Kirsty Weston

I am an accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience in economic regeneration, specialising in project/programme development and delivery as well as partnership working & stakeholder engagement across public, private, and third sectors. I have a proven track record in developing and managing strategic investments for Tees Valley, including senior-level collaboration with Tees Valley Management Group and Chief Executives Group. I am adept at building robust project pipelines, securing funding from diverse sources, and writing complex business cases compliant with TVCA assurance requirements and national Green Book guidelines. I am a strong leader with expertise in Prince 2 methodology, budget management, risk management, governance, and resource management. I am committed to making a positive impact on the communities of Tees Valley through innovative problem-solving and a strong work ethic.

LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION

I am a dynamic and results-oriented regeneration professional with extensive experience leading and delivering complex programmes and projects. I am known for taking ownership and accountability for delivery, I excel in managing value-added activities and ensuring identified outputs and timescales are met. With a keen ability to anticipate challenges and issues, I demonstrate confidence and sound judgment in navigating through difficult situations, motivating teams to achieve success through enthusiasm, understanding, and knowledge sharing. My expertise extends to monitoring individual performance, providing clear and constructive feedback, and effectively addressing performance issues to drive continuous improvement. I am passionate about regional development and success, I am committed to leveraging my skills and experience to contribute to the strategic objectives of the Combined Authority.

COMMUNICATION AND INFLUENCE

I advocate for purposeful communication and direction setting. I am an enthusiastic and purposeful communicator, adept at setting clear and motivating directions for projects and programs. With a strong ability to build and maintain comprehensive relationships with stakeholders, I ensure understanding and consensus through clear reiteration of reasoning. My persuasive skills enable me to present well-structured, merit-based arguments, convincing others effectively. Additionally, I am proficient in explaining and justifying necessary direction changes to operational teams, ensuring seamless evolution of projects and programmes. I am clear in how I communicate with people, especially those partners that are not in the public sector and may not understand how we work and why we do things in a certain way. I always set clear direction with clarity and motivation.

EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL

With over 20 years of dedicated experience in my chosen field, I've established myself as a proficient professional, with a wealth of experience, knowledge, technical knowledge and skills. I lead significant projects and programmes on a daily basis, I've cultivated strong relationships including Civil Servants (such as working with MHCLG on the Tees Valley Investment Zone) whilst providing invaluable advice to senior leadership as and when required including preparing briefing materials. I take great pride in everything I do, which includes taking ownership of projects and programmes that I am responsible for and colleagues and partners will often see me as the expert with the ability to advise and steer progress and actions. I am committed to guiding and developing junior colleagues, ensuring our collective success. My passion for excellence and proven track record make me a valuable asset poised to drive impactful outcomes.

RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

As a valued member of the team, I am entrusted with operational responsibility and direct accountability to my Head of Service. My primary focus is on delivering the necessary outputs, ensuring financial success, and fostering the development of the individuals within my project /programme teams. With a commitment to excellence and a strategic approach to problem-solving, I strive to not only meet but exceed expectations, driving both project success and personal growth within the organisation and will go above and beyond.

Outside of my career, I also strive to make a difference in my local community - harnessing my skills and my experience to make a difference. I am a trained Samaritan, Chair of a PTA and Parish Councillor. I have led in multiple funding bids for multiple causes and have raised over £120k to upgrade the village playpark and have also raised over £100k for my local Church to be fully accessible and open for all. I fundraise and have recently established a community group for my village to raise money to support vulnerable people whilst creating opportunities for community cohesion.

