JEFF DEAN —

CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Jeff has held a number of senior management roles in both the public and private sector, most recently as Director of HR and Organisational Development at Gateshead Council, where he had also been Director of Corporate Services.

His roles have covered HR strategy, policy, operational HR support, customer and building services, health and safety, and occupational health.

He has served on a large number of cross-functional boards and committees covering a broad range of non-HR issues, and was HR Adviser to the former Northumbria Police Authority.

He also instigated and chaired the Public Service Academy, a partnership organisation for sharing training between public sector organisations on Tyneside, and was chair of the North East Region Strategic HR Forum. 

His senior management positions in Financial Services related to mergers and acquisitions, where his work involved the senior appointments process, pay & conditions negotiations and internal communications in General Accident, CGU, Norwich Union Life companies, and restructuring of their estate agency subsidiaries.

Prior to this he worked extensively in senior Water Company/Authority HR roles, and was a member of the privatisation team. His previous HR policy/operations experience was in the electricity generation sector. 

Jeff is a member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel & Development and a Fellow of the RSA. He has been a Board member and Chair of Dance City in Newcastle, Phoenix Dance Theatre in Leeds and the classical touring theatre company Actors of Dionysus in Brighton.

He is Chair of the Board of Trustees for Gateway Studio CIO in Gateshead and an Associate Artist of the Geraldine Connor Foundation. He lives in Leeds and Gateshead.