Tom Carter
Area Director, HSBC
Tom is a graduate of the University of Liverpool (Mathematics 2002) and has since worked in Corporate Banking with HSBC for 15 years.
During this time, he has completed a degree in Financial Services, worked with thousands of business clients, and held roles across all spheres of HSBC’s Corporate business including – Small Business, Mid Markets, Large Corporates, Private Equity, International and Credit Underwriting.
This has given him a broad range of skills and experience and has also helped him to develop a strong and active network both internally and externally.
In his current role, Tom is the Area Director for Mid-Market Corporates, managing a team of 30 banking professionals and servicing 500+ clients across Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and Staffordshire.
Tom is passionate about the development of himself and others and has accepted the role on the Advisory Board in order to provide additional support to the Centre. He hopes that this can be achieved by providing an insight into the requirements of a large international organisation and by sharing his own personal learning experiences.
Mark Diacono
Writer and Photographer
Mark is an award winning writer and photographer, lucky enough to spend most of his time growing, eating, writing and talking about food. His refreshing approach to growing and eating has done much to inspire a new generation to grow some of what they eat and to make the most of it in the kitchen.
Mark has written and photographed 14 books, winning Food Book of the Year twice, Garden Book of the Year twice, and was shortlisted in 2020 for a James Beard Foundation award (the global food Oscars) for his book SOUR.
He was also involved with River Cottage in the early days, appearing in the TV series and writing three of the River Cottage Handbook series. His latest book, HERB/a cook’s companion, was published this year.
Mark hosts the monthly Cafe Murano Book Club with Angela Hartnett, writes a monthly column for The Sunday Times, Delicious magazine, and Country Life, has a best selling Substack (The Imperfect Umbrella) and has written for a wide range of publications including National Geographic Magazine, The Observer, The Sunday Times, Sainsburys Magazine, and New Yorker.
Mark has a First Class degree in Geography and Environmental Management from Winchester University, an MSc with Distinction in Environmental Planning from Oxford Brookes University, and in his past work life advised government agencies and other bodies about managing the landscape and environment on a regional and national level.
Chris Gray
Technology and Management Consultant
Chris Gray is a Technology and Management Consultant helping clients drive digitalisation, innovation, and change with a key focus on making effective use of data and Advanced Analytics.
Chris has worked extensively with UK central government departments on major change initiatives and has also held several international roles which involved managing cross-border consulting practices in the area of Data and Analytics.
Until recently Chris was a Managing Director at Accenture, where he enjoyed a 25-year career working with Health and Public Service clients. Chris worked at the intersection of public service delivery and technology, particularly studying how modern organisations continue to innovate and be successful.
He was responsible for developing improvements for Health and Public Service organisations around the world, spending almost half his career in global and regional groups including time living overseas.
Chris is the Chair of Business In The Community’s North West Regional Advisory Board and HRH Prince of Wales Regional Ambassador for Responsible Business, he is a Board Member and Director of The North West Business Leadership Team, a Director of Prospere Learning Trust and sits on University of Liverpool Management School’s Advisory Board.
Chris is an impassioned supporter of LGBT and female leadership diversity initiatives and works with a range of organisations across the North West to mentor and coach a number of individuals.
Chris completed a B.Sc. at Aston University in International Business & Modern Languages as part of which he studied at the Grenoble École de Management (France). He speaks English, French, and Spanish fluently.
Dr Sally Penni
Barrister at Law
Dr Sally Penni MBE, CCMI, FRSA, is an award-winning barrister at Kenworthy’s Chambers, a respected public speaker, diversity leader, and proud mother of three.
She is the founder of Women in the Law UK, a professional development organisation supporting over 35,000 members through education and training, aimed at fostering leadership and career advancement in the legal field.
Sally serves as a Non-Executive Director on various boards, including the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, Arawak Walton Housing Association, and Camberwell Park School, where she is Vice Chair and Chair of the Standards Committee.
She also contributes her expertise to legal organisations such as The Advocates Gateway and the Access to Justice Foundation.
Committed to philanthropy, Sally actively fundraises for numerous local and national charities, including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, cancer research initiatives, and mental health organisations, undertaking a new challenge every month to support these causes.
In addition to her legal career, Sally is a prolific author, with over 16 books to her name, including the bestselling Rosie and the Unicorn children’s series.
She is also the host of the widely acclaimed Talking Law podcast, which boasts a global audience of over 500,000 listeners.
Sally’s achievements are further highlighted by her fellowships with the Chartered Management Institute (CMgr), RSA, and the Access to Justice Foundation.
She is an Industry Fellow at the University of Salford and a recognised expert in criminal law, governance, employment law, and cybersecurity.
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