Driving Change through Inclusive Leadership with Nikki Chance Thompson

What happens when you combine a passion for music and a commitment to creating opportunities for underrepresented individuals? You get the incredible journey of Nicky Chance Thompson MBE DL, CEO of the Piece Hall Trust and our commended Levelling up Leader at the 2023 NPW Awards. Join us for an inspirational conversation with Nicky, as she takes us through her journey from London to Yorkshire, and how she transformed the Piece Hall into a thriving 21st-century visitor destination.

Don't miss this exciting episode, it's all about driving change and harnessing influence for the betterment of the community.

Listen to Learn:
🎙️The power and significance of female leadership
🎙️The importance of leading with understanding and collaboration
🎙️The major differences between the North and South
🎙️Nicky's dedication to creating opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds

Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1981646

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:28

Music the Northern Power Women Podcast For your career and your life, no matter what business you're in. Hello, hello and welcome to the Northern Power Women Podcast. My name is Simone and every week, I am up to the thrill of it to be able to spotlight and showcase the remarkable individuals from across our Northern Power community who truly do use their power for good as we strive for that more equal and diverse world. And every week, as I say, an amazing, kick-ass role model is I get the chance to spend 20 minutes or so with and this season we've been talking to all of our winners and commended, because for us it's great and for you to be able to find out what happened, why did they do it, why did they get that award, why are they so amazing?

Speaker 1: 1:23

And this week, without a shadow of a doubt, is no different, because I get the chance to speak to the wonderful Nikki Chance Thompson, mbe DL, who is the CEO because there's some more letters in there of the Peace Hall trust and was commended for our leveling up leader at the 2023 awards this year. Nikki, nikki, nikki, welcome. Thank you so much for joining me on this week's pod. My pleasure, my pleasure entirely. And how are you, and how is that glorious Peace Hall?

Speaker 2: 1:52

Our glorious Peace Hall is very, very busy at the moment. We're just in the middle of our wonderful Christmas markets and Christmas activities and last weekend we had 165,000 people here coming through Halifax Town Centre to not only enjoy the markets but a really wonderful Christmas parade, and we're looking probably for another similar number this weekend. So we're really really busy and but I'm really really happy because it's great for the traders, it's great for the town and it's lovely that everyone is out.

Speaker 1: 2:25

Christmas shopping and if you've not been to Halifax recently and have not been to the Peace Hall, get on that train, get in that car, get over there, because it is absolutely magic. It is the I'm going to hopefully I don't misquote, this is the largest Nikki I'm going to throw it to you to do oldest cloth mail in the world, something like that.

Speaker 2: 2:44

Yeah, it's the. It's the only remaining Georgian cloths hall in the world and it is pretty big, close, no cigar.

Speaker 1: 2:51

No, you look, you're close, you can have two cigars well, I remember, because I kindly invited myself and northern power man over to visit you at the Peace Hall in the summer when the the rather fabulous sting was performing and it was just is just such a magical bit. So, yes, thank you very much for joining into the Peace Hall tourist information podcast this week. So, and what's interesting, you are, you, one of our powerless. You are a leveling up leader, commended winner this year, but actually you're not from Yorkshire. What brought you up north and to the Peace?

Speaker 2: 3:26

Hall. Well, initially what brought me to Yorkshire was love. I married a Yorkshire man, marcus, who is a born and bred hadifax lad, and then we ended up looking after his mum who was very poorly, and so we ended up staying here because it it's just such a wonderful place to live and I never thought I'd say that I'm a typical Londoner. You know I used to get a nosebleed north of Watford and think where am I? But I've really loved living in the north and the north has really welcomed me and looked after me and you know I've had an amazing career here. So I have a lot to Yorkshire in the north for everything it's given to me and so what happened around that conversation?

Speaker 1: 4:07

what drew you in to getting involved with this magnificent Peace Hall?

Speaker 2: 4:10

Well, my my background had been working in advertising, marketing brands and then regeneration projects really just to cut through it quickly and my husband's link with the Peace Hall was a family link in that his father ran cloth markets here in our east of dealing textiles and which hadifax is really famous for. The crossley mills made the coverings that you see on tubes and buses not only in the UK but across the world, so there's a really rich history of textiles here, and my husband knows I love architecture. So he brought me to his peace hall and I fell in love with it. But it was just really neglected this is going back to 2006, thereabouts and really run down a few shops in here. It wasn't really being used and I remember thinking what an amazing building.

