Meet our Board of Trustees

The Sheffield Design Awards is a registered charity and is governed by a board of trustees. Historically, our trustees have been drawn from members of the Sheffield Civic Trust and the Sheffield Society of Architects. More recently, however, trustees are drawn from a range of backgrounds. The trustees are supported by our Marketing and Events Manager, Kirsty Christer.

  • Leanora is a Chartered Architect and Associate at Bond Bryan, Sheffield, where she currently works across sectors including performing arts, cultural, hospitality and mixed use, with a background including residential, retail and office architecture. She is also President of the Sheffield Society of Architects.

    Born in Lancashire, Leanora moved to Sheffield in 2000 to study at Sheffield University and has since made Sheffield her home. She is passionate about working with people and reflecting upon how we engage with our built environment.

  • Paul is a chartered town planner with 34 years’ experience gained as a practitioner in both public and private sectors. He runs his own practice (Paul Bedwell Town Planning) and is responsible for management of client portfolios across the country. 

    Paul has appeared as an expert witness at public inquiries, lands tribunal cases, expert’s determinations and in the High Court.  Paul is a member of the Sheffield Property Association (S-PA) and is a trustee of both Sheffield Civic Trust and the Sheffield Design Awards.

  • Michael is an architect currently working for James Totty Partnership in Sheffield. After studying at the University of Lincoln, he moved to Sheffield in 2018 and is currently the Vice-President of the Sheffield Society of Architects.

    Michael is passionate about improving our communities and making our region a brilliant place to live, with a particular interest in high streets and placemaking.

  • Andrew Jackson is an architecture writer currently researching the Preston-based Welsh architect, Francis Roberts, for a future monograph. He studied at Liverpool School of Architecture and the University of Liverpool’s Department of Civic Design.

    He is a former trustee of Sheffield Civic Trust and a current trustee of Civic Voice, the charity that oversees the civic movement in England and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Civic Societies in Westminster.

    Andrew lives near Liverpool and is Chair of the Merseyside Civic Design Awards.

The 2024 Sheffield Design Awards Team

Back Row: Simon Chadwick, Kirsty Christer, Cllr Jayne Dunn (Lord Mayor of Sheffield), Leanora Simmonite, Andrew Jackson, Nicola Rutt. Front Row: Paul Bedwell, Kudzai Matsvai, Michael Brown, Jim Monach. Reclining: Kate Dore.

In Memoriam: Dr Jim Monach

Long-standing Sheffield Design Awards Trustee, Dr Jim Monach, recently passed away following a short illness.

Jim had been the only trustee to have been involved with the awards since their inception in 2008, and was instrumental in establishing the SDA in its current form as a registered charity. He was passionate about architecture and art, and the power of good design to enhance civic life in the city.

Jim was involved in many community groups and he will be sorely missed.