Steven Pleasant MBE

Time on board - February 2023 to present

Why I joined the board - I am genuinely excited by the vision for Greater Manchester Moving. I have seen first-hand the impact the organisation and movement is having in our conurbation and its communities and on people's lives. It is groundbreaking.

Current job - Healthy Lives Adviser for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

Professional Background - I have a 20-year career in senior executive roles including 13 years as a CEO of a metropolitan council in Greater Manchester, and for six of those concurrently acting as the Accountable Officer of the local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

During this period the Council was awarded Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Council of the Year and the CCG was graded as ‘Outstanding’ by the NHS nationally. I want to bring all that experience and knowledge into this role.

I have a track record in sport and physical activity at GM. I helped establish and lead the development of GM Moving (as a movement for movement and GM Moving in Action). This formed a major plank of the GM’s Population Health Plan. I also acted as the lead Greater Manchester Local Authority Chief Executive for Health and for Active Travel.

Skills I bring - I bring extensive experience at working effectively in high profile boards and have a good understanding of effective governance. I have 20 years of experience at an Executive level working with and leading Boards, both within the NHS and Local Government with extensive experience of holding systems, services and people to account.

As a Local Authority and NHS CEO I was responsible for the development of the constitutional standards and the effective operation of the organisation’s governance. Both organisations’ governance was regarded as high performing as validated through sectoral peer challenges, the NHS’s annual external accreditation and the views of the annual external auditors judgements.

I have chaired a diverse range of high profile Boards over many years including the North West Regional Asylum and Resettlement Partnership Board; the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Joint Commissioning Executive; the Greater Manchester Covid Contain Board; the Greater Manchester Civil Contingencies Chief Officers Group and iNetwork (a national public service practitioner group made up of over 150 organisations that works closely with a range of Government departments).

Areas of Expertise - Local government, health systems, active travel

Personal interests/facts - All things outdoors, especially if it involves bikes