New East Manchester completes senior management team

URBAN regeneration company New East Manchester (NEM) has appointed Ian Slater as deputy chief executive.

The appointment completes NEM’s senior management team and Mr Slater will now oversee the organisation’s regeneration division.  

He replaces Sean McGonigle, who left in October after 12 years to take up the wider role of assistant chief executive for neighbourhood strategy and delivery at Manchester City Council. 

Urban regeneration company New East Manchester is a partnership between Manchester City Council, the national housing and regeneration agency Homes and Communities Agency and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). 

NEM’s role is to secure funding for major development projects and co-ordinate regeneration and renewal initiatives in the area.

Mr Slater has worked for Manchester City Council for over 20 years, initially in the housing department and for the past 17 years in regeneration, most recently as director of the Manchester Salford Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder since 2006.  

He has been responsible for the management of numerous European and national funding programmes delivering physical and socio-economic change including both area based initiatives across the city and high profile projects such as the Bridgewater Hall, the Manchester Central Convention Centre and the redevelopment of the city centre following the 1996 IRA bomb.  

Mr Slater said: “I’m really looking forward to driving east Manchester’s regeneration agenda forward. 

“We are ten years into a long-term journey and are already making a real difference. However, there is still much work to be done to continue this momentum.

“Our plans are ambitious and we are committed to delivering a regeneration programme which will not only improve local residents’ lives but attract new people to live, work and visit the area. 

“Urban renewal is never easy but I am keen to embrace the exciting challenges ahead.”

Eddie Smith, chief executive of New East Manchester said: “It’s great to have Ian on board.  His skills and experience complement those of the rest of the team and together, with the support of our residents and funders, we can bring forward significant change and deliver a sustainable future for east Manchester. 

“In the past ten years we have halted and reversed the decline and it’s now our responsibility to leave a lasting legacy of regeneration benefits for local people.”