Our boards give local people:
- a voice in developing and improving their waterways
- a chance to connect with their waterside communities
- an opportunity to help guide our decisions and strategies
- the ability to support and champion the waterways in this region
Find out about opportunities to join the West Midlands advisory board
Meet our regional advisory board members
Chair - Glenn Howells
Glenn Howells established Howells (previously Glenn Howells Architects) in 1990 and since then the practice has built a strong reputation for designing innovative, award-winning buildings and shaping cities throughout the UK.
Glenn has influenced some of the UK’s most complex and ambitious regeneration projects and been particularly influential in shaping regional cities including Birmingham and large areas of East London. Leading on numerous major design competitions and some of our award-winning projects across all sectors, including master planning and urban regeneration projects. With a HQ in Birmingham and an office in London, Howells are now leading on several international projects in Australia and central Europe.
Glenn is particularly interested in the power of culture to create interesting places to live and work and outside of Howells, Glenn has spent time on several boards for creative and educational organisations and advised government bodies and local authorities. These include Birmingham City Council, RIBA, CABE, Canal & River Trust, University of Warwick, Birmingham City University, Design: Midlands, Ikon Gallery and Birmingham Hippodrome.
Prubhjyot Singh
Prubhjyot was born in Kenya but spent his childhood living in Punjab before moving to England at the age of 10. Having been the first person in the family to attend university, he studied BEng in Avionics Technology before going on to work on European Space Agency projects such as ExoMars and BepiColombo.
He is currently working as a Quality Manager within the technical ceramics industry supplying parts to industries such as automotive, medical, nuclear and space. Prubhjyot is also a founding director of EcoSikhUK Community Interest Company, a non-profit organisation which is part of a wider global climate action programme by Eco-Sikh – the Sikh community's contribution to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) / Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) Plans for Generational Change Project.
Nick Giess
Nick is a serving Police Officer in the West Midlands. He has been in the police for 29 years and he is currently the Constituency Inspector for the Selly Oak area of Birmingham. Outside of policing, Nick has a background in volunteering with youth organisations, having previously run an Air Cadet Unit and currently being an assistant leader at an Explorer Scout Group. He was part of the 2019 Hereford & Worcestershire Scout Contingent, who spent a month in Kenya and Tanzania building water reclamation and storage facilities.
Dean Hill
Dean has over 30 years' experience in the Physical Activity, Sport and Public Health sector mainly within the NHS and local authority settings, with a brief spell in the private sector as an outdoor activity consultant. He has a strong and consistent focus on place-based work, addressing inequalities and promoting positive mental health through physical activity and sport.
His current role is as the Physical Activity and Wellbeing Legacy (PAWL) Lead for the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022. The role is funded by Sport England and hosted in Birmingham's Active Partnership, Sport Birmingham. He is a member of the Games MH subgroup along with The WMCA, OHID, DCMS and other national partners. Dean enjoys wild swimming and cycling along canals in his spare time.
Naseem Akhtar BEM
Naseem has championed pioneering opportunities in physical activity & sport for ethnically diverse communities, especially Asian women. In 2006, Naseem secured the Saheli Adventure Hub in Balsall Heath, working with over 2,000 women across inner city Birmingham every year to become physically active to address their long-term health conditions. Naseem set up the first ever young Asian girls club providing opportunities to take part in rock climbing, skiing, canoeing, cycling and quad biking. Saheli Hub has a successful model engaging women into running, cycling, swimming working out of three GP practices, wellbeing sites and four parks across the inner city of Birmingham. In June 2019 Naseem received the honour of a BEM as part of the Queen's Birthday honours list.
Dr. Simon Murphy
Simon is a regular user of canals in and around Worcester, both for walking with his family and dog, and for fishing. He is Deputy Chair of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Independent Chair of Public-Private Partnerships in Sandwell, and Coventry and Warwickshire that has built and maintains GP Medical Centres. He served on the Boards of the then Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, and the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Simon has been the Chief Executive of four charities, as well as the former Executive Director of Development and Sales at the ExtraCare Charitable Trust. He was Director of the forerunner of the West Midlands Combined Authority and represented the West Midlands in the European Parliament from 1994 to 2004, which included being Leader of the Labour MEPs for two years. He holds a PhD in the politics of Northern Ireland. In his spare time, he is a member of the Birmingham Anglers Association, is a volunteer steward for Oxfam at music festivals, and a supporter of Worcester City Women’s FC, and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
Deborah Phelpstead
Deborah is the Head of Sustainability at Birmingham City University. She leads on the overall sustainability and net zero carbon strategy for the University and manages the Environmental Management System (EMS). She also focuses on other areas such as sustainable procurement, environmental input for capital projects and major refurbishments, and embedding sustainability across Birmingham City University’s strategy, policy and processes. She has 16 years’ experience in environmental roles, leading on environmental strategy, communications and engagement, and organisational change. She has been at Birmingham City University for eight years, building the agenda from a solo role to an established team with sustainability integrated as a key corporate objective.
Councillor Majid Mahmood
Majid Mahmood is the Cabinet Member for Environment at Birmingham City Council and has since he was elected represented the Bromford and Hodge Hill. A Bachelor of Laws (Hons) graduate from Wolverhampton University, Majid is a practising solicitor in Birmingham at the largest high street practice outside of the city centre. During his time as a councillor Majid has served on several Birmingham City Council Committees and has held a number of other Cabinet Member positions, building up a wealth of knowledge and experience for the Cabinet Member for Environment role.
Majid is passionate about the environment, always looking to improve the quantity and quality of Birmingham’s open spaces, for example, through the provision of easily accessible outdoor gym equipment, the aspiration to create a city of 1000 green spaces and parks, along with planting thousands of trees so that 25% of the city has tree cover.
