Nicola Turner is the CEO of United By 2022, the charity founded to fulfil the legacy of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, on how it has helped local communities to the tune of £15million – and her love of secretly kayaking with the dolphins… 

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

I worked on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as director of legacy. I’m a fan of sport but having never worked in sport or events it was a random career swerve. I was at Aston University for 14 years as director of careers and employability and another five years as a national policy advisor and commissioner for the government, so I had developed a grounding in how to get things done on a big scale with public money. When the opportunity came to join the Games’ organising committee, I had a blend of skills and experience for the role. It was very hard work, but I adored my time at the Games – however as the director of legacy, the hard work for me started once the Games were over…

IT’S WHAT I DO

For the last two years I’ve been running the charity founded to keep the good legacies going after the Games left town. The event created such an upswing in optimism, people told us they felt united by the summer of 2022 and asked us to keep that feeling alive. The charity has played a main role in ensuring £15million has gone to communities all around the West Midlands. If you’ve seen the orange uniforms of the volunteers at any of the 72 events around the region, that is what we do. We’ve also supported more than 2,000, 16 to 24-year-olds who face incredible hardships, providing experiences on our youth volunteering pathway. The young people might be carers, care leavers, disabled or living with a mental health condition which gets in the way of their dreams and prospects. We’re also upskilling hundreds of community groups to help them find sustainable funding, and we advise local employers on how they can be a better friend to local communities.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE

I’d love the rest of the country to believe in Birmingham the way I do. My latest mission is to get our businesses and public sector employers working on the same social challenges – like youth unemployment and health inequalities. It would be unbelievably powerful to combine the buying power of the council, the NHS, and businesses to make some coordinated asks of the suppliers they purchase from and turn that into tangible opportunities for local people.

BIGGEST SUCCESS

I set up Degree Apprenticeships in England. It’s gone from zero in 2016 to 55,000 degree apprentices today. By working and earning as a degree apprentice, and not having to pay university fees, it opens up a completely new pathway to people of all ages who wouldn’t otherwise consider a degree. I’m so proud of that.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED

In leadership – credit the team when things go well, take the hit when things go badly. In management – discretional effort is the biggest untapped resource on the planet. Personally – purpose gives me wings, wish I’d known that when I was 18.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BRUM

Our people are funny, humble, diverse, creative and we get stuff done. Plus, we’ve got three Bulls and a Mr Egg. What’s not to love!

DOWNTIME

My ultimate stressbuster is kayaking out to a secret Welsh beach to watch dolphins as the sun sets. Preferably with a cold beer.