Emma Adair (Co-Chair)
Emma is an accomplished professional with extensive leadership experience across health and social care, homelessness, employment and criminal justice sectors. Her career is marked by a significant role as a specialist advisor for both local and central government, where she played a pivotal role in establishing strategic partnerships with Embassies in London. Emma has also demonstrated exceptional skills in business development, successfully securing multi-million-pound regional contracts.
Transitioning into the digital realm, Emma now works as a strategic and solution consultant. She is the founder of an early-stage software company that has innovatively developed an AI-driven no-code platform, aiming to revolutionise how businesses and individuals interact with technology.
Outside of her professional achievements, Emma is deeply passionate about the arts and its profound benefits for society. She resides in Wakefield, where she continues to integrate her love for creativity and community development into her multifaceted career.
Andrew Balchin (Co-Chair) MA
Andrew is a seasoned public service manager with over 20 years of experience operating at the Director level. Andrew is known for his dedication to public service, fostering partnerships, and promoting innovation. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a talent for building strong relationships across various organisational cultures and delivering substantial improvements to public services. His commitment to making a positive impact on local communities has been a consistent theme in his professional journey.
Over his career Andrew built his knowledge and expertise on a range of public challenges such as welfare and benefits issues for vulnerable populations, housing, and neighbourhood services from East London, through Sheffield, Rotherham and Nottingham where he served as the Chief Executive of One Nottingham, a strategic partnership aimed at addressing the city’s significant challenges. Andrew’s most notable contributions have been at Wakefield Council, where he has held key positions since 2009. As Corporate Director until 2020, he played a pivotal role in the council’s senior management team, negotiating a complex £750 million PFI waste management contract and leading significant programs of change and integration in social care and health services. From January 2020, Andrew served as the Chief Executive of Wakefield Council. In this role, he led a large, multidisciplinary organization with over 5000 employees and a budget exceeding £750 million. His responsibilities include ensuring effective governance, strategic planning, promoting equality and diversity, and maintaining strong relationships with key partners in the public, private, and voluntary sectors. His outward-facing role involved representing the council at local, regional, and national levels.
Andrew has long been a supporter of The Art House and on retirement at the end of 2023 he became a Trustee of the organisation. Andrew holds an MA in Social Policy.