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John Wilkinson

Director of the Western Gateway
John has most recently been a Senior Civil Servant within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. He has played a lead role in managing elements of the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio and has worked on the 13 Mayoral Combined Authority Investment Funds and the 20 City and Growth Deals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Prior to this he has worked as Economy Director at Bath and North East Somerset Council and Head of Economic Participation at the East of England Development Agency.
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James Cooke

Deputy Director
James has considerable Local Government and partnership experience and has led high-profile projects across energy, devolution, transport, planning and regeneration. Playing a lead role in our nuclear and strategic rail workstreams, he has oversight across the whole portfolio having acted up in the Director role for part of 2022. As a Cardiff Uni and UWE, Bristol graduate he is a true ‘Western Gatewayer’ and always welcomes a side conversation on all things sport!
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Steph Jary

Deputy Director
Steph is a highly experienced senior civil servant, most recently leading the strategy of HMRC’s c£6bn Transformation Portfolio. Having spent 25 years leading various programmes and teams across multiple departments and agencies she brings a broad base of knowledge and skills to Western Gateway. Steph leads work on Investment, Innovation, Hydrogen and Tidal energy for the region. Born and raised in Gloucester, Steph is passionate about the diversity and potential of the area and the need to “level up”.
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Barbara Jackson

Head of Innovation and Investment
Barbara spent nearly ten years working for the Government in and around policy making, and joined us in January 2022 from the International Committee of the Red Cross where she was focused on humanitarian policy and advising on the laws of conflict in both Government and Parliament. In taking up with the Western Gateway, Barbara is delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the area she has lived in for over 25 years.
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Joe Ball

Head of Communications and Marketing
Joe has spent many years living and working across the Western Gateway area. He has had roles across the public sector in both in local government and the civil service. If you want to ask anything about communications about the Western Gateway – Joe’s your man!
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Sara Pritchard

Admin and Business Engagement Officer
Sara has held a varied career within the aviation sector including project management, business engagement, communications, event managements and early careers liaison. If you want to ask anything about business engagement and events for the Western Gateway please do get in touch.
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William Mansfield

Head of Sustainable Energy from the Severn Estuary
William has a strong environmental background and has held a variety of research and policy roles, working with governments abroad and within the UK. Having grown up in Wales and now living in Bristol, he is thrilled to be a part of strengthening those national ties through the Western Gateway.
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Fiona Williams

Communications Officer
Fiona is a communications professional from Bristol with a background in the charity sector. She is passionate about making a difference to people's lives and is excited to contribute to the ambitious work of the Western Gateway and hopes to enrich the lives of the 4.8 million people living in the area.
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Billy Davis

Public Affairs Manager
Billy is the Public Affairs Lead for GW4 and the Western Gateway Partnership and GW4 Alliance. He will be working with both organisations to raise our profile amongst politicians, policymakers and other important stakeholders, as well as deliver on the goals of our Strategic Partnership. Billy joins the team with 15 years of experience in public affairs, most recently working at Thames Water and the West of England Combined Authority. Billy helped to deliver successful engagement activities in Westminster, Brussels and at the United Nations.
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Nicola Lomax

Project Support Officer
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Marianne Agolia

Project Support Officer
Marianne is a certified project manager with more than ten years of experience delivering outcomes in high-value interdisciplinary projects and programmes both in the public and private sectors. She’s passionate about influencing others positively, and eager to deliver successful projects that supports the Western Gateway growth.
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