Last week we held our Quarterly Board Meeting, and I’m pleased to share it was a very positive one. The business had a strong quarter — not just financially, but also in terms of new business wins, strengthening client relationships, and enhancing our reputation.

Some of the highlights included the mobilisation and successful start of new contracts at the National Football Museum, Stamford Quarter, and Stretford Mall during the first quarter. We also received some fantastic external recognition during the quarter. I was honoured to win Company Leader of the Year 2025 at TheBusinessDesk.com North West Leadership Awards — although I wasn’t able to attend the ceremony myself. Luckily, Alan Brierley kindly accepted the award on my behalf. Another proud moment came when Baroness Whitchurch quoted me in the House of Lords during her opening statement, recognising the work we are doing at Adept around good employment and social value.

On a more personal note, I’m incredibly proud (and slightly overwhelmed!) to have also been shortlisted for the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter Leader of the Year award.

I’ve always tried to be open about my neurodiversity journey, and one of the areas I continue to find challenging is being in the personal spotlight. That’s about to be tested even more — ahead of the awards evening on 12th June, I’ll be filmed as part of a media package that will be shown on the night.

It’s easier now than it used to be, but the same nerves and anxiety creep in. I know I’ll have a few sleepless nights in the build-up to the recording. However, what makes it all worthwhile is knowing that it ultimately benefits Adept. If Adept grows, we can employ even more people — and more people will have the chance to work for an organisation that truly cares about fair work, inclusion, and doing the right thing.

That’s what makes moments like the one we had at Stamford Quarter all the more powerful. We received a letter — not a complaint, but a thank you — from a member of the public who’d suffered a heart attack. In the letter, they praised Michael Robinson, one of our team, for being “extraordinarily helpful.” Mike stayed calm, managed their mobility scooter, and supported them until the ambulance arrived. It was a frightening moment made a little less so by kindness and quick thinking. Mike’s actions meant a lot to them — and meant a lot to us too.

And don’t worry — just in case all this positivity was going to my head, I came out of a meeting on Tuesday to find someone had squashed what looked like sausage meat all over my brakelight. That brought me right back down to earth.