Profile: Amanda Lennon

SOMETIMES it takes a disaster to make you appreciate what really matters in life.

In 2011, the New Zealand city of Christchurch was devastated by an earthquake which killed 185 people. At the time, Christchurch’s residents included Amanda Lennon, her husband, Steve, and their children, eight-year-old Sophie and Charles, 17.

Ms Lennon had travelled to New Zealand three years earlier, to work with the country’s “innovation” community.

She had built up a reputation as a consummate networker in Yorkshire. She was proud of the role that she had played encouraging enterprise as a business mentor at Huddersfield University, and the Velocity Bradford incubation space, in the years leading up to the financial crisis.

In her new home in Christchurch, she had been acting as a mentor and coach to technology start-ups and early stage businesses. She had even helped the New Zealand government to broker trade and investment relationships with big names like Sir Richard Branson.

Then, in February 2011, the earthquake struck. It destroyed thousands of buildings – including the Lennon family home.

“The experience was life changing for us all,” Ms Lennon recalled. “We lost our house and the majority of the contents. We were all really lucky. My husband went two hours without knowing if we were alive or dead. My son has lost three teenage friends all directly or indirectly as a result of the quakes. Because Christchurch is so small, everyone was affected in some way by the deaths.

“For instance, all of the passengers, bar one, on a bus were killed – one of those killed was a friend of my son’s, the only survivor was a running buddy of my husband’s. As a family, though, it actually did us the world of good. In an instant we dropped all of the petty arguments and began to support and nurture each other far more.

“We don’t measure success any more on what we own – clearly that can be lost in a single moment – we measure it on how we’re doing mentally and emotionally. We’re hugely grateful of the support we’ve received from strangers, friends and family. We have been completely humbled by the kindness shown to us by some – Sicklinghall School, (in North Yorkshire) where Sophie had been in Year One when we left, sent over a huge care package of toys and clothes for her.”

The Lennon family returned to Yorkshire in late 2011, and have rebuilt their lives. During her career as a mentor and “passionate connector of people”, Ms Lennon had helped more than 100 organisations to raise capital.

Last year, Ms Lennon became the regional director of Oxford Innovation, which manages the Barnsley Digital Media Centre (DMC) on behalf of the local council. The £10.5m DMC, which was originally funded by the now defunct Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund, opened in 2007, just before the chaos caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The “vision” behind the centre, with its 72 low cost units, was simple. It aimed to make Barnsley’s economy stronger and more diverse.

Initially, the DMC struggled. It was still half empty in early 2010, but it’s now profitable, and three quarters of the space is taken. It is currently occupied by 44 businesses.

Recent arrivals include Data Dream, a start-up software company, which was previously based in Penistone, and Cogwork Studio, a software developer which makes apps, games and marketing tools, which has moved to the DMC from Bradford. Barnsley, has of course, been burdened by its ‘flat-cap and whippets’ image for generations. But Ms Lennon would like to see more traditional firms visiting the DMC, in order to forge links with their digital neighbours.

“The centre was a step change for Barnsley, and it was very brave of them to attempt to establish a new sector in that area,” she said.

“The definition of digital and creative industries has changed so much in the last five years. We’re also looking at working with professional services, who are delivering their businesses via a digital platform.

“One of the things I really want to do this year, is make the building more publicly accessible.” Ms Lennon hopes to run programmes which will “upskill” local people, and improve their knowledge of digital technologies. She added: “All of that aligns with the council’s ambitions to get more people online.

“Part of our contract with the council is the delivery of business support. Part of that is outreach. If you’re stimulating creativity and ideas in an area, that’s going to lead to job creation.”

Many locals with digital industry backgrounds, who headed to London and the south east in the early stages of their career, are feeling the call of home. “We’ve just started to get key messages out to people who would be interested in returning to the area,” said Ms Lennon. “One of our key selling points is that we’re an easy commute. A lot of people are making lifestyle choices. They can come to us and tap into our networks, but live on the doorstep of some great scenery.

“It’s hard to get centres to 100 per cent occupancy,” Ms Lennon observed. “They don’t work that well if they are, because if you get to 100 per cent occupancy, there’s nowhere for people to grow into.

“At Oxford Innovation, the whole point of our being is to grow companies. You need a little bit of flexibility. The focus is bringing the outside world into the building, and getting buyers of products and services inside so they can meet the companies.”

Ms Lennon’s experience in New Zealand taught her that location shouldn’t be a barrier to innovation.

Ms Lennon recalled: “The really interesting thing about New Zealand was that they managed to innovate and sell products from the end of the world. When I hear about the challenges facing companies who are trying to sell their products internationally from Barnsley, I say, ‘speak to these entrepreneurs, they’re my mates from New Zealand and they’ve managed to grow international businesses.’

“One of my closest friends, who saved me from the earthquake and gave me some temporary accommodation, is a guy who lives just outside Christchurch and goes to New York an awful lot, and sells products into the big advertising agencies, that, in turn, sell them on to the likes of Disney and Pixar. He’s produced some fabulous technology, pretty much from a shed in Christchurch.

“That’s the point of digital, you can connect to anyone.” To taste the future, Ms Lennon believes visitors to Barnsley should pop into the DMC and witness the Enlightened exhibition, which uses laser technology. Ms Lennon said: “It’s creative, it’s innovative, and it’s local.”

A combination, she hopes, that will bring more jobs to Yorkshire.

Amanda Lennon Factfile

Name: Amanda Lennon

Title: Regional director for Oxford Innovation

Date of birth: March 10, 1969

Education: Post graduate certificate in business incubation, mentoring and coaching from the University of Huddersfield.

First job: Assistant merchandiser, Woolworths.

Last book read: Peaches for Monsieur le Cure – Joanne Harris

Car driven: Mini Cooper convertible

Favourite holiday destination: Bahia area of Brazil.

Favourite song: Stereo-phonics Maybe Tomorrow and Razorlight Golden Touch

Thing you are most proud of: That we helped our struggling community in New Zealand.