Nigel McClea
Non executive chairman

Nigel McClea is the Head of the Leeds Office of Pinsent Masons LLP. A founder sponsor of Leeds Legal, Nigel plays a central role in other pivotal organisations in the region including Leeds Ahead, Leeds Chamber of Commerce and Leeds Skills Board. Through his role as a senior property lawyer, he has been involved in most of the region's iconic schemes including the Jorvik centre and the Royal Armouries Museum.

Martin Holmes
Non executive director

Martin is the marketing director of the University of Leeds, and has a broad range of commercial management and marketing experience, having held senior roles in National Australia Bank, Yorkshire Bank and Marks & Spencer.

Alastair da Costa
Non executive director

A corporate lawyer specialising in corporate finance, Alastair is global head of the corporate group and global board member of the Leeds based law firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. Alastair was chairman of the Leeds Financial Services Initiative (2002 - 2005), and is an advisory board member of the University of Leeds Business School. He chaired the City Image Task group from which Marketing Leeds was born.

James Rogers
Assistant Chief Executive

James is an Assistant Chief Executive at Leeds City Council with corporate responsibility for planning, policy and improvement activities, which include business planning, policy development, customer relations, international relations, communications and marketing, performance management and service improvement functions. James has over 20 years of experience working with the council and is very committed to ensuring that the city continues to be successful and that we achieve the city's long-term aspirations as set out in the Vision for Leeds.

Jean Dent
Non executive director

Jean is the Director of Development at Leeds City Council with responsibility for the physical and economic development activities in the City. She is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has had an active role in many major regeneration schemes which have helped transform Leeds. She is a member of the RICS Regeneration Panel and on the Council of Park Lane College Business School.

Gary Lumby
Non executive director, Subscriber representative for the Leeds Chamber

Gary is head of Retail and Small Business banking at Yorkshire Bank. He started his career in financial services with Barclays Bank in 1976. He joined Yorkshire Bank in 1998 and took up his current role in 2004. The role includes responsibility for all 190 Yorkshire Bank Retail branches and all Small Business teams across England. Gary received a MBE for Services to the Financial Services Sector in 2008.

Nigel Foster
Non executive director

Nigel is Director of the Ove, Arup & Partners planning business in the UK and Middle East. He is also one of the Directors leading the Arup office in Leeds. With over 25 years experience in the public and private sector, Nigel provides strategic advice on transport, regeneration and sustainability. Since 2008 he has been a Governor at the University of Leeds, one of the top research universities in the UK.

Dirk Mischendahl
Non executive director

Dirk is the founder and managing director of design and communications agency Logistik. Dirk founded the agency in 1997 with a team of four people. He now employs 150 and has an annual turnover of £15 million. In 2007 he helped to found the Northern Art Prize. Dirk was awarded Young Director of the Year by the IOD in 2006.

Deborah Green
Chief Executive

Deborah is Chief Executive of Marketing Leeds, responsible for the day to day running of the organisation. Deborah is also one of Leeds Legal’s directors, involved in the campaign since its inception. In her spare time Deborah chairs Candlelighters, the regional charity for children and young people with cancer and she is the current President of Leeds Law Society.

Councillor Andrew Carter
Non executive director

Cllr Carter is Co-Leader of Leeds City Council. Andrew Carter is an experienced Conservative Councillor with a distinguished record on Leeds City Council. He has served on all the major committees of Council in over thirty years of public service and currently serves on Leeds City Council’s Executive Board as Development Portfolio Holder.