A lifelong Maxonian, Simon is a serial entrepreneur who has founded several successful businesses in various sectors, including technology, cheese, distilleries, and classic cars. He began his career as a graphic designer, embracing the first Apple Mac technology in 1986. This experience led him to establish ITG Technologies, a local IT firm, in 1998, operating in both the UK and India, where he continues to serve as Chair. 

Since 2010, Simon has launched a series of ventures, including the Cheshire Cheese Company, which he sold for a six-figure sum in 2022. At its peak, this company was the largest online cheese seller in Europe. His other projects include a passion for car restoration through his Hungarian workshop, The Classic Mechanic, and investments in artisan producers like Hartington Creamery and The Church Farm Craft Company. 

Simon brings forty years of design, IT, technology, and communications expertise to the board. His specialised skills include leadership, branding, e-commerce, and digital transformations. 

Hannah has been a Curator at Manchester Art Gallery for fifteen years, where she works with the historic fine art collection. She is studying for her PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University, funded by the NWCDTP, writing about an innovative but now almost unknown Manchester curator, Bertha Hindshaw (1881-1955).  

Hannah has experience across different roles in the museum and heritage sector, including conservation administration at Tate, educational interpretation at the National Trust’s Quarry Bank Mill, and curating at Hat Works, the hat museum in Stockport.  

James is a born and bred Maxonian, having grown up in central Macclesfield and attending local schools. He currently sits as a Town Councillor for Macclesfield Central, as well as being Deputy Mayor.

Having graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2023 with a 1st Class Honours in Politics, he brings senior-level political experience that's underpinned by his commitments to community empowerment and engagement.

Throughout his career, he has worked in various sectors, most recently holding a senior position within Strategic Engagement for a train operator. He has also worked on developing the Strategic Transport Plan for the North of England in a previous role and served as a Sixth Form Pastoral Assistant at The Fallibroome Academy.

He has been a Trustee of the Silk Heritage Trust since December 2023; taking on the Interim Vice Chair role in 2025. He serves as the liaison between the trust and the Town Council, and has a particular passion for youth engagement.

Ben Bowden is a professional fundraiser with over a decade of experience supporting leading national charities and institutions, including Centrepoint, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), and Dogs Trust. He currently works at the University of Manchester, where he helps deliver fundraising initiatives to support health research.

Ben has professionally supported the inception and completion of capital campaign projects, such as the opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater and the redevelopment of Centrepoint’s Manchester youth homelessness centre. With a degree in History from King’s College London and a Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of Nottingham, he brings experience in fundraising strategy, governance, and community engagement.

Originally from Lincolnshire, Ben has made his home in Macclesfield, where he has developed a deep appreciation for the town’s rich heritage.

Philip moved with his family to Macclesfield in 1992 and has lived here ever since. Though he is now retired, he is busy with voluntary activities and a growing family (he and his wife currently have four grandchildren). 

Most of Philip’s career, over 30 years, was with Shell. He started in research and development as a statistician. He then moved over to the commercial side of the business applying his analytical skills in the marketing and manufacturing sectors of the company. This provided a foundation for Philip to take on increasingly senior roles, in which he established a reputation for working on and leading transformational change in the Corporate Centre, IT and Finance. These, usually global, initiatives involved working with many stakeholders and across borders.

After leaving Shell, Philip set-up his own company to provide change management consultancy and contracted services.

As well as change management skills, he brings knowledge and experience of project management, setting up management systems and managing internal communications.

Liz has a background in Fine Art and Art History. She began her career in the late 1990s as Exhibitions & Research Assistant at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds which at the time was led by Dr Penelope Curtis and the late Robert Hopper. Liz worked on modern and contemporary sculpture exhibitions, conferences and publications, such as Artranspennine98 and With Hidden Noise: Sculpture, Video and Ventriloquism.

At Axis, a pioneering digital platform for UK-based practising artists, Liz curated the Open Frequency programme of new critical writing on emerging artists, and in 2008 co-curated the exhibition Future 50 at Project Space Leeds (PSL), with the Liverpool-based curator, Ceri Hand.

Having relocated in 2013 to Macclesfield, her home town, Liz commissioned new artworks by significant contemporary artists for Macclesfield Barnaby Festival (2016). Since moving into teaching, Liz has taught Art History and Fine Art to children and adults, and is now a Specialist Dyslexia teacher at Beech Hall School, a leading inclusive independent school in Macclesfield.

