Our expert representatives have been carefully selected to sit on the Growth Programme Board and its nine national sub-committees.
Acting as the voice of the third sector, each member brings a unique and valuable skill-set to the board.
Anne Lythgoe
Vice Chair and Treasurer, Social Audit Network
Anne will be sitting on the Evaluation National Sub-committee.
Anne has nearly thirty years’ experience in the VCSE and the public sector, predominantly focusing on the delivery and evaluation of community regeneration and wellbeing programmes. Having previously worked as a social accountant in a social enterprise which supported the delivery of EU funded projects, and also as the Finance and Evaluation Manager for Salford’s New Deal for Communities programme, Anne has an in-depth understanding of the programme.
Anne is the Manager of Policy and Partnerships for Salford City Council and is supporting a partnership between the public and VCSE sectors in the city to achieve holistic social value commissioning, which will achieve meaningful social, environmental and economic wellbeing benefits. She has recently started a part time secondment as Policy and Strategy Lead for the VCSE Sector in Salford, where she is leading work to develop an investment and sustainability strategy for the sector in the city.
In 2016, Anne was Highly Commended in the Social Enterprise UK Social Value Awards for her outstanding leadership in the field.
Contact Anne

Helen Millne
Deputy CEO, The Women’s Organisation
Helen will be sitting on the National Growth Programme Board, the Performance and Dispute Resolution National Sub-Committee and the Equality & Diversity National Sub-Committee.
Helen has over 20 years’ experience working at a senior management and executive level across the public, private and social economy sectors.
Helen operates on a local, national and international level in the development of a range of social impact, economic development business growth and competitiveness programmes. Her previous roles included Regional Training Officer for the National Association of Citizens’ Advice Bureaux, and Social Enterprise Development Manager for Liverpool City Council where she led the creation of the Social Enterprise Network and co-designed the first Social Accounting and Auditing support programme for the Liverpool City Region. Helen is a recognised expert in the field of Social Accounting and Auditing, which enables organisations to develop their Social Value Frameworks to measure and improve their social impact. Her work in the field has been rolled out nationally and internationally. Helen has also run a highly successful business consultancy practice specialising governance, organizational audit and implementation of a range of public and private investment tools and programmes including European Structural Fund project access, deployment and management, social enterprise development and business growth and improvement programmes.
Helen is fully conversant with a range of public sector programmes and contracts including the SFA, LEP, RGF Local Authority and European Structural Funds and has specific expertise large scale, multi partner and international project management.
Contact Helen

Joanna Cain
Director of Education and Deputy CEO, the Workers’ Educational Association
Joanna will be sitting on the Employment, Skills and Social Inclusion National Sub-committee.
Joanna Cain has been involved in adult education since 1990 as a teacher, facilitator and education manager and has worked in the third sector in campaigning and membership organisations for most of career.
Joanna has worked extensively in and with voluntary sector organisations, previously as Head of Learning and Organising at public service union UNISON and she also led a leadership development programme at Ruskin College. She has also been board member of the Third Sector National Learning Alliance (TSNLA) since 2016 and ran a leadership programme for third sector and trade union leaders Ruskin college.
Joanna also has extensive education funding, EU and ESIF experience, having managed WEA’s £19 million ESFA contract and worked closely with the team managing WEA’s 20 active ESIF (ESF) funded projects at a value of around £4.5m. WEA’s ESIF funded projects are across all 9 English regions. Each project works in partnership with local voluntary sector organisations and targets key beneficiaries often individuals furthest from the labour market. We lead on three Building Better Opportunities (BBO) projects again in partnership with over 70 local voluntary organisations. We are also the acting ESF Grants Coordinating Body in the Liverpool City region providing grants to local voluntary organisations to help deliver projects that move people closer to jobs and employment.
Contact Joanna

Maggie O’Carroll
CEO, The Women’s Organisation
Maggie will be sitting on the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Competitiveness National Sub-committee and the Sustainable Urban Development National Sub-committee.
Maggie is CEO of The Women’s Organisation, an award winning social enterprise which is now the largest and most successful dedicated Women’s Business Support Charity and Social Business in the UK. Maggie is actively involved in female economic development policy influencing on an international, national and regional basis and is Chair of the UK Women’s Enterprise Policy Group and a member of the Women’s Budget Group. Maggie has lectured on a part time at Liverpool University Management School on Entrepreneurship and Liverpool John Moores University, on Measuring Social Impact within their Masters in Social and Community Enterprise programmes. She is an Entrepreneurial Scholar in residence at Simmon’s College, Boston, USA. She is also currently chairperson of Vivark Ltd, a local social enterprise with over 250 employees a multimillion turnover and a group board member of First Ark, a registered social housing provider with over 13,000 properties in Knowsley. She is a regular contributor to conferences in the UK, and aboard, on issues relating to women’s education, employment, entrepreneurship and social enterprise.
Contact Maggie