I have extensive experience of leading the development and delivery of a portfolio of programmes and projects whilst working closely with partners and stakeholders across the private, public and third sectors. Examples include:

• Tees Valley Investment Zone - I played a lead role in the development of this programme - a flagship £160 million government initiative designed to accelerate the region’s strengths in digital and creative innovation. This involved extensive collaboration with key stakeholders, including Teesside University, MHCLG, and the Business Board. The Investment Zones piloted a new model of co-development with central government, requiring a close, collaborative approach to ensure that proposals were evidence-based, strategically targeted, and aligned with robust governance and delivery frameworks. I successfully navigated TVCA through this process, building strong and trusted relationships with MHCLG colleagues. Throughout, I responded effectively to high volumes of information requests and tight delivery timescales, helping drive forward programme development while also instilling confidence in our local delivery capability at a national level.
• Teesside Airport Infrastructure project – I lead the development of a business case alongside Teesside International Airport Ltd (TIAL) for £12.5m of investment to undertake vital enabling works and to create hangar space. Due to the level of investment, I am currently working alongside TVCA’s legal team to draft a CMA referral which includes pulling together strong arguments of market failure and ensuring a robust evidence base is in place.
• Mayoral Development Corporations – I lead the development of a successful business case to secure £20m of funding for Hartlepool and Middlesbrough Development Corporations. I also manage the development of some MDC projects working closely alongside private sector investors. I have worked closely to bring forward strong cases for investment such as working with Atha Developments to bring forward a proposition for the Civic Centre in Middlesbrough and I am currently working with the owner of the Marks and Spencer building in Middlesbrough to undergo feasibility to bring forward a proposal for investment in the next few months.
• Tees Valley Management Group (TVMG)– I am programme managing the work programme of TVMG to help advance a series of high-priority objectives including priority workstreams (inward investment, infrastructure, workforce, housing, and devolution) and reviewing governance and how advisory groups/statutory committees report into/involve the group as part of the authorities decision making process. I have worked closely with Regeneration and Economic Development Directors from each local authority to shape and develop comprehensive scopes of work capturing governance arrangement, milestones, risks and resource mapping - ensuring each workstream is set up for successful delivery. In my role, I have built strong, effective working relationships with all Senior Responsible Owners (SROs), holding fortnightly coordination meetings to maintain momentum, resolve barriers, and ensure alignment across the programme. Where appropriate, I have taken a direct lead on priority actions, for example, supporting the Infrastructure SRO by leading the development of the Tees Valley Strategic Infrastructure Plan, including managing the procurement process. I produce regular progress reports across the TVMG portfolio and attend key forums such as the Tees Valley Chief Executives’ meetings, where I present updates, gather feedback, and support consensus-building around next steps. As well as supporting the delivery of key workstreams,
• Local Remediation Acceleration Plan - I am leading the development of this plan alongside the regions fire authorities, local authorities (including regulators), housing providers and MHCLG.
• The Creative and Visitor Economy Growth Programme - I successfully lead the development of a business case to secure £20m investment, including working closely with the team to programme manage delivery of individual projects.
• Music Industries Growth Programme – I lead on the successful business case for £2m investment into a dedicated programme to unlock growth in the regions music industry
• North East Screen Industries Partnership Programme which involved working collaboratively from all LA's and CA's across the North East, all with competing priorities, systems/processes and differing levels of interest/appetite to work in partnership. I managed to pull together a strong project team and successfully deliver a business case to secure 14m investment from TVCA and partners.
• Welcome to Redcar Programme - I lead the development of a successful business case alongside Redcar Council to secure £20m investment. As part of this I developed a robust programme management framework which set out how decisions would be made, roles and responsibilies of all partners etc. I implemented this framework and led in the call off of individual projects from this programme such as the £10m Regent Cinema.
• Indigenous Growth Fund - I worked closely with partners to draw down projects from this £60m programme through robust call off requests.
• Hopetown - I led on the successful business case alongside Darlington BC for £26m towards a new railway heritage visitor attraction. This project attracted a lot of attention politically as well as locally and I was able to navigate these sensitives to a successful conclusion.
• Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage - I lead in the application to become a Heritage Action Zone which was a huge success (I was told it was the best application nationally!). I worked on this programme for the best part of 5 years, which included pulling together multi agency governance, including establishing and running the Programme Board and overseeing development of a robust pipeline of over 25 projects. I recently also led on a successful business case, working alongside Darlington and Stockton Councils to secure a £5m programme for the railways bicentenary celebrations.