Chair of the Board and Independent Non-Executive Director

Marnie has been on the UA92 Board since the doors opened in 2019.

Until December 2020, Marnie served as Group Chief Executive of Nichols PLC, the home of the iconic Vimto brand, steering the company through a period of sustained growth and innovation.

Marnie now leads a broad portfolio career as a non-executive director, chairing the boards of UA92 and Kitwave PLC as well as serving as senior independent non-executive director and RemCo Chair for Applied Nutrition PLC.

Her extensive governance experience includes previous roles as Chair of the Board at Marks Electrical PLC, MyPura Ltd and Kidly Ltd and a non-executive director for Finsbury Food Group PLC.

A champion of leadership and mentorship, Marnie is a Fellow of the Society of Leadership, a Fellow at St George’s House, and a board mentor with Critical Eye. She also held the position of Chair for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in the North West for three years and provided strategic guidance as an advisor to the Board of International Trade.

Marnie’s achievements were recognized in 2018 when she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her contributions to international trade and business in the North West.

Co-Founder and Director, UA92

Gary Neville is a footballing icon with a remarkable career achieving over 600 appearances for Manchester United, winning two UEFA Champions League titles, eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups whilst becoming England’s most capped right-back with 85 senior caps.

Post-retirement, Gary seamlessly transitioned into the world of media, becoming a highly-regarded commentator for Sky Sports. His insightful analysis and engaging presence have made him one of football’s leading broadcasters and his recent book on the state of the game was a Sunday Times Best-Seller.

Beyond the world of football and media, Gary is an accomplished businessman. Having started out as a property developer whilst playing for Manchester United in his early twenties, he’s since built a business empire with a portfolio that spans property, hospitality, education, media and sport. His Stock Exchange Hotel is one of the top hotels in Manchester, his production company Buzz 16 has been a driving force behind his hugely successful YouTube channel “The Overlap” and his St. Michael’s project is one of the landmark property developments in Manchester City Centre.

His journey from the football pitch to media and business is a testament to his relentless drive and passion, leaving a huge mark on multiple fronts.

Gary co-founded UA92 alongside his Class of ’92 teammates Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and brother, Phil Neville.

CEO and Director

CEO, BRUNTWOOD

Chris is CEO of Bruntwood, working at the company since 1991 and acting as CEO for over 25 years. He has overseen the growth of the business to one that owns over £1.6bn of commercial property across the city regions of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds.

Growing up in Manchester, Chris has a commitment to creating a city that thrives and has played an active role in many partnerships. These include Oxford Road Corridor Partnership, Manchester Business Sounding Board which he chairs, and as a founding member of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.

Chris is also a Trustee of The Oglesby Charitable Trust, which works with more than 40 community-based charities a year and has distributed over £30m.

Bruntwood partnered with UA92 in 2022, investing £1.25million in the institution, with Chris joining the board at the same time.

Vice-Chancellor, Lancaster University

Professor Steve Decent joined Lancaster University as Vice-Chancellor in January 2026.
Having graduated with a BSc in Mathematics at Brunel University and a PhD at the University of St Andrews, Steve moved to the University of Birmingham as a Research Fellow in 1995, followed by being a Lecturer, before becoming Senior Lecturer, Reader and then Professor of Applied Mathematics, and then later the Head of School of Mathematics at Birmingham.

He then moved to the University of Dundee as Vice-Principal, before joining Lancaster University in 2014 as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research. Steve moved to Manchester Metropolitan University in 2019 as Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, before becoming Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University in 2023.

Steve is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and specialises in research on free-surface flows.

EMERITUS PROFESSOR, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

Independent Non-Executive Director

Independent Non-Executive Director

Aaron joined UA92 as Director of Disruptive Learning in 2021, spearheading the launch of UA92’s apprenticeship programmes, digital bootcamps and immersive learning experiences. In 2022, he led a successful £2m capital bid to establish the UA92 Digital Academy – an ecosystem for digital talent featuring an employer-led curriculum, metaverse learning, a 360-degree Igloo and flex-tech innovation spaces. Under his leadership, UA92’s apprenticeship provision achieved national recognition from CompTIA and BCS, alongside high praise through Ofsted and ESFA scrutiny for quality, outcomes and employer alignment.

In 2025, Aaron transitioned into the role of Non-Executive Director at UA92, where he continues to provide strategic oversight across digital innovation, apprenticeships and national partnerships, supporting the institution’s long-term ambition to redefine industry-aligned higher education.

Aaron is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Dame Robina Shah Foundation (DRSF), a values-driven charity dedicated to opening doors and shaping futures for disadvantaged young people through education, leadership development, digital skills and wellbeing. He also serves as a trustee and advisor across charitable and community organisations in Greater Manchester.

Aaron is driven by social mobility, equity and the belief that talent is universal – opportunity is not.

Passionate about closing the digital skills gap, he brings together education, enterprise and community to design future-focused models that generate lasting social value and measurable impact.

