VOICEABILITY - Key Persons
Ali has worked across the health and social care sector, culminating in delivering services as a social enterprise and championing employee ownership. With over 30 years' board experience, she enjoys working strategically with a person-centred ethos built from a leadership approach that aims to seek continuous improvement.
"I'm delighted to be appointed to the role of chair with VoiceAbility. It's a huge honour to be working with such a diverse group of people to enhance the opportunities for everyone to be heard and responded to.
Alistair has a keen interest in workplace neurodiversity and extensive experience in digital transformation, business development and delivering major change programmes. He is a founding director of MyBrain International, a company dedicated to furthering the understanding of the way in which a person's physical brain influences their everyday lives, incorporating research into subjects including autism, mental illness and dyslexia.
"During my 30+ years in business, I have felt that organisations tend to underestimate the value of diversity and instead seek to pigeon-hole and categorise people. Yet everyone is unique, meaning that there is no such thing as ‘normal'. My work with Extensor and MyBrain reflects my commitment to VoiceAbility's values of empowerment and collaborative work: promoting the concept of individuality for the betterment of organisations."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of IT and Data
Andrew works in the innovations and insight directorate at the British Red Cross. His background in research and consultation enables him to understand the impact charities make, and recommend ways of enhancing their social good. Andrew has worked in research across a range of areas within the charity sector, with a particular focus on health, housing and ways to empower people with lived experience to act as champions of their own experiences.
"I come from a mixed background of social research, policy work, and consultancy. Much of my research background is on how to engage and empower vulnerable people. I am also disabled and have my own bad experience of engaging with ‘the system' so was drawn to VoiceAbility as a charity that helps people have their voice heard. I'm really enjoying working with VoiceAbility as we develop and build on the ambitions outlined in our strategy."
Job Titles:
- Speak Out Leader for Fenland
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Investment Banker
Anthony is a globally experienced investment banker and financier who has had an extensive portfolio of responsibilities in finance, financial services and associated industries over the course of his career.
He is passionate about the application of new technology as a way of redressing societal imbalances. A champion for diversity and inclusion, Anthony has seen the advantages for firms in promoting and providing opportunities in this area.
"I am enthused by the work that VoiceAbility does in terms of helping those who struggle to have their voices heard. I hope that my personal and business experience will support the next stage of the charity's growth. The sky really is the limit for the reach of the team, and my goal is to help us move even further along on this wonderful journey."
Job Titles:
- Speak Out Leader for Cambridge City and South Cambs and Co - Leader for Health
I'm the Speak Out Leader for Cambridge City and South Cambs so I speak to people with a learning disability and/or autism in those areas about all sorts of things such as health, transport and safeguarding.
I'm a big LEGO person and love to build different things with it such as pyramids, dogs and lamp stands as well as making the sets.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of People
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Business and Strategy
Fiona spent several years as a volunteer advocate for Connected Voice, an advocacy organisation based in the North East of England, before joining VoiceAbility as a trustee.
She is an experienced health and social care researcher based at Newcastle University, and much of her work aims to understand and mitigate health inequalities. She has a strong sense of justice and is excited to use her time and skills to support VoiceAbility's mission to enable people to be heard and respected.
"I believe that everyone, regardless of background, belief or ability, deserves respect and the opportunity to express their preferences and live their life according to their wishes. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to work with VoiceAbility to empower people to do this".
Gavin has a background in commercial leadership and sales, and his lived experience of supporting family members who have special needs and autism inspired him to join VoiceAbility as one of our newest trustees. Gavin is an adviser for Ambitious about Autism, and has been a committee member for a special needs youth group. His leadership experience spans a range of disciplines including partnerships, recruitment, marketing and operations.
"I'm excited to be able to bring both personal and business experience to help the charity grow. I have worked in a range of businesses; from start-ups, to scale-up, charities, FTSE 50 companies, and I have set up my own business, the focus of which is commercial growth for organisations. I'm particularly interested in supporting VoiceAbility's expansion plans for our services, and looking at the most resourceful ways to increase the reach of the organisation."
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
We've been supporting people to be heard in decisions about their health, care and wellbeing for over 40 years.
We're an independent charity and one of the UK's largest providers of advocacy and involvement services.
Jonathan is motivated by a deep commitment to support people to have control over their lives. As founding Chief Executive, Jonathan brings this drive and determination to his role leading VoiceAbility's work across the UK.
Jonathan established VoiceAbility in 2010 by bringing together Advocacy Partners, which he had led since 1998, with Speaking Up, an award-winning social enterprise.
Jonathan's earlier career, in the late 1980s and through the 1990s, included worked as a care worker and in supporting the early development of individual budgets and self-directed support in social care.
In addition to delivering improvements to practice and models of support, Jonathan also has expertise in shaping national practice and policy. In 2018, he was Chair of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline Committee for development of the 2018 service model for people with learning disability and behaviour that challenges.
Jonathan chaired the board of SHP, the Single Homeless Project, a leading provider of support and housing services for people who are at risk of social exclusion, from 2003 to 2019. He ensured effective governance to steer the organisation's transformation to serve people with the most complex needs, and to greatly increase its positive impact on people's lives.
Jonathan has played a crucial role in legal reform to improve people's rights and the control they have over their lives, including work to shape the Care Act (2014) and mental capacity legislation.
In March 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Jonathan set up a network of advocacy organisations, where those in leadership roles came together to share challenges, solutions, and best practice, as well as to jointly influence policy changes that impact on people who draw on advocacy support. The network continues to thrive and is now a vibrant community focused on pushing advocacy forward.
Jonathan is responsible for the overall leadership of VoiceAbility, making sure that we have a clear strategy, provide quality support, and are constantly striving to ensure that people have a voice when it matters most.
"Throughout my personal and professional life, I have seen first-hand the difference it makes when people are heard and have real control over life decisions. That's what motivates me every day to lead VoiceAbility, whether that be shaping our strategy, meeting with people who draw on our services, our staff and volunteers to understand their day-to-day experience, or sharing insights and working jointly with external organisations. But most of all, it's why I know that it's so important that VoiceAbility is here to support people to be heard."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Finance and Reporting
Liam is a specialist mental capacity and community care solicitor based in London. Liam works closely with advocates to represent people in complex court proceedings, normally related to someone's mental capacity. Liam's role means he has worked closely with VoiceAbility advocates.
"I'm dedicated to assisting people to have their voice heard. With the job that I do, I regularly see heartbreaking cases where people have not had the support they need and are entitled to. I'm looking forward to helping VoiceAbility continue to support everyone to have their own voice and supporting the charity's safeguarding committee."
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Trustee
- Member of the Diversity Project
Liz is a finance professional and qualified actuary with over 20 years' experience. Her career has focussed on risk management with expertise in pensions and investments.
Liz is an active member of the Diversity Project, a cross-company initiative championing a diverse, equitable and inclusive UK investment and savings industry. She brings extensive technical and strategic skills to VoiceAbility.
"Advocacy is something that I hold in extremely high esteem, particularly ensuring that members of society have enough support to make decisions about their lives with knowledge and pragmatism."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Operations and Practice
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Board Member at Reside Housing Association
Mahua started her career as a community organiser, working alongside low-wage and migrant workers to help them ensure their voices were heard. She moved into project and then organisational leadership, qualifying as an accountant to become the senior financial lead in a number of different not-for-profit organisations.
Mahua is a board member at Reside Housing Association, a specialist provider of supported housing, and chair of governors at a Gold Rights-Respecting school in west London.
"I have a long commitment to advocating for fairness and equality, and believe passionately that everybody's lives are enriched when a diversity of voices are properly heard and respected. It is a joy to work with an organisation like VoiceAbility, that so clearly lives and breathes these values. I hope that I contribute as much to VoiceAbility's development as I can learn from the quality of its work."
Matt joined us in 2011, as a Peer Champion for Total Voice Lincolnshire, collaborating with others to help get their voices heard. Matt has first-hand experience of physical disability, and competes in powerchair football. As well as bringing to the Board a wealth of experience in non-instructed advocacy, fundraising and marketing, he brings invaluable lived experience of the opportunities available to people with disabilities who wish to take more control of their own lives.
"I have always been interested in business, so learning how a national organisation is run and to actively participate is amazing. My main reason for wanting to become Trustee of VoiceAbility was because I used to work in the VoiceAbility Lincoln service ten years ago, and I'm very aware of many people who would benefit from having their voices heard - I thought helping from the top would be the best way to do that."
Job Titles:
- Speak Out Leader for Young People
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Engagement and Influencing
Ria has dedicated two decades to the cruise ship industry, exploring the globe and its seven seas. She transitioned to the Miami head office in the USA ─ and took charge of revenue, before joining the global innovative ship-building team.
Ria, who hails from the Welsh valleys, is now back in the UK, living in London and contributing to digital community management within the commercial industry.
Job Titles:
- Chief Finance Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
Richard joined VoiceAbility in January 2017 as our Director of Finance and since October 2021 has been our Chief Finance Officer. Richard has a wealth of experience gained across a number of sectors including charity, and, before joining VoiceAbility, was the Commercial Operations Director of an animal conservation charity.
Job Titles:
- Speak Out Leader for High Support Needs
I run the High Support Needs Committee. I am happy for people to understand me and to be able to tell people what I want. I like helping other people to do this.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Director of HR
Sam joined VoiceAbility as Director of HR in June 2017 and later became Director or Operations and People, before his latest role in the leadership team as Chief Operating Officer since October 2021.
Before joining VoiceAbility, Sam was Vice Principal at Oldham College, where he provided HR and organisational development leadership for a complex multi-site workforce. He brings a strong commercial understanding from his senior roles in Tesco and a very clear commitment to our aims, together with the drive to help us to achieve what we're here to do.
Sam's remit covers leadership of our operations and service delivery, business development, marketing and influencing.
"I see this role as an exciting opportunity to embed the ‘value our people' part of our strategy and to help us improve how we work together. I want to make sure this leads to more impactful outcomes for people using our services."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Project Management
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chairman of VoiceAbility 's Safeguarding Governance Committee
Sue is Chair of VoiceAbility's Safeguarding Governance Committee. Sue was also vice chair of the Care and Support Alliance. In this role she was involved in influencing the Mental Capacity Act and chaired the Care and Support Alliance Bill Group which worked to influence the Care Act. Her passion is for enabling people to speak out for themselves about the change they wish to see.
"When I joined the board, I had worked with VoiceAbility on influencing the Care Act, so I knew their work and felt I shared their values. I have learned a lot in the time I have been on the board. I think the new strategy is an exciting opportunity and I'm looking forward to seeing how this can strengthen our ability to support people's voices."
Viral is a finance professional with over ten years' experience in asset management and investment banking. Currently he is a Vice President at Credit Suisse Asset Management and brings to VoiceAbility extensive finance experience along with excellent commercial and strategic skills.
"I'm determined to help improve VoiceAbility's competitive position and secure its sustainability as a market leader. I am passionate about empowering disadvantaged people and empowerment to me is a multi-stage process that transcends from providing awareness and support to enlisting participation and contribution, from both recipients and society - to bring about a self-sustaining change."