Manchester Climate Change Agency

The Manchester Climate Change Agency and Partnership are responsible for overseeing and championing climate change action in the city. Manchester Climate Change Agency was established in September 2015 by the Manchester: A Certain Future Steering Group, Manchester City Council and BDP.

For further information about the work of the Agency and Partnership visit our annual reports page.

Meet the Team

Director

Samantha Nicholson

Sam is the Director of the Agency and Deputy Director of Manchester Climate Change Partnership. She has over 25 years’ experience in the sustainability field and is passionate about the positive role that cities can play in tackling the climate crisis. She provides strategic vision to the work of the Agency and Partnership and champions the value of collaborative working. She has a proven track record in delivering award-winning, impactful services that reduce carbon emissions, deliver social and economic benefits, and build resilience to our changing climate. Since joining the Agency in October 2021, Sam has grown the Partnership’s membership and its value proposition, led the co-design of the city’s climate change targets and action plan, and secured over £2.75m for climate action in Manchester, including community support, promoting renewable energy.

Deputy Director

Anna Bond

Anna is Deputy Director of the Agency, where she brings expertise in shaping climate change and environmental legislation. She has a proven track record of delivering collaborative programmes that prioritise natural solutions for the benefit of people's health, well-being, and the environment. Anna joined the Agency in January 2022 and provides strategic and operational support, responsibilities include overseeing the delivery and implementation of Manchester's Climate Change Framework through strategic partnerships and impactful projects.

Deputy Director

Jane Houldsworth

Jane is Deputy Director for the Agency. She is responsible for the development and implementation of numerous programmes, such as In Our Nature and the Climate Change Youth Partnership, and smooth operational growth and delivery at the Agency. Jane came to the Agency in January 2022, building on her 17 years of experience working in management roles at a range of NGOs in the environmental sector.

Partnership and Programme Manager - Operations

Ellie Bradley

Ellie is Partnership and Programmes Manager for the Agency. She is responsible for working with members of Manchester's Climate Change Partnership to promote best practice and accelerate the city's decarbonisation and managing the Agency's financial and reporting operations. Before securing her current role she held a volutneer internship with the Agency after graduating with a degree in geography from Manchester Metropolitian University.

Partnership and Programme Manager - Community Engagement

Katherine Lowe

Kat is Partnership and Programmes Manchester for In Our Nature – a community climate programme funded by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund. She is responsible for working with a range of delivery partners on a variety of projects which will engage and empower people across Manchester to take practical and meaningful action on climate change. After completing her doctorate at The University of Manchester, Kat worked as Research Institute Manager for the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, and as a senior policy advisor working on net zero policy for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Communications Officer

Ellie Sherlock

Ellie is Communications Officer for In Our Nature and The Manchester Climate Change Agency. She is responsible for the strategic delivery of communication outputs across the In Our Nature partnership. Ellie started her communications career with an internship at the Manchester Climate Change Agency back in 2017 after completing her Environmental Science degree at the University of Plymouth. Following this, Ellie worked at The Wildlife Trust where she was also chair of the Manchester Nature Consortium for a number of years before coming back to the Agency in March 2023.

Community Engagement Officer

Sophie Jones

Sophie is the Community Support Officer for the In Our Nature programme. As part of her responsibilities, she fosters community engagement and support for initiatives focussing on combatting climate change. Sophie brings with her 2.5 years of experience as a Programme Coordinator at Action for Conservation, where she engaged young people in taking action for the climate. Before this Sophie was involved in research and holds a degree in Zoology from the University of Edinburgh.

Programme Support Officer

Katy Haskell

Katy is Programme Support Officer for In Our Nature and the Agency. She works with the Agency’s team and programme delivery partners to ensure that individual projects deliver financial and output performance in accordance with agreed targets. Katy joined the Agency in July 2023, after working for eight and a half years across different Greater Manchester Local Authorities in many diverse departments, ranging from Democratic and Legal Services to Finance. Katy has also been involved in projects across the voluntary sector and has always been passionate about making the world a fairer, greener place for everyone.