together different sources of wellbeing knowledge, wisdom and practice to support collaborative learning and change and build supportive and inclusive practices, systems and cultures.
Annie Quick
Wellbeing & Inequality Advisor
Annie worked at the New Economics Foundation on wellbeing and inequality for a number of years. Before that she trained and worked in public health, with a particular focus on health inequalities.
She also has experience working in engagement and participation, political education and the trade union movement.
Mel Cairns
Wellbeing Measurement Advisor
Mel provides research and data support, having led on delivery of the Thriving Places Index as well as supporting the creation and implementation of several diverse wellbeing frameworks. Mel holds an MSc Sustainable Development in Practice and believes that nothing is sustainable without wellbeing. She is particularly interested in growing our connections with nature, with our compassionate values and with each other, to support a better world for all.
SOPHIE BURNS
Sophie is an experienced strategic facilitator with a background bringing communities and statutory organisations together to co-produce policy and practice particularly connecting health, housing and climate. Her areas of expertise include the potential for policy connections between climate and health/ mental health, green social prescribing and community development particularly in the areas of housing and placemaking.
Clare Goff
Communications & Research Associate
Clare Goff has 20 years’ experience in journalism, communications, research and project management specialising in new economics, good business, local government, and communities. She is passionate about documenting social change and telling the stories of those involved in making better places.
She led the Living Wage Places project at the Living Wage Foundation from 2018 – 2023 and co-led the Good City Economy project.
Annabel Reddick
Communications
Annabel is a writer, editor and communications planner with a background in print and digital media.
She has a long association with CTP both as a volunteer and part time communications associate, and currently provides social media and editorial support.
ESTHER WORBOYS
Placemaking Associate
Esther provides placemaking consultancy advice around high streets and town centres, with a particular interest in creating healthy
spaces. She also has a specialism in markets, including assessing and promoting their health and community benefits.
Esther is a Fellow of the Institute of Place Management and an Expert member of the Government’s High Streets Task Force. As a former Town Centre Manager, she has experience engaging with multiple stakeholders, including local businesses and resident groups.
Eve Blezard
Communities Associate
“As an experienced researcher and community practitioner, I am passionate about improving local communities’ sustainability through combined research and practice. I am interested in storytelling the lived experience to create actionable research that helps inform social policy and service provision that can improve lives and communities.”
opportunities to join us
If you are interested in joining our team, either as a freelance Associate or as a core team member, please check out our current opportunities here.
our board
Rashida Noray
Co-Chair
Rashida is a Creative Operations Director with 10+ years experience in Media, delivering strategic projects across marketing, communications and events. She is currently serving as COO at Climate Action.
“I’m delighted to be on the board for Centre for Thriving Places to support their strategic and communications objectives and helping the team shout about all the great initiatives, services and the impacts of their work.”
Luke Ashman
Treasurer
Luke’s expertise in finance and purpose-driven business makes him a great fit for CTP Treasurer. After Teach First he trained at PwC, was Finance Director at organic tea B-Corp Pukka Herbs and co-founded Not Impossible – the online marketplace fixing UK work experience.
“Throughout my career, I’ve focused on allocating limited resources to create maximum impact, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to CTP’s mission of doing this across the UK – so we can all thrive.”
Di Robinson
Co-Chair
“I’ve spent my whole career addressing disadvantage & inequality to create the conditions for community empowerment, resilience and sustainable local economic development. I believe Centre for Thriving Places has a significant part to play in changing the game for good.”
Brian Connolly
Board Member
As a specialist in place based development in Scotland, Brian has wide experience in all aspects of transforming and empowering communities. His talent for engaging leaders and communicating across public, private and academic organisations sparked an interest in CTP’s mission to deliver an economy that works for people, rather than the other way round.
Dawn Snape
Board Member
“The evaluation and analysis of measures of wellbeing, quality of life and social capital fascinate me. I believe we can leave a more peaceful, stable and equitable world for our children if we re-focus our efforts around wellbeing as a purpose.”
Helen Bell
Board Member
“I’m a storyteller at heart and a firm believer in the power of communications to create positive change. I’ve admired the work of Centre for Thriving Places since I was introduced to the organisation in 2015 and learnt about their mission to measure what matters. As a member of the Board, I try to use my skills to support a systemic shift to an economy that puts the wellbeing of people and planet centre stage.”
Liz Zeidler
Board Member
Co-Founder of Centre for Thriving Places, Liz is a director of the CIC.
For more about Liz, the history of CTP and the vision for CTP, see our blogs, as well as the many resources and reports she has either authored or contributed to.
Chloe Taylor
Board Member
Chloe is a commercial intellectual property solicitor with wide ranging legal expertise in areas as diverse as licensing, patent, trademark and copyright. She has also worked as a legal advisor for Cancer Research UK and as a charity trustee, and is supporting CTP in ensuring its structure and contracts are robust and fit for purpose.
Sarah King
Board Member
Sarah brings to CTP a pedigree in leadership, life coaching, facilitation and people-centred development work. With her background in organisational and systems change within multiple organisations and sectors. She is passionate about supporting CTP’s focus on putting the wellbeing of people and planet at the heart of the story.
Mike Zeidler
Board Member
Co-Founder of Centre for Thriving Places and the Association of Sustainability Practitioners, Mike is a consistent champion of our vision and mission. He delights in helping people overcome the challenges they face in service to flourishing lives on a thriving planet. He is a freelancer with a specialism in the development of partnerships and collaboration.