CEO, New Stadium Development, Manchester United

Collette Roche joined Manchester United as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and during her tenure has been responsible for managing all aspects of Old Trafford, leading fan engagement, operations, stadium revenues, infrastructure development (including the new training complex), and football operations.

She is also the Executive lead on Old Trafford Regeneration.   Collette is the Chair of the Manchester United Foundation Board and a member of the UA92 Board.

Prior to this, she held several executive and non-executive roles across a variety of sectors with FTSE/listed organisations including Ford Motor Company, Siemens, United Utilities and Manchester Airport Group. Collette was listed by Vogue as one of the 25 most influential women working in Britain in 2018 and featured in the FTSE 100 Women to Watch list in 2022.

Recently retired Senior Partner at KPMG Manchester, Chair of UA92 Business Advisory Board

Warren currently serves as Board Advisor and NED with retail and consumer businesses. With a 22-year career at KPMG, he held the positions of Manchester Office Senior Partner and Lead Partner for the UK National Markets Consulting team, overseeing a group of over 30 partners. His expertise spans a wide range of sectors, including retail financial services, payment providers, challenger banks and new entrants, retail, technology, regional government, and security clients.

Warren is deeply committed to the growth and development of North West businesses and how we can grow in the future, he is also dedicated ambassador for UA92.

Deputy Chairman, The Very Group

Tim is an experienced Board Director and Chair with a track record of delivery across a variety of financial services businesses. His current roles include being Deputy Chairman of online retailer Very, where he also chairs the financial services and Irish subsidiaries. His previous experience includes chairing an insurance company and an AIM listed bank.

Prior to his non executive career, Tim was Chief Operating Officer at Co-operative Banking Group and Managing Director of Britannia Building Society’s member business.

Media and Tech Entrepreneur

Mark is a serial entrepreneur who now runs Trimontium AI, a start-up which creates AI business solutions for mid-sized companies. When he isn’t running Trimontium, he is an angel investor, holds a number of advisory positions and works with InnovateUK to support start/scale-ups.

Director of Partnerships at Baller League

Ben is a Director of Partnerships at Baller League and brings over a decade of commercial experience in the sports industry.

His expertise spans partnerships, investment and talent management. He has previously held roles at CAA Base, Lagardere Sports & Entertainment, and a national law firm, where he successfully scaled a business division focused on connecting athletes, rightsholders and investors with early-stage ventures and commercial deals within sports and related sectors.

Ben is also a regular speaker and media commentator.

Partner at DWF

Kirsty is Global Chief Sustainability Officer for DWF and part of the firms Executive Committee with responsibility for environmental social and governance strategy.

Kirsty is additionally an employment partner, responsible for managing a number of significant client relationships for the firm and is noted for her ability to ensure a coordinated service line approach for the benefit of clients. Her client work is limited to high level executive support, direction on significant and sensitive ER issues board education and people strategy, responsible business, employment and human rights.

Kirsty is a board member of BITC North West, a director of the North West Business Leadership Team and a Trustee of We Mind the Gap.

Founder and Chairman of Group55

Stephen Turner is the Founder and Chairman of Group55, a UK based manufacturing company supplying personal care, pet care and household products globally.

An entrepreneur since 1999, he has built the business from start up to an internationally respected operation while remaining rooted in Lancashire. Alongside his commercial work, Stephen is deeply committed to social mobility, education and community impact. Through Community55 (Group55’s charitable initiative) and personal outreach, he supports youth development, education partnerships and charitable initiatives, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

He serves on advisory boards, mentors young people and business leaders, and is an advocate for practical, values led enterprise.

Founder and CEO of Digitech Oasis

A Digital Product Innovator and AI Specialist, serving as the Founder and CEO of Digitech Oasis, a multi-award winning AI and robotics company transforming business operations with autonomous robotic solutions – alongside being a Foreign Investments Manager at Innovate UK.

Originally from Kenya but considers The North her home, Ayaan is a self-taught coder and entrepreneur with a background in Business, Finance and Entrepreneurship who is passionate about creating gender equity in STEM. Under her leadership, Digitech Oasis has grown to $5 million in revenue, serving over 5,000 businesses across 68 countries and was recognised as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe nominee in the technology category.

Ayaan actively promotes STEM education in Kenya through her NGO work.

AI Investor at EHE Ventures and Fhunded
UA92 Alumni

Troy was part of the inaugural student cohort at UA92, graduating with a first-class degree in Business Studies. He is now an Investor at EHE Venture Studio, where he sources and evaluates early-stage opportunities and supports founders through diligence and fundraising. Alongside this, he works as an investment consultant at Fhunded, Lancashire County Council’s early-stage deal team, curating deal flow for the Fhunded investor community, Angel Network and helping founders navigate their equity-raising journey. Prior to EHE and Fhunded, Troy began his career at KPMG following graduation, supporting Seed, Series A and Series B transactions and contributing to approximately £9m of deal activity.

On a personal level he is very passionate about providing opportunities for young people and he currently holds the role of Altrincham District Scouts Youth Commissioner. Troy has been on his own personal journey with Scouting, becoming the only person in the UK to gain every single badge in the movement including the King’s Scout Award.