Speaker 2: 5:04

And so in 2012, fast forwarding a few years, I was still working in regeneration and found that the council, along with the Heritage Lottery Fund, intended transforming the peace hall into a 21st century visitor destination and just approached them to ask if I could help give them my background on the area, and they bit my hand off and said can you become a trustee of our independent trust that we're forming? That was about 2015. And then 2017, found myself being the chief exec. So it's just been quite the journey and I always sort of feel it was meant to be me being here. My family, interestingly, were from Bradford and they were cloth dealers. They were called the Delias and Co over in Bradford in little Germany, and my great-great uncle was the composer Frederick Delias. He didn't follow the family into cloth, he followed music and composing as his career. So my family were actually originally from Bradford.

Speaker 1: 6:04

So it always feels like I've come home in a strange way, and equally, as you talk about, the peace hall is a home to some of the most amazing bands from across the world. So you've got this one side of your family or your family tree that is around cloth and then this other side that's about music. So surely it was just it was in the stars, wasn't it?

Speaker 2: 6:24

Oh, wow, so you've just seen something I missed completely. So, yes, absolutely. We've sort of brought home the music and the cloth, although hopefully I haven't got cloth ears, but I was. I'm also a musician myself. I play the piano and singing things, so for me this is just like the dream job. It's everything it's retail, it's events, it's music, it's community, but, importantly, I get to work in one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. As far as I'm concerned, it's absolutely stunning.

Speaker 1: 6:52

But when you took this role on, it wasn't the easiest time in the world, was it? Because the previous chief of his echo left the project just once before it was due to be completed. So it was, you know. Spotlight on, nicky. What? How did you deal with all that pressure and the scrutiny?

Speaker 2: 7:09

I'm very calm under pressure of learning and I'm quite resilient and in my mind, when something needs to be done, I just roll my sleeves up and get on with it and get it done, because a lot was riding on this place being open, not least because of its key role in serving as the catalyst for regeneration of this borough, and you had this beautiful building that we need to preserve for future generations. So for me it was just right. There's a job that needs to be done corral the team. We got a plan to open. We got a plan to get some shops in and build up a team of people that could help us deliver those critical early months and a really important reopening day on the 1st of August, which is Yorkshire Day. So I just got on with it.

Speaker 2: 8:01

I sort of go into a bit of a bubble when I need to get stuff done. I've learned don't sweat the small stuff, just worry the stuff that you need to have in front of you, and then the rest will tend to take care of itself. You need to have a plan for it, but if you worry about everything, it just feels like you're eating an elephant and it's hard to lead people, cause then you have too many things you're trying to deal with. So the focus was let's get to opening, let's understand what we do a hundred days after that, and then you know we can then start making plans about the future.

Speaker 2: 8:33

So the team were brilliant. They got us to the point of opening and 23,000 people turned up to see their piece whole. All of the cash machines in Halifax were cleaned of cash. It was quite a spectacular day and Harry Graeschen, blessing from BBC North, spent the whole day with me Just welcoming people. He was really really giddy and just sort of helped create that wonderful atmosphere. Here we're on 10 year old day. It was just a really wonderful day, a special day for the people of Halifax really.

Speaker 1: 9:06

And that's a lot to take on. That's a massive journey, isn't it? From working in regeneration to becoming the chief executive and then taking on all this responsibility, trying to compartmentalize this whole journey of this. Like you know, this, this precious asset that you you've built, what do you think you learned about yourself during that time? You know we talk about leadership a lot, don't we on this podcast. What do you think your key learner's about Nicky Ware?

Speaker 2: 9:33

I don't think anyone prepares you to be a CEO. I'd always been an executive director, or not even a CEO in waiting. You know it's not something I expected to do. To be honest with you, I was always surprised at times to find myself as a leader. It's not something I really wanted to do. I quite often like just being part of the team and reporting into somebody else, you know.

Speaker 2: 9:56

But leadership is a privilege I've learned and it's something that I take very seriously, and for me, it's about how do you enable people to be their best rather than telling them what to do.

Speaker 2: 10:09

You know, I've worked for great leaders and terrible leaders, and I've learned from them how to do it as well as how not to do it. But every situation where I've been a leader has been unique, and so I've had to remember to learn to adapt my style, to be flexible, to understand the people that I'm working with and the mission, if you like, that we've got, and then that determines how you need to be. When you're in crisis, you're one type of leader. When you're in business as usual, you're another type of leader. So I've learned that I'm agile. I've learned that I'm resilient, and I've learned that when I'm surrounded by great people. You can achieve great things. You never do anything on your own, ever. It's always with the people around you, and I've just been very blessed that I've had some fantastic people around me over the last seven years and continue to do so, and who have been those leaders of note for you, those kind of role models that you've looked up to or looked out to.

Speaker 2: 11:04

Well, probably my chairman, sir Roger Marsh, is a great role model. He's very calm under pressure, he's very considerate, he's very disciplined in his thinking. He's a sort of metologist he'll correct me on this, but he's a really really smart engineer, but also a really really smart finance expert. Really, he led governments through crisis in the cabinet office and so he's got a fine mind. I think he was the leader of PWC North as well, and he's taught me a lot about the importance of clarity and the importance of focus, and I could talk to Roger about anything.

