Joanne Anderson,
Director, Innervision Associates
Joanne Anderson is the founder and director of Innervision, with a 30-year career as a leading expert in equity, diversity, inclusion, inclusive prosperity, social impact, and net zero.
Joanne made history as the UK’s first Black woman elected mayor, serving Liverpool from May 2021 to May 2023. As Mayor, she introduced a triple-lock framework focusing on people, planet, and equality, influencing policies on social value, community-led housing, and asset transfers. Her leadership improved services, governance, and financial stability, while securing Eurovision 2023, which generated a £20 million return on a £2 million investment and long-term projected boost of £250 million to the local economy.
Joanne is also driving a social investment pathfinder in Liverpool, aiming to raise £50 million for place-based social investment. Recently completing a Master’s in Business Scale-up, Joanne is now an Adjunct Professor at Liverpool John Moores University and a Board member of the Business School.
Jane Eme Power,
HR Consultant
With over 30 years of HR experience in the voluntary and public sectors, Jane Eme Power is an expert in organizational change and human resource development.
Liverpool John Moores University, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and a non-legal member of the Employment Tribunal Service. Jane also serves as a board member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board.
Saba Ahmed,
Business Connector, Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre
Saba Ahmed leads community development and business support initiatives at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre.
She connects Liverpool’s Black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs with opportunities to grow and thrive, while promoting inclusion and investment in the city’s diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Yaw Owusu,
Creative Consultant
Yaw Owusu is a Liverpool-based music and music-culture creative consultant working where culture meets infrastructure. Through his consultancy Nothin But The Music (NBTM), he designs and delivers high-impact programmes and projects spanning creative direction, editorial curation, cultural strategy and advisory work.
Over two decades, Yaw has become one of the UK’s most trusted names for high-stakes, reputation-sensitive briefs – building talent development pipelines, equity and inclusion programmes with real accountability, city and regional music infrastructure, and legacy frameworks that outlast campaigns. His work is recognised for combining cultural authority with operational rigour, creating long-term movement rather than short-term moments, and consistently centring under-represented voices.
Yaw has curated and delivered landmark work with organisations including Google, BBC, Universal Music Group, MTV, BET, MOBO, Levi’s and Liverpool City Council. In Liverpool, he helped reimagine the city’s contemporary music offer through Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF) and its multi-award-winning LIMF Academy. Nationally, he leads PRS Foundation’s POWER UP, supporting Black British creators and executives through grants, networks, mentoring and masterclasses.
His honours include Liverpool Citizen of Honour (2025) and BBC Radio 1Xtra Future Figure (2025). In 2026, he launched BLK SCL!, a connected model linking Black music talent across the North and devolved nations to infrastructure, networks and real industry access.
Lisa Mairah,
Director of Business Development & Communications, Blackburne House
Lisa Mairah has over 25 years of experience in the social enterprise sector, championing inclusive economic growth. Her work at Blackburne House sees her leading efforts to support women’s social mobility in Liverpool.
Through her work across the region, Lisa has played a key role in nurturing and growing social ventures, helping founders to develop resilient organisations that create meaningful impact in some of the most disadvantaged communities.
Erika Rushton,
Programme Director, Kindred
Erika Rushton is the Programme Director at Kindred, overseeing the delivery of patient capital and tailored financial support for socially trading businesses in Liverpool.
Her leadership has helped secure over £6.5 million in investment, promoting economic inclusion and sustainable business growth. Erika is a key advocate for social investment reform, particularly for Black-led enterprises.
Josh Terry,
Business Support Lead, Kindred
Josh Terry has over 15 years of experience working with social enterprises and businesses, providing essential support through Kindred’s Hands-On Help programme.
He has led social enterprises in youth and technology sectors and now helps Kindred members scale their ventures, fostering sustainable growth across the region.