Cleveland Henry, Interim Chief Operating Officer at Optum UK (formerly EMIS) and a proud “Leeds Lad”, shared his personal and professional journey that has spanned more than 25 years at the forefront of digital transformation in health and care. Drawing on senior leadership roles at NHS Digital, UKCloud Health, Lloyds Banking Group and EMIS, Cleveland explored themes of inclusion, ambition, community impact and leading through complexity.

Cleveland also serves as Chair of Leeds Community Foundation and as a Non-Executive Director at Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Our guests then heard from Colin Booth OBE, Group Chief Executive Officer of Luminate Education Group and one of the most experienced figures in further education, with more than 40 years dedicated to improving the lives an outcomes of our young people.

Colin reflected on his career and spoke about the role of FE in shaping local communities, building skills for the future and advocating for inclusive opportunities.

As he prepares for retirement Colin shared reflections on leadership and the education system, recognising how far we have come over the past 40 years, and reiterating that we must continue to strive to be innovative and ambitious.

Adding to the atmosphere, CATCH brought along llamas (part of their travelling educational farm) which proved popular with our guests. Their volunteers helped throughout the morning, and we extend our sincere thanks for their time.

Our Breakfast meetings continue to grow – beyond the inspiring narratives and hopeful contributions from speakers, these events provide a space where networks can flourish, connecting colleagues from different sectors and enabling collaborative ideas to form naturally.

Recordings of both talks will be available in the LLA Members Zone, accessible to all colleagues from full member organisations. Staff can register for an account using their work email address here.