Board members
John Markham OBE
Chairman
John has had a distinguished career in the chemical industry holding a range of executive management positions. John was previously Chairman of the Whitehaven Development Company (WDC) – a public/private partnership set up to spearhead the regeneration of the harbour and town.
John Weir
Deputy Chairman
Raised in Derby, John studied architecture at Newcastle upon Tyne and Nottingham University. John has spent most of his career in the development and house building industry. Starting his career with David M Adams Developments Ltd, he joined Wilson Connolly in 1984. His strong belief in the importance of the sustainability agenda is reflected in his launch of a Wilson Connolly subsidiary "The Lifebuilding Company", which promotes the sustainable agenda.
Cllr Chris Millar
Chris Millar who has three children, worked in the banking industry in Manchester, London and the Midlands over a period of 25 years. Chris played a key operational role in setting up a Telephone Banking Operation for a major UK bank. He also initiated some innovative schemes re branch banking.
Cllr Richard Church
Richard was born in Northampton and has lived here most of his life. He has a degree in politics at Reading University. He is a former director of his family’s business Church’s China, one of Northampton’s oldest established family retail businesses. Richard is the County Councillor for Kingsley in Northampton and former leader of the Liberal Democrat Group for both the Borough and County Councils. Richard was the Borough Councillor for Kingsthorpe from 1983 to 2011 and is a former Mayor of Northampton.
Cllr Jim Harker
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Jim has been a member of Northamptonshire County Council since 1979 and Leader of the Council since 2005. Jim is also a member of the East Midlands Regional Leaders Board, Chairman of the Regional Joint Strategy Advisory Board, and since 2001 has been a member of Northamptonshire Police Authority.
Cllr Joy Capstick
Councillor Joy Capstick moved to Northampton from London more than 10 years ago. Like many of the families she represents in Lumbertubs ward on Northampton Borough Council, Joy relocated with her young family looking for green space, affordable housing and a real community spirit. Joy worked as a Registered nurse within the NHS for many years and remains committed to its founding ethos of health care based on need.
Deirdre Newham
Deirdre Newham was appointed to the Board of the Corporation in April 2011. Having held a number of important public positions, Deirdre Newham is a well known and respected figure in the local area. Since 2007, she has Chaired the Northamptonshire Police Authority and is also Chair of the Governors’ Board for the University of Northampton. Other previous roles include managing the Northampton Citizens Advice Bureau.
Cllr Tim Hadland
Tim trained as a Civil Engineer in 1965 and went on to develop a career in property valuation and surveying. He graduated from the College of Estate Management with a Bachelor of Science degree in Estate Management in 1969 and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1971.
Cllr Mary Clarke
Mary is leader of South Northamptonshire Council and has been an elected member for the past twelve years serving as Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration. She chairs the West Northamptonshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee (WNJSPC) and is a Board member of the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP).