INTRODUCING

SANDRA POTESTA

Over 30 years' experience in Academic Institutions in England (Manchester, Cambridge, and Sheffield) at Professorial level.

Lay Member nominated by Court of the University of Hull Council.

Convenor of the Higher Education Cooperation Committee in the European Community Council, which established the Joint Study Programme leading to the ERASMUS programme.

Chair/Coordinator of a number of major European Union funded projects.

20 years Managing Director of SMBs and of not-for-profit limited companies and social enterprises. Responsible for designing and running EU funded projects since the 1980s, as lead or partner, with an excellent understanding of both the bid writing process and the management side of running transnational projects, including financial management and reporting.

Providing clear leadership and direction with substantial experience in governance both within publicly funded organisations, including Universities and Charities/Social Enterprises, and commercial organisations.

Moving funding orientated organisations into a blend of B2B service organisations and market failure agencies, integrating practical outputs with the economic regeneration agenda. Implanting customer awareness and service into strong operational cultures; and creating outsourcing opportunities.

Contact Me

Experience

  • CERV-EQUAL

    Expert Evaluator and Rapporteur for the CERV-Equal Programme (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values).

    The EU programme that aims to protect and promote EU rights and values, supporting civil society organisations to foster open, democratic and inclusive societies.

  • EUI - European Urban Innovation

    Consulente per supporto progettazione europea 2023 per il Comune di Ciampino

    Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale Dipartimento VII – Direzione Ufficio Europa.

  • EU - EISME EIC

    European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency

    2018 – present (contracted to 2027)

    Expert Evaluator and Monitor for the Horizon Europe framework in general and specifically for Pathfinder and Accelerator funding streams. The EU fund that supports start-ups and SMEs to develop and scale up innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones.

  • Editor of the Education & Empowerment issue of the Ergonomia & Welfare journal

    CNR-IRPPS

    2021 – present

    Consultant for the English version of the journal.

  • Consultant to IRPPS-CNR

    National Council for Research Italy – Institute for Research on Populations and Social Policies

    2015 – present

    Consultant to IRPPS-CNR (Italy National Center for Research). Responsible for the editorial production in English for the journal Welfare Issues, edited by IRPPS-CNR and published by Franco Angeli. She works with Dr Ciocia and Dr Bellisari on local welfare systems research, with specific reference to professional figures, relating to the lifestyle of minors, elderly people and women.

    IRPPS-CNR representative with the ESN (European Social Network). As such, I have attended the ESN EU Semester meeting in Brussels in September 2017, to finalise the Pillars of Social Rights document and the meeting in Stockholm in October 2017, to finalise the proposal for EU policies for Unaccompanied Migrant Minors.

  • CEO

    Inclusion in Action CiC

    May 2014 – Present

    Radical solutions for social challenges, including mentoring, training, supporting current IIA projects such as The Barnsley Men's Shed, funded by Big Lottery Awards for All (www.thebarnsleymensshed.org), the She Shed Association (www.sheshed.org.uk).

  • Chair Board of Trustees

    Woodthorpe Development Trust

    January 2013 – Present

  • Senior Evaluator

    Intercambio Ltd

    September 2010 – Present

    Senior Evaluator consultant for a wide range of European, national and international initiatives and projects. Expert in educational programmes specialising in life-long-learning, languages and intercultural skills.

  • CEO

    RLNYH Ltd.

    January 2000 – Present

    Project Manager for the Regional Language Network Yorkshire & Humber project jointly funded by the Department of Education and BIS and by the Regional Development Agency.

    The aim of the Regional Language Network was to be the International Communication Knowledge System for Yorkshire & Humber, to promote language and cultural skills for business, employability and social cohesion. My task therefore was to improve language and cultural skills for business for export purpose, for schools and Universities for employability.

    The Regional Language Network Y&H assisted 4,215 businesses; organised 97 events attended by 3,720 delegates; run 387 specialist business interviews, and had 332,195 website visits. It run the Business Language Champion programme, and was awarded the National Award. In 2001, the Regional Language Network Y&H was awarded the Linguascope Award for the Language Organisation of the Year. The regional Language Network was an active member of the Routes into Languages programme, which supported students to take languages as a Degree course or as part of their University studies.

    It was also responsible for running the ISPO programme (International Student Placement Office), a very successful Derbyshire initiative aimed at bringing the language skills of foreign students into the workplace, boosting their export efforts.

  • Senior Project Manager

    Yorkshire Forward

    2001 – 2009

    Project Manager for the Regional Language Network Yorkshire & Humber project, jointly funded by the Department of Education and BIS and by the Regional Development Agency. The aim of the Regional Language Network was to promote language and cultural skills for business, employability and social cohesion. My task therefore was to improve language and cultural skills for business for export purpose, for schools and Universities for employability.

  • Founder and Managing Director

    Logotechnics Ltd

    1989 - 2002

    A multilingual software development limited company.

