Meet our team

Richard is an economic development leader, skilled in business growth, international trade and investment, business planning, strategic planning, business development and funding. 

He is leading the national expansion of The Growth Company’s support services, providing advisory services to local areas, government departments and private partners on how best to design and deliver business growth programmes. 
 
Richard received the Public and Third Sector Director of the Year award from the Institute of Directors (North West) in 2018, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and holds an Associateship of the Textile Institute (CText ATI). 

Project Examples

Review of Business Support in Warwickshire - Warwickshire County Council (Special Advisor) 

Be the Business Mentoring for Growth Programme (SRO) 

Driven by a passion for data that makes a difference, Richard West has grown Red Flag Alert from a team of three to a multi-million pound organisation powered by a hand-picked team of #databosses. He knows from experience that the right analytics and insights can create – and change – conversations, while helping to solve some of the key challenges that businesses face day in, day out. Richard established Red Flag Alert back in 2013, having worked with big-name brands including Santander and British Gas.

Mark is the Product Owner for GC Insight’s business assessment and data intelligence portfolio, leading the design and delivery of digital, data and AI-enabled tools that help organisations better understand and improve SME performance.

He brings over 25 years of experience in business improvement, innovation, and benchmarking. As a former director and significant shareholder of Winning Moves (now part of GC Insight), he has been instrumental in developing and scaling SME benchmarking and diagnostic services used extensively across the UK and in over 50 countries.

Mark partners with senior stakeholders across the public sector — including Combined Authorities, Devolved Governments, Growth Hubs, and Universities — to embed data-driven decision-making into business support. He is focused on applying insight and technology to drive measurable productivity gains and deliver impact at scale, with a strong emphasis on practical, real-world application.

Project Examples:

• Building consistency through the Growth and Performance Platform
• GC Insight partners with Go Succeed to deliver data-driven business support across Northern Ireland
• Using the Growth and Performance Platform to drive global impact

Nathan Shoesmith is an economic consultant with over four years’ experience working in economic development. He joined GC Insight in 2023 after graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Management, Politics and International Relations (Industry) from Lancaster University. Nathan leads insights and analysis for Growth Flag, a predictive business growth tool, and supports the development of data-driven economic, skills, and place-based strategies across the UK. He is also our Communications Lead.

Nathan has a proven track record in analysing complex datasets and government policies, and is an experienced communicator, author, and TEDx speaker. He regularly presents high-profile findings to inform strategic decisions and is building expertise in internationally focused analysis to drive impactful interventions for destinations. In 2025, Nathan was named Institute of Economic Development Rising Star of the Year in recognition of his work in local and national economies, as well as leadership in data innovation, youth and mental health advocacy.

Project Examples:

• Investment Atlas and Prospectus for the Oxford to Cambridge Pan-Regional Partnership
• Developing a World Class DMO for the Glasgow City Region, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
• Great South West State of Growth

Kate Bulman is an experienced Project Coordinator with a proven ability to support projects from initial concept through to successful delivery. She is recognised for her flexible, proactive approach, with clients valuing her responsiveness and talent for resolving issues quickly and effectively.

As an integral member of the Solutions team, Kate plays a key role in supporting delivery, quality assurance, and overall user experience. She is responsible for rigorously testing new software—often pushing it to its limits—reviewing the quality of existing products, and providing ongoing user support to ensure a seamless and consistent end‑user experience.

Through her hands‑on involvement across a wide range of projects and products, Kate has developed a strong understanding of technology and a clear appreciation of how well‑designed digital solutions can enhance business productivity and drive growth.

Project Examples:

• Belfast City Council - Go Succeed Benchmarking Tools
• Liverpool City Region - Growth Platform
• Fraunhofer

Lydia has strong project management skills within economic development, business support and the commercial sector, with several years’ experience of leading projects from ideation stage, through to full delivery and evaluation.

She has played a key role in multiple initiatives to stimulate growth in sectors, places and businesses through specialised programmes to deliver change – supporting the development of strategic priorities, measurement of performance and impact assessment.

A passionate communicator, Lydia is driven by a collaborative approach to ensuring clients are best-placed to deliver their priorities and enhance their impact on the world around us.

Project Examples:

Situational Report – Stoke and Staffordshire LEP

Start-up and Step-up Programmes Insight & Strategy Report - Staffordshire County Council

Review of ERDF Business Support Programmes – South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

With two decades of experience as an economist and economic development strategist, Dr Nicola Headlam ran the Northern Powerhouse Refresh Strategy for the Government in 2018 and 2019, having worked previously in both local and central government, and parliament. Her particular areas of expertise lie in region al supra-national scales for sustainable urban development. Throughout her career, Dr Headlam has influenced policy relating to spatial and social inequalities at all levels. She is a respected thought-leader within the economic prosperity space, and regularly contributes to broadsheets, broadcasts and podcasts.

Abbie has a proven track record across a range of projects for local and national government clients as well as private sector clients nationwide. She has 5+ years' experience of working in business support and economic development, leading business and enterprise research for consultancy projects, as well as working across project management. She has experience in stakeholder engagement, consultation, consolidation and interpretation of complex data, and the production of engaging reports, helping to ensure that our clients get the advice they need to operate more effectively and respond to changing circumstances.

Abbie joined the Group in 2020, previously working as an ERDF Grants Coordinator supporting businesses affected by COVID-19. She graduated from Durham University in 2017, with First Class honours in Archaeology, with her dissertation focused on the methodology of measuring public engagement in online crowdsourcing projects.

Project Examples:

• Great South West State of Growth
• Staffordshire Education and Skills Programmes for Enterprise
• Warwickshire County Council Business Support Review

Paddy is a Research Consultant with 2 plus years of experience as a consultant at GC Insight and a further 4 years of research experience as a doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester. Paddy has worked across a range of project types while at GC Insight including business support ecosystem reviews, sector studies, land-use evaluations, as well as involvement in helping to run accelerator-type programmes.

Through these projects, Paddy has a well-developed skillset in qualitative, quantitative and mixed‑methods social research, as well as technical proficiency in a range of software (including QGIS, Copilot and IDSurvey). Paddy has been involved in projects with a range of clients including large corporations, enterprise agencies, local and combined authorities, Government agencies and more.

Paddy holds a PhD from the University of Manchester where he studied spatial development policy, the Levelling Up agenda, governance strategies and post-political theory. He also read for a Master of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Amsterdam, completing the programme Cum Laude.

Project Examples: 

• Tewkesbury Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Study
• Acas Subscription Model Review
• Sizewell C Business Support and Impact Study