With 35 years in social care, Mike Padgham is a leading and influential figure in a sector which looks after our oldest and most vulnerable people. Mike is managing director of the growing, family-owned and award-winning Saint Cecilia’s Care Group in North Yorkshire. Since 2002 Mike has been chair of the Independent Care Group a representative body for care providers in York and North Yorkshire. He has taken the group way beyond its regional role to become a national voice for social care, campaigning to get a fairer deal for the sector. Mike is an unflagging champion for social care, prepared to speak out, when others might shy away, gaining vital media coverage, including prime-time news bulletins. Mike is also a past Chair of the Homecare Association (previously the United Kingdom Homecare Association). He led it through a period of change and restructure, strengthening it, growing its membership and raising its profile. It is now the foremost voice for homecare in the UK. Mike also holds non-executive director posts on several different companies. During the pandemic Mike was a leading spokesman on the impact Covid-19 had on the social care sector. He responded to and answered hundreds of press requests providing television, radio and newspaper pieces for local, regional, national and international media. Mike recently became a Board member of the influential Care Association Alliance, an officially recognised, national voice for representative social care associations across the country.