  • Principal Lecturer Head of Department

    Sheffield Hallam University

    September 1973 – April 2000

  • Lecturer Modern Languages

    Anglia Ruskin University - Cambridge – (former Cambridge College of Arts and Technology)

    1967 – 1974

Skills

Professional

Finance Management90%

Project Delivery100%

Stakeholder Management70%

Intercultural Communication90%

Governance90%

Personal

Committed100%

Punctual90%

Leadership80%

Communicative70%

Analytical Skill80%

Languages

English (Native or bilingual proficiency)100%

Italian (Native or bilingual proficiency)100%

Spanish (Limited working proficiency)80%

Russian (Elementary proficiency)70%

French (Full professional proficiency)100%

Etruscan (Limited working proficiency)60%

Sanskrit (Professional working proficiency)90%

Greek, ancient (to 1453) (Full professional proficiency)100%

Latin (Full professional proficiency)100%

German (Limited working proficiency)60%

Education

  • Diploma, Clinical Hypnotherapy

    University of West London

    2009 - 2010

  • Diploma, TEFL

    Trinity College London

    2000 - 2001

  • MBA

    The University of Sheffield

    1999 - 2000

  • Classics, Languages

    University of Rome La Sapienza

    1962 - 1966

Publications

Immigrazione, Sanita’ e la Regola di Salvataggio - Reazioni dal Regno Unito
  • Type: Research
  • Migration and Health Journal, IRPPS-CNR - Franco Angeli

Migration, Health and the Rule of Rescue: The UK scenario

Read Now
The Language of power
  • Type: Research
  • Published On: 12 Jun 1986

An analysis of women’s language.

Read Now
Traditional versus modern women: the semantics of guilt - Donna tra tradizione e moderno: la semantica della colpa
  • Type: Book
  • Welfare e Ergonomia Journal, IRPPS-CNR - Franco Angeli

Abstract English: This paper intends to look at the positioning of women in Western society at large and at the application of the notion of traditional and modern to women, which feeds into the guilt/shame dichotomy – a fundamental component of women’s emotional perception of self. Conflicting trends in Western society concerning the shift towards formal equality as well as substantive equality are examined and the concept of intersectionality, which adds the class and race components to the gender issue, is introduced.

The religion-inspired ideas of female subordination are analyzed, as they are seen in some quarters to lend them a penumbra of righteousness, making them sacred and thus a matter of outrage if anyone disputes them. This plays heavily on the guilt and shame principles of women, as subordination and the mores that define it is presented as God’s will, and not accepting it is presented as blasphemy.

This is shown to be increasingly relevant with the geo-social mobility and the push for multiculturalism affecting the Western cultural political environment, where societal religion-inspired patriarchal resistance has grown to be very much present in imported constituents of contemporary Western societies, thus reinforcing to some extent the already established and very vocal local resistance to change.

The paper ends by looking briefly at the powerful strands that are moving away from the notion of women as the subordinate being to men, which has been common currency throughout the centuries, denying women collective experience because of the denial of women’s history existence.

Read Now
Languages for Academic Purposes
  • Type: Research
  • Franco Angeli/Istituto di Scienze Politiche G.Solari Università di Torino, 1983

English and Italian in a socio-political context, a Joint Study Programme, as co-author with Giuseppina Cortese (version in English and Italian).

Read Now
Strategie di interazione verbale
  • Type: Research
  • The Italianist: vol 7, N1, 1987. Published online: 18 July 2013

Le donne nel parlato radiofonico. Co-authored with Giuseppina Cortese.

Read Now
Preparazione in Lingue Straniere
  • Type: Paper
  • Bruxelles, 27-29 Novembre 1985

Conferenza sulla Cooperazione nell’Istruzione Superiore nelle Comunità Europee.

Read Now
ERASMUS e COMETT
  • Type: Policy
  • Higher Education Policy 2 - 1989

Educazione degli Adulti e Formazione Universitaria Transculturale.

Read Now
Italian for Academic Purposes
  • Type: Joint Study Programme
  • ATI, Association of Teachers of Italian Journal, N.38 - Spring 1983

English and Italian in a socio-political context, a Joint Study Programme, as co-author with Giuseppina Cortese (version in English and Italian).

Read Now
Placement News
  • Type: Article
  • WITEC UETP - Summer 1993

Women in Technology is a European network of universities, enterprises, other organisations and individuals working for the motivation, development and support of women in science, technology and enterprise.

Read Now
Business Italian
  • Type: Audio book
  • Hodder Arnold H&S, June 1992

(Teach Yourself) Audio book.

Read Now
Advanced Italian
  • Type: Research
  • Cambridge University Press - 1971

Co-authored with Roger Absalom.

Read Now

Also working with

Volunteer Experience

  • Chair of board of trustees

    Woodthorpe Development Trust

    January 2014 - Present

  • Chair of board of trustees

    Community Health Works

  • Volunteer

    St Luke's Hospice - Sheffield

    Fund raising.

Contact

  • sandra.potesta@rlnyh.com
  • sandrapotesta.com
  • Sheffield - Roma
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Currently guest speaking in Sheffield, England.