REG Connects 2026

Tom Stannard is Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, leading one of the UK’s largest Core Cities and a highly performing organisation. He brings more than 27 years’ local government experience and is recognised for his work in regeneration, inclusive growth and public service reform. Tom also leads Manchester’s role in the Greater Manchester economy, business and international portfolio, and oversees the city’s integrated health and social care system.

Professor Erinma Bell MBE is a Manchester peace activist recognised for her work tackling gun crime and supporting safer, more inclusive communities. She co-founded CARISMA after witnessing a fatal shooting, creating positive alternatives for young people. Erinma now works within a wider network of community leaders and volunteers across south Manchester. She was honoured with a sculpture in Manchester Town Hall, recognising her lasting contribution to the city.

Iffy is Head of Race Equality & Inclusion at The Premier League, having been appointed in April 2021. Amongst his duties, he’s Chair of the PL’s Black Participants Advisory Group (BPAG) and leads on the PL’s No Room For Racism action plan, and the flagship Player to Executive Pathways Scheme (PEPS).

Prior to this he’d spent nine years working for the Players Union (the PFA), in a joint role as Coach Educator and Equalities Executive. As part of his role there, he was also a Trustee of the anti-racism organisation, Kick It Out, and sat on the FA Council as part of the FA’s Inclusion and Advisory board.

Before joining the PFA in 2013, he’d taken several Coaching roles as an Assistant Head Coach and Head Coach both in the UK and abroad, and all this after a fifteen-year playing career spanning three decades. He has a degree in Economics and a degree in Law, and awarded an honorary Doctorate by his alma mater the University of Bradford in July 2025.

Ngozi Weller is a wellbeing and productivity consultant and ICF accredited coach. She helps organisations build psychologically safe workplaces that improve resilience, engagement and productivity. After 15 years in Big Oil, Ngozi founded Aurora to normalise workplace mental health conversations and provide strategic wellbeing support. She is also co-host of the award-winning podcast The Wellbeing Rebellion.

Beatrice is the founder of Tosimba-By-Bee, a business rooted in food, culture, and storytelling. With over 20 years in HR, she has firsthand experience navigating the challenges of maternal mental health while working full-time. After experiencing postnatal depression following the birth of her second son, she developed a deep passion for raising awareness, fostering open conversations, and ensuring that no mother feels alone in her journey—whether in the workplace or the wider community. As a single mother of two, she continues to advocate for support systems that empower women and working parents.

I am an alumnus of Alliance Manchester Business School and received a prestigious corporate PhD scholarship from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. It was during my master’s degree at Alliance Manchester Business School and a project on consumer behaviour that I really fell in love with the deep understanding of how consumers tick, the way they respond, shift and change.

I  teach consumer behaviour  and strategic marketing to apprenticeships, undergraduates and managers of leading household brands, MBAs from a huge cross section of industries, Government and public sector. I contribute to consumer behaviour, consumption practices and retailing research, publish in leading academic journals and present at conferences.

I am a ‘go-to’ consumer behaviour and retailing media expert, speaking to national and international media, key institutions and major retail brands. I  regularly contribute to media, including BBC, ITV, Channel 5, BBC Radio and The Conversation. You will often find me commenting on Channel 5 retailing documentaries on leading brands, most recently on Deliveroo, Tesco, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, TK Maxx, Aldi, Subway and Coca-Cola. As a respected and trusted source, with an engaging personality, I have contributed to over 200 appearances to date across TV, radio and print.

I am a public speaker and presenter at national & international events & conferences and a panellist for events, known for conveying complex ideas with simplicity to really engage, educate and inspire an audience.

Linked in – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amna-k-6b639b1b/