Speaker 2: 11:46

When things have been quite concerning or worrying. It's a safe place to go to, so he's taught me about the importance of being a safe place for people to go to. And then other female leaders that I've had have taught me the power of just being yourself. You know that soft power that women can have is really important, and I think in the 90s, when I was working for female leaders, I think a lot of them thought they had to be alpha females to compete with the men, and it's not a style that I feel comfortable with or a style I really wanted to adopt. I thought I thought it was actually quite comical at times, rather than effective, and so I promised myself that, should I hit the lofty heights of senior leadership, that I would stand in that soft power of collaboration, engagement, conversation, dialogue and I really understand the people that I'm working with and what motivates them as well as what motivates me, and I love working with women and men.

Speaker 2: 12:43

You know, I think you need both in an organisation, and too much of one is never good. It's good to have the blend. But what I find with women and I'm probably getting into trouble with saying this is that we just tend to get on with it. There's very little ego. It tends to be right we need to get this done. How do we get on with it? That's just been my experience. But the guys that work for me, the men that work for me, are just tremendous. You know. They really, really respect women, hold us in high esteem, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, I wouldn't have anyone working here that felt differently, and I have been in organisations of toxic male leadership and it's not a great place to be and actually I find that not a lot gets done and we talk about.

Speaker 1: 13:29

You know it is in the Southeast. You're several times more likely to start your own business in the Southeast than you are up North. But is it a good place for us to do business or pay in the North? I've answered our own question. Of course, it is because of everything you just said, right? I?

Speaker 2: 13:46

think it absolutely is. I think that what the South has is funding and confidence. Someone once said to me why does the South get funding and the North doesn't? And part of it is always the cost-benefit ratio because the South is successful, right, so the Treasury can say, yeah, we're going to get a great return on investment because it's already working. So of course you are.

Speaker 2: 14:11

But what the North has is a real grit and resilience and I see sways of entrepreneurs up here.

Speaker 2: 14:19

But what all those tend to do is keep their light under a bushel.

Speaker 2: 14:22

You know they don't talk about success very often I've not seen they don't like to kind of shine a light on themselves and Londoners are probably better at that and they have confidence that they're going to get investment and they're going to get money and they're not apologetic for it. They just say we expect it and therefore it follows. And I think there is something to be said about that for the North and I'm seeing that with a lot of the leaders you know, with Andy and with Tracy. I'm seeing much more kind of confident leadership coming from the Metro mayors. Of course they need evolution to be better so that we can have more of these startups and do more of our own thing. But I think there is a bit of a cultural shift maybe that the North needs to think about, about being confident in itself but actually telling others that it's confident in itself too. It's just something I've observed as an offcomdun, as we're called around here, and we've got a lot to shout about in the North.

Speaker 1: 15:15

It's tremendous and we talk about sort of that levelling up. We've had the Northern Powerhouse agenda, the levelling up agenda. You're commended doing this year for the levelling up. What did that mean to you? You know, do you actually see yourself, do you identify as a level up?

Speaker 2: 15:30

or I hope to be. For me, levelling up is about a number of things. It's about fairness, so that you have the opportunity to grow and you have the opportunities to succeed, but it's also about people who are already successful sharing that platform to enable other people to have that opportunity too. So for me, levelling up in the peace on context is economic. The work we've done here has been demonstrated economically. We're a good return on investment. We've given 61 million in terms of GVA to the local economy in seven years. So that's the economic side of it. We've had business growth.

Speaker 2: 16:09

But actually the other side of the levelling up is people. People don't want to feel left behind as you're levelling up, and so for me, what I'm probably most proud of is the academy that we're opening, where we're going to be taking through 14 people from deprived backgrounds through boot camp training over the course of the next six months so that next year they can work with me at the concerts or work with my relation, our music partner, not just in the UK but potentially across the world. So levelling up for me means how do we as leaders, ensure that we create skilled workforces ready for the next thing that's coming along or existing things that are happening, that are growing and giving them the opportunity to do that, so that my focus has been on helping kids and deprived backgrounds essentially have an opportunity to work in areas which will previously deny to them on the whole, and also women and making sure that women you know, with 50% of the population are represented in leadership positions, because we're good at it and how do you stay focused?

Speaker 1: 17:13

Because we've talked about, you know, sort of the whole everything that goes on around creating and sustaining the quality of this world-class peace hall. You've just thrown into the mix something you weren't aware of this amazing academy that you're bringing into play, the part that you have to play in North Yorkshire and Hospitality Society out there. You're a figurehead out there and an leader. So how do you stay focused? And all of this amazing stuff that you're achieving.