Jo has been a museum professional since graduating from university with a BA degree in archaeology of the Easter Mediterranean, and an MA in Museum Studies. She is also an Associate of the Museums Association. Having worked as a curator and Registrar, she has been around collections and worked in collections management and interpretation throughout her career, and brings this knowledge to the board.

After university, she started her museum career as a volunteer, helping in the Victorian school room at the Silk Museum. She also volunteered at Manchester Museum in the Antiquities Department there. Her time at the Silk Museum and Manchester Museum cemented her love of museums, and what they are able to give to people - a love of learning, a sense of belonging to a place, a sense of wellbeing and peace through art, craft and natural history.

Jo spent some of her teenage years living in Macclesfield, and her parent and sibling are still there. The collections and buildings of Macclesfield have shaped her career and the silk museum has a special place for Jo, since her late father, Alan Hayward, worked at the Museum, and became an honorary curator.

Janet has always been active in the local community. As a teenager she became one of the first girl members of the Boys Club in Macclesfield. She was also treasurer for Macclesfield Ladies Hockey Club and a member and treasurer of Macclesfield Rafters.

Janet started her career as a laboratory technician at ICI. A period of office administration at British Telecom was then followed by working at AstraZeneca until retirement in 2011.

Janet was first elected to Macclesfield Borough Council in 1991, representing Central Ward and at that time was very pleased to become a trustee on the Silk Museum Board. Many generations of her family have worked in the silk industry, which has led to her keen interest in the silk heritage of the town.

She was elected to Cheshire East Council in 2011 which enabled her to continue as a trustee at the Museum. Finally, Janet stepped down from her position on Cheshire East Council in 2019 and from Macclesfield Town Council in 2023, but she still remains on the Trust Board.

In June 2018 Janet was listed in Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours to receive an MBE for her Services to the Community of Macclesfield. As many were to say “An honour well deserved”

Janet was privileged to be the Chair of the Friends of Macclesfield Silk Heritage, a position she held for twelve years until 2024, when the group was disbanded. Over the years the group raised many thousands of pounds in support of the Silk Museum, of which she is a Patron.

Fattori specialises in digital transformation for heritage organisations, assisting cultural institutions such as the British Council and the Flickr Foundation and iconic brands in the private sector in embracing technological and cultural change. She is currently driving research and development in the archival preservation of networked social photography.

Her ten years of consultancy, brand strategy and design research span the UK, Europe and the United States. She holds degrees from Parsons School of Design, New York and the University of Oxford. 

Fattori is eager to develop a youth strategy for the Trust and strengthen connections with the town's new wave of artists and traders.

Rebecca is a born and bred Maxonian, having grown up on a dairy farm in Gawsworth. She attended Fallibroome Academy and was one of the first female cohorts to study A-levels at the King’s School when it became co-educational.

Rebecca began her legal career with a firm in Macclesfield, qualifying as a solicitor in 1999. She moved to Tinsdills in 2003 and progressed to management roles, heading the commercial property team and becoming an owner of the business. She sat on the Board of Directors from 2020 and became CEO in 2024. Rebecca led the firm through its acquisition by Talbots Law in 2025, where she is currently a Director and Solicitor.

Throughout her career in law firm management, Rebecca continued to work for clients on a daily basis in all aspects of property legal work. Rebecca has always worked locally and particularly enjoys site acquisition and residential development work, assisting clients with commercial and residential property portfolios and working with landowners, farmers and business owners.

Rebecca is a professional Trustee for several individual clients and also sits on the Board of the East Cheshire Chamber of Commerce. She became involved with the Trust when it acquired the Lease of Paradise Mill and was keen to join the Board of Trustees to make a meaningful contribution to her home town.

Rebecca brings nearly 30 years of legal experience to the Board together with the skills and knowledge gained by managing and running her own law firm.

Roy brings a wealth of experience in advertising and marketing, having formed and built several advertising agencies taking them from ‘start-ups’ to billings of over £3M. He had many clients who remained loyal to him for over 40 years, many being well-known national companies in retail and residential property. He is used to working at Board level using his presentation skills to win new business.

He is also a trustee for the Wilmslow Half Marathon, an annual event which has hosted the UK Half Marathon Championships. Over the past 30 years it has raised millions of pounds for local charities and sports clubs and is now rated amongst the top 5 Half Marathons in the UK.

Roy has been a volunteer with the National Trust for over 13 years and regularly works in the archives at Quarry Bank in Cheshire.