Meet the Next-Up Team
The people helping you to unlock the next opportunity and shape your ‘unretirement’
Next-Up helps anyone over 50 who doesn’t want another mainstream job. We support organisations with a range of services for employees/partners as well as individuals themselves.
A key focus of the business is inspiring people with new ideas and sharing experiences and tips of peers who have created another career and purpose in their ‘unretirement’. Through webinars, events, guides and videos, community groups, mentoring and practical support, everyone can work out what is right for them and then make it happen.
Victoria Tomlinson
Founder & CEO
A former director of EY, Victoria Tomlinson is CEO of Next-Up and Northern Lights, which she founded in 1990. International speaker, BBC expert woman and Honorary Teaching Fellow at Lancaster University, she has held a number of non-executive and trustee roles.
Natalie Todhunter
Client Services
Natalie works at the forefront of Next-Up and ensures client success by organising workshops, online platform support and other practical support with technology! In addition Natalie closely monitors digital trends and opportunities and provides general office assistance.
Sandy Welsh
Head of Operations
Sandy is responsible for the smooth running of the business including managing the office, providing project support and preparing accounts and budgets. In addition to being the first point of contact for many, her role at Next-Up is also helping with the organisation of events, booking processes and general member liaison and support.
Janet Moran
Associate
Janet has worked in career transition for over 15 years, providing a service to corporates and English-speaking individuals from various international markets. In addition to supporting Next-Up clients, Janet runs her own business, The CV House Ltd. Her background is in Human Resources, initially with Ford Motor Company in a variety of roles and latterly in financial services.
Trevor Hatton
Associate
Trevor, former partner at Accenture and EY, helps design and deliver workshops for partners of professional firms – building on his own experience of unretirement. A former Board Director of Scottish Opera and Treasurer of Gerrards Cross Golf Club, Trevor is a qualified coach and runs his own career counselling business, Ovalway Consulting.
Paula Dillon
Associate
Former partner with Womble Bond Dickinson and a leading figure in the Leeds property business scene, including roles with Opera North and the Chamber of Commerce, Paula is now non-executive director with Palace Capital plc and a qualified coach with her own practice. Paula works with Next-Up to share her experience of unretirement with partners in professional firms.
Caroline Black
Consultant
Caroline works as a strategic consultant supporting Next-Up to reach out, manage and develop client relationships. She has successfully unretired after over 25 years as Marketing Director at a corporate law firm and blends a mix of voluntary directorships with running her own marketing business. Caroline is Chairman of the Income Generation Committee at Kirkwood Hospice, and a trustee at Yorkshire Sport Foundation and Maggie’s.
Our Advisory Board
We are extremely grateful to a number of people who have generously given time, feedback and ideas to help us shape Next-Up for our audience – they make up an informal advisory board to us.
The Next-Up team with three of their advisory board
Ajaz Ahmed BEM
founder, Freeserve; business adviser; advisory board at University of Huddersfield Business School
Liz Bingham OBE
former EY managing partner; consultant; coach; speaker
Bernadette Byrne
consultant; former company director; trustee
Pat Chapman-Pincher
FTSE ceo mentor, former FTSE non-executive director, international speaker on technology/AI, author & blogger
Victoria Craven
partner, RSM UK
Richard Firth
former director of education businesses, consultant & charity trustee
Jan Fletcher OBE
entrepreneur and businesswoman; chairman of Bee Health, Rougemont Estates, Raven St John & Bacara Wealth
Jo Fletcher-Lee
business growth consultant & magistrate
Cath Follin
former senior manager, Leeds City Council; coach; trustee
Julie Gray
chief executive, Corporate Faculty; and former head of executive programmes, Ashridge Business School
Julian Horrocks
former partner; Eversheds; business angel and start-up mentor
Jane Hustwit
chair, York CVS; interim director, communications consultant & mentor
Professor Nigel Lockett
professor of entrepreneurship at Lancaster University Management School, community leader & entrepreneur
Sarah Shaw
Newton Prize project director, UNESCO; trustee at Carers’ Resource and Remap
Leigh-Anne Stradeski
chief executive, Eureka! The National Children's Museum
Jon Woolmore
former chief executive; coach, mentor and consultant in health, social care & mental health
And our thanks also to the following who have generously given advice and ideas on specific issues, including technology start-ups!
Emma Jones MBE
founder, Enterprise Nation & small business Crown Representative
Nancy Keene
founder, The Perfect Fit, USA
Jonny Ross
founder, Fleek Marketing
Rob Shreeve
founder & MD, Virgin Publishing; founder One Alfred Place club; founder What’s Next for You
Vicky Wilson
senior marketing manager, Amazon