Speaker 2: 17:44

At least one word. It's team. It's just having people around me that who are better at most things than I am. To be honest with you Now. I have a great hospitality team, I have a great strategic leader and I bring people in who I feel can help make something happen. As an example of this with the Academy, aaron Castley Stewart.

Speaker 2: 18:06

I happened to meet at an event. It turns out he's the busiest partner of Dr Dre and has worked with Prince and I mean it's just jaw dropping when you hear his journey in music and he and I shared the value that we want to help those who don't really get a fair chance to get into music to have that opportunity. So he is actually fundamental in helping me drive the Academy and as part of change, you need to inspire people. You know there's inspiration and then there's the opportunity that falls behind, and so he's bringing over a chap called Eric Bluetooth Griggs, which is a great name. He's Dr Dre's number one lead producer, so he was responsible for the Dream Girls score. He's just worked with Bruce Springsteen, snoop Dogg unbelievable talent. He's coming over to Corderdale in the new year to run some music workshops for young people a bit of a masterclass and all of the songs that they produce.

Speaker 2: 19:05

He's going to be putting out on iSounds I think it is. He was saying iCloud Sound. Sorry, I'm an old fashioned woman I think I've still got DVDs and vinyl but he's going to be releasing it digitally so that those individuals become famous and that's going to go through Dr Dre's network, you know. So we've got to do this dream stuff for people as well as the kind of hard stuff for people, and for me it's about people fulfilling an opportunity and having a dream and me helping them achieve the dream. So how do I have the time? I have a very understanding husband who knows I'm driven. I have two dogs that regularly sulk with me because I'm not home enough, but this is the stuff that makes me want to get up in the morning. It's the stuff that makes me feel alive. So I find the time to do it.

Speaker 1: 19:53

I mean, that's absolutely that dream. Making campaign there, nikki, is absolutely amazing. Goose pimples, as you were talking about that, but it's almost that that's the power of network, isn't it? It's the power of that network. What was it 2006,? Who'd have thought you would have been creating a category now to really transform underrepresented individuals from the Colder Down Halifax area? It's absolutely mind blowing.

Speaker 2: 20:16

It's amazing and just as a focus on this, I was asked to speak at an event summit in Manchester recently and I looked around the room and there were very few women and very few people of colour, and I said that out loud when I was talking on the stage. I was asked to talk about leadership on the stage and I actually called it out and said this is an industry that is an inclusive part of culture, an inclusive part of our life, and look how we're represented. This is what we need to change, and so I sort of see it as my mission to call it out, because I'm old enough now and cranky enough now where I figured I can say these things without worrying too much what people say to me back.

Speaker 1: 20:57

It's amazing, because this is absolutely demonstration of that you using your power for good. You've got this opportunity to do it and, without wanting to pick your favourite dog, what has been your favourite gig band performer at the Peace Hall and I'm going to make it easier for you in the last 12 months rather than in the last several years.

Speaker 2: 21:16

To my complete and utter surprise it was Limp Miscuit. I'm not a new metal girl. I've got to be honest with you and having watched Woodstock 2, I was scared to be Jesus about what could possibly happen at my beloved heritage building. But they are very well behaved. But I've never seen a reaction from the crowd and the feeling that they left the crowd with ever since I've been here.

Speaker 2: 21:41

And Fred Durst was just such a lovely human. I mean, he arrived here, he was very low-key, wanted to speak to everybody, wanted to have deep conversations with people about everything, and what a human. It's a really, really nice bloke and not rock star at all. The fact that they're a parody of rock is funny in itself. They weren't meant to be a real rock group but that people ended up buying their music. They're like a successful spinal tap, if you like, but I've never seen anything like the reaction that the crowd had to them and that for me was a standout moment over the last few years and having someone of that calibre here it was unbelievable. Probably the follow-up to that, if I may, was Sting, just purely because I had a girl crush on him, always loved his music and just to meet him I was completely starstruck and then he fainted, yeah he was absolutely amazing, absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1: 22:39

My husband has a man crush on him, I think as well. But thank you, nikki. Thank you, as ever. Just wonderful to speak with you, also to hear about these amazing things we didn't know about and really be watching the space. If there's anything anyone can do out there to support or get involved, we'll put the details in the show notes as well. Nikki Chelts-Thompson, m-b-e-d-l, thank you so much for joining me on this week's pod. Thank you, and thank all of you for listening. Every week we're talking to amazing individuals, so please do stay connected with everything we're doing. Stay up to date on our digital hub, the Power Platform we are Powernet. Join in on all the socials at North Power Min on Twitter and Northern Power Min and all the other ones. My name is Simone. This is the Northern Powering Podcast at what Goes On Media University ofcheck.