Good Employment Charter leadership series – Leading Forward: Lessons from This Year, Priorities for the Next (Stockport)

Gillian Drakeford MBE is an experienced chair, non executive director and advisor with a strong track record of leading organisations through cultural transformation and purpose led growth. She currently serves as Chair of Back on Track and holds NED roles with One Manchester Housing and the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, alongside her work as an executive coach and mentor.

With more than 30 years in global retail, Gillian held senior international leadership roles across Hong Kong, China and the UK, including CEO for IKEA China and CEO for IKEA UK & Ireland. She later led IKEA’s global consumer experience, shaping inclusive cultures, strengthening e commerce capability and driving customer centric innovation across diverse markets.

Gillian has been a key contributor to the business transformation of IKEA — one of the world’s most recognisable heritage retail brands — helping evolve its omnichannel retail system and modernise the customer experience while protecting the values at the heart of the brand. She now brings this blend of global retail expertise, cultural stewardship and strategic clarity to boards and leadership teams committed to building organisations where people and performance thrive together.

An exiled Scotsman, Ian has spent his career working on environmental and public health issues – and the socioeconomic policies that underpin them – from community to international levels.

Starting his career as an environmental health officer with Carlisle City Council, he has worked in delivery, policy and leadership roles for Edinburgh City Council, the Health and Safety Executive, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, The World Health Organisation (Euro), the UK Public Health Association, Groundwork UK and The Growth Company.

Since March 2019, he has led the development and implementation of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, – an initiative established by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in his first term and now a major policy foundation to help address employment related inequalities and build economic and social resilience in his second.

Russell Harvey is The Resilience Coach: an executive coach, facilitator and speaker who has spent over 20 years helping leaders and organisations perform well in a world that refuses to sit still.

For seven years Russell’s personal purpose was to positively affect 100,000 people. He hit that target in August 2025. His new purpose is bigger: to champion businesses to be a force for good.

Russell has delivered over 6,000 hours of executive coaching to Board level and built the Resilience Wheel, a framework used by organisations including AB World Foods, Kerry Group, Novartis AG and the NHS to help leaders, teams and cultures spring forward with learning, rather than simply bounce back.

Claire is the Director of Wellbeing at Datesand Ltd, an award-winning supplier to the Biomedical sector. With a career spanning customer service, employee engagement and organisational development, and holding an MBA in Business, Claire is passionate about creating workplaces where people can thrive.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Claire leads the company’s wellbeing, culture, engagement, and social impact agenda, working to ensure that people strategies support both employee experience and business performance. Claire is a passionate advocate for good employment practices and believes that when organisations invest in their people, both individuals and businesses succeed.