If we can, you can is powered by the Entrepreneurs' Forum. Here's our executive team
Christine Balford
Christine’s the newbie, joining the Entrepreneurs’ Forum team in early 2011. She brings with her a wealth of top notch experience in retail, commercial contracts, sales and marketing and much more.
Joining the team as an already self confessed ‘fan’ of the Forum, she’s also got a big task on her hands. She’ll be a huge help to us in our future plans as we strive to take the Forum’s reach and membership sky high.
Outside of the Forum Christine spends her time juggling her three kids, husband, cats and dogs, and honing her other role as ‘Taxi Driver’, shepherding her rugby mad son to all his games and cheering him on (emphatically) from the sidelines.
She has two major passions – France (fluent in the lingo, apparently) and Beetles (the VW kind) and can often be spotted tootling along the region’s roads, hippie style.
Hazel Burton
Hazel joined the Entrepreneurs’ Forum in late 2007 to help Stephen implement and launch the campaign in its first incarnation. The job was supposed to last 3 months but she still seems to be coming up with excuses for hanging around. Hazel’s role is to manage and administer the website, be a sounding board for IWCYC members, compile our e-newsletters and directs our content – from film and video to PR and digital marketing. She's also editor in chief of the Forum's quarterly magazine, eforum
When she’s not working Hazel can often be found swotting up on all things film, worshipping the work of Aaron Sorkin and perfecting her search for the world’s best chocolate ice cream.
Jack Barker
Jack’s the money man who keeps us all in check. Along with Susan he handles a range of accounting responsibilities and does a cracking job of keeping us on our toes with our Purchase Orders. Jack joined the Entrepreneurs’ Forum team in September 2008 and he has worked tirelessly to keep us on track and has enjoyed a hugely varied role in the business.
Jack’s a big film fan and regular cinema go-er, and he’s also a huge Newcastle supporter…. which leads him into interesting conversations with the Sunderland fans in the office on a Monday morning.
Michael Dixon
After the earlier part of his career in retail and brand marketing, Michael joined the Entrepreneurs’ Forum team in Summer 2005, and as Membership Manager he has since overseen growth in membership from 130 to around 450 today. He also looks after the Forum’s CRM activities and seems to have taken on the role of unofficial IT Department amongst other things.
Despite being injured more often than not, Michael spends his spare time training for his next road race with the Sunderland Strollers, getting out on the bike in preparation for the a coast to coast bike ride or limbering up for a mad challenge like the Newcastle Stampede. He also studies the football form to stay ahead of Will and Jack in the office fantasy football league: Forum Fantasy Farce.
Nicola Short
Nicola joined the Entrepreneurs' Forum in September 2011 as Executive Director. Her role is to work with the board and the executive team to ensure the Forum establishes a sustainable business by developing and growing the robust membership, and continues to fly the flag for entrepreneurship in the North East.
Nicola previously held high profile senior roles at city development company 1NG and destination marketing agency NewcastleGateshead Initiative, where she played a key role in establishing the organisation as an international leader in its field.
Away from the office Nicola heads a hectic home with her husband, 4 kids and a fish called Boris. Living life out on the Whitley Bay coast suits her well as she's an outdoor fiend (growing up in the Lake District infused her adventurous side!), and regularly partakes in fell walking, biking and, rather her than me, bootcamps.
Nicola is proud to take on an ambassadorial role for NewcastleGateshead and also works with King's School to shape their marketing strategy. She's a big fundraiser and raises awareness for breast cancer and is a huge supporter of Maggies which empowers people to live with, through and beyond cancer. And, honourably, she's a Brownie Leader assistant too!
Rachel McDermott
Rachel joined the Entrepreneurs’ Forum team in June 2007, initially to help out in admin and accounts, but was soon promoted to working closely with Victoria on our events programme. With a beady eye for detail and a glamorous taste for what works well, Rachel works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our events run smoothly and meets everybody’s expectations.
Away from the Forum Rachel loves socialising with her big group of friends, keeping fit, travelling back to her native Liverpool to visit family, inserting the word ‘Cringe’ into as many sentences as she can, and playing with her new puppy, Harvey.
Susan Byrom
Susan joined Carole way back in 2003 and was instrumental in helping to set the Entrepreneurs’ Forum up, and shape our future. Back then, Susan and Carole ran around till they were both blue in the face, doing pretty much anything and everything. After a while, someone thought it was a good idea to have ‘official’ job titles – and Susan was crowned ‘Operations Manager’. This means she looks after all the business and financial matters – and no one in the office knows what we could ever do without her!
Out of work Susan enjoys socialising and spending time with her two gorgeous daughters. And she’s now learning to row, regularly re-enacting the new skills she’s learnt at the Monday morning meeting. Oh, and she’s great at impressions.
Victoria Rought
Joining in the summer of 2007 to strengthen the core activities of the Forum, Victoria heads up the events team and is supported by Rachel. Applying just the right mix of sparkle to every event, the in-house team provide a total event management for all Forum activities, including speaker approaches, negotiations, venue finding, creative designs, copy writing, staging, decor, catering, entertainment, hosting, transport, signage, logistics.... the list is endless!
And they do a cracking job, earning the Forum a renowned reputation for superb content and delivery, so Forum members and guests know they can come along to our gatherings to be inspired and gain invaluable entrepreneurial knowledge, without being pranced upon with endless business cards!
The events programme now boasts over 50 gatherings each year, ranging from small dinners with guest speakers, right up to major events and our jewel, the Annual Conference. We’re proud to have brought some world renowned names to the region to share their stories, including Sir Tom Farmer, Lord Kirkham, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Bob Geldof, Elle MacPherson and Sir Tom Hunter, to name but a few.
Away from the Forum it’s all about health and wealth for Victoria – she runs as much as she can and for extra pace, shops till she drops! Weekends and downtime are spent with girlfriends, godchildren and her partner- eating, drinking, dancing, walking, talking and generally chilling out.