Hello! This is us.
Amber Wright
Purpose Circle Delegate
Emma Back
Setting up & Product
Kate Hammon
People & Service
Trevor Hilder
Chair of Purpose Circle
Chair of Purpose Circle
Gregor McKellar
Treasurer, Co-opted director & Investor Member
Gregor is an impact driven finance professional who is passionate about building effective mission driven organisations through an approach which incorporates commerce, rigor and ambition. In addition to his role with ECC, Gregor is the Director of Strategic (Finance and Business) Planning with Erskine Hospital. Previously he was Chief Commercial Officer at Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC), joining from Deloitte’s Corporate Finance practice following qualification as a Chartered Accountant within external audit. Gregor was the recipient of The Institute of Chartered Accountants OneYoungCA President’s award in 2018 for his work at AHC and graduated from a Master’s degree in social innovation with the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge during 2020.
Lydia Nicholas
Purpose Circle (Investor) Member
Lydia is an anthropologist and technologist working across health and care technology policy. After an early career as a developer she studied medical and digital anthropology at UCL. As a senior researcher in Nesta's Futures team and Health Lab, a programme manager at Doteveryone and as a freelance consultant with the Wellcome Trust, Science Museum and New Scientist, she has led research into technology supported innovation in artificial intelligence for healthcare, public understanding of health data, social movements in health, patient-led research, and innovation in the social care sector.
Matt Williams
Lead Software Engineer
Matt's career path is a windy one; he's worked at organisations large and small, private and public, digital and physical. Above all, he likes working on things that might make a real difference to people's lives. Equal Care Co-op was a natural fit.
Emma Back
Product
Adam McNichol
Platform Lead
Giles Dring
Platform Technical Advisor
Giles is an independent IT Consultant based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. He used to work for a large international corporation, and has a wealth of experience in designing and supporting large IT systems, particularly in the public sector. He is director of delivery at ODI Leeds and is also working on projects for the DWP.
He has a passion for local community, and in response to a couple of devastating flooding events in his town, he developed the Hebden Rising website which aimed to support the business community during recovery.
Giles is advising on the technical specification and platform architecture.
Kate Hammon
Coach
Dan Cahill
Learning Circle
Dan worked in social care as a care assistant in ‘virtually every care setting imaginable’ (and maybe a few more!) for fourteen years, dividing his time between Devon and Yorkshire, before relocating to Hebden Bridge where he learned about Equal Care Co-op through a friend and colleague. Dan was one of the first workers to deliver care and support through the platform, having his first introduction and completing his first shift in November 2019.
Dan’s introduction to care saw him working in a psychiatric hospital where he was trained up in the then outdated ‘manual patient lifts’. A bumpy start which led him to develop a passion for helping people to move in the most sensitive and compassionate way possible while also preserving the health of carers who participate in these moves. This is what he currently leads on in his work for Equal Care, both in terms of training and policy, as well as being a founding member of the learning circle.
Matthew Shallow
Finance & Compliance Lead
Matthew worked for Camphill Village Trust for over 20 years as a support worker for adults with special needs, also working in HR and finance. In his role as landcare and estates manager he supported a team of people with very different needs to work together on the land. He experienced how people with care and support needs often support each other whilst working together. He now works as a support worker and DJ.
Matthew leads on our health, safety and wellbeing work, our bookkeeping and due diligence.
Joan Scott
Policy & Recruitment
Joan worked in a Social Services Childrens’ Home in Dewsbury, the Probation Service in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and, before retiring in 2013, in London for three years at a strategic & policy post. She is an “active grandmother” of her daughters’ five children. She helped her sisters advocate, co-ordinate and give care at home for her father and then her mother who both died at home in 2013 and 2016 respectively.
Joan is writing policies and working on our visual governance project, helping with recruitment and at whatever, whenever, her organising skills are required.