Carmel Booth

President of the Council, 2023 - 2026

Carmel is an experienced NED and chartered accountant with more than 30 years’ experience of audit, transactions, consulting and advising on strategic projects and investments in largely asset-based organisations.   Her clients span across the private and public sectors, including local authorities, governments and regeneration partnerships plus developers, property and infrastructure companies.

Now a Partner at Calderstones Consulting, she was previously a Partner at Amion Consulting, a boutique financial and economic consultancy, after a career in KPMG and Deloitte.  She brings a strong strategic, commercial and financial discipline to businesses and organisations in relation to investment decisions, capital management, performance, transformational change and risk.  Carmel has significant experience of developing hybrid capital financing for asset baked vehicles, creating and exiting SPVs/partnerships, creating value and developing business cases and plans to support investment.  She also has experience of a wide range of finance including venture capital, equity, debt, government funding and philanthropic sources.

Carmel regularly advises local authorities in special measures on their investment and commercial portfolios to better use their capital to drive value and improve financial resilience and governance.

She has advised on several developments and projects including the London 2012 Games venues, various venues in Sport City Manchester, Liverpool M&S Arena, the West End Partnership including the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, Atlantic Gateway/Northern Powerhouse Partnership, major investments in Jersey, Pinewood Film Studios expansion, merger to create Homes England.

Carmel is a Liverpool alumnus, graduating with a first-class honours in Geography in 1995. She lives in Liverpool and is proud to have played a supporting role in some of the City Region’s major developments including the new Port of Liverpool, the M&S Arena and Convention Centre, the development of the waterfront including the new Museum of Liverpool, Sci-Tech Daresbury and the Mersey Gateway Bridge. Carmel is also a Board member of UCEA, representing the sector’s Chairs in relation to pay and pensions.