Board member, Chief Executive of Shoreditch Trust
Micheal is at the cutting edge of regeneration. Chief Executive of Shoreditch Trust, Micheal was brought in to establish the Trust in 2000 from the award winning Mile End Park, a sustainable people’s park for the 21st Century. Whether speaking nationally or internationally Micheal consistently champions a collaborative approach to regeneration solutions. Whether developing a multi million pound community asset base or a series of community social enterprises that underpin the income of Shoreditch Trust he is at the forefront of a new breed of third sector people and organisations – charitable but commercially aware. These include the award-winning Acorn House London’s first eco-restaurant and its sister restaurant, Waterhouse in Shoreditch. Micheal is community driven but quality focused, environmentally aware persuasive, not punitive. He believes this model is the future of the third sector.
Micheal regularly contributes to debate and discussion in articles and news media and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lecturer in Urban Regeneration and advisor to Government. Community led regeneration, the development of sustainable asset bases and the creative use of community social enterprise is at the heart of what he does. This good practice has been shared across the UK and Europe. Micheal is a gifted communicator and facilitator.
A passionate defender of the right of communities to carve their own destinies Micheal is forthright, at times outspoken, but seldom ignored. Equally passionate about the role the arts can play in regenerating lives Micheal has woven together arts and culture in their broadest sense through the work of Shoreditch Trust. He has developed an approach to using beauty and as a catalyst to an urban aesthetic and is developing a community planning model that inverts the master planning process to appropriately operationalise regeneration. Creative communities form the heart of Micheal’s vision.
Micheal is a founder member of ACEVO’s European Third Sector Network. Micheal is also co-founder and board chair of Blue Marble Training, sits on the board of Cresco Trust a Derry based Charity, Social Enterprise London, BURA’s Steering and Development Forum, and currently chairs the Development Trust Association nationally.