Rob is a neurodivergent entrepreneur, and has worked with membership groups, academics and businesses for over twenty years, holding senior roles in academic publishing before becoming self-employed in 2014. In typical ADHD fashion, when he couldn’t find an organisation that catered for the worlds of both neurodivergency and entrepreneurship, Rob hurled himself into the gap and set up the NEA in 2023.

Since then, Rob has secured funding so that the NEA can run enterprise programmes specifically for neurodivergent founders, accredits the programmes of other organisations, and speaks regularly about the ups and downs of neurodivergent self-employment for bodies like Stanford University, the Federation of Small Businesses, the ADHD Foundation, and many higher education institutions, corporates, and local government agencies.

Rob served as a board member for the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) and has worked as a consultant with Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK) as Conference Director for the International Enterprise Educators Conference (IEEC). Based in West Yorkshire, Rob has an MA (Hons) in English Literature, and an MBA from the University of Bradford.

Sal is a neurodivergent freelance project manager, writer and workshop facilitator, working with membership groups, academics, schools and businesses.  

Sal has many years’ experience working in academic publishing in production and editorial roles, as a youth theatre director and manager, and in training and workshop facilitation for neurodivergent young people. As well as running the operational side of the NEA, Sal works on conference scheduling and review management for ​the Institute of Small Business Entrepreneurs (ISBE) and as a Head of Projects for Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK) working on their funding, bursary and awards programme management, and as a freelance writer, editor and workshop facilitator.

Claire Butcher has been a professional trainer and work coach for many years, and started her own business, Clarify Training over 19 years ago.

She has since worked with thousands of delegates and hundreds of clients to make positive changes to their lives and their companies’ bottom line.

She specialises in micro- and small-business growth, supporting owners to be the best they can be.

Claire is a Microsoft Master Instructor and ETC Business Consultant with a Diploma in teaching IT. She is also a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist.

Jo is the Founder and Director of ActuateYou Ltd and a strategic consultant specialising in leadership, innovation and enterprise. She works with universities and mission-driven organisations to design programmes and partnerships that bring ideas to life and help people thrive. 

With over twenty years’ experience in higher education, Jo combines strategic insight with a human approach, mentoring leaders and innovators, facilitating collaboration, and creating the clarity and structure needed to move complex work forward with confidence.