A BETTER START - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Northern Ireland Committee
Anne-Marie McClure has worked and volunteered in the community and voluntary sector over the past 29 years and is stepping down as Chief Executive of Start360, a regional provider of support services to young people, adults at risk, and their families across Northern Ireland. Anne-Marie has many years' experience on a range of Boards and Forums including the Northern Ireland Joint Forum and NIADA (Northern Ireland Alcohol & Drugs Alliance). She is Chair of CO3, the third sector leadership organisation, and was a public appointee to the Youth Council of Northern Ireland (YCNI) until 2019.
Anne-Marie said: "I am privileged to be given this opportunity to continue to facilitate positive change within communities as a member of the NI Committee. I want to see more active participation opportunities for those people and communities we are here to support and serve. It is they who know what is needed and just as importantly the actions necessary to make the change.
"Our communities are facing very difficult times. The need will be much greater so the impact of National Lottery funding must be felt all the more. I am committed to working together with and supporting the NI Committee and staff team to build on the successes of our grant-making to date whilst ensuring The Fund's support is delivered where it is needed the most."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scotland Committee
Bruce is a human rights lawyer who has worked in over 20 countries. He was a member of Scotland's Children's Panel for 13 years and is a former Chair of the Scottish Child Law Centre. Bruce was Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland 2017-2023 and a Professor in Practice at the University of Glasgow School of Law 2023-2024.
He is currently the Vice Chair of the global Child Friendly Governance Project, a board member of the Scottish Human Rights Consortium, and strategic lead for human rights at Elevate Great.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wales Committee
Callum is the Engagement & Volunteer Coordinator at Amgueddfa Cymru and sits on the Board of Directors of Mess Up The Mess Theatre Company Ltd. He is also a freelance filmmaker and facilitator.
Callum has experience representing young people's voices in his roles on the Youth Advisory Board of the Youth Endowment Fund, as a youth support worker at YMCA Swansea's youth groups, and facilitating a consultation workshop with the young people of the GoodVibes LGBTQ+ Youth Group.
He joins our Wales Committee as part of our Youth Voice programme, a commitment to ensuring that young people's voices are included in all our work.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Northern Ireland Committee
Cara has worked and volunteered in the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland for the past 17 years and is currently CEO of Groundwork Northern Ireland, a community development and regeneration Charity offering services across NI.
She has experience in service delivery, business development, governance and strategic development across the women's, community education, learning disability, social enterprise, sexual violence and community development sectors.
A firm believer in empowering people and communities through user centred, collaboratively designed services, Cara has worked with government departments and ministers as well as partners across the community and voluntary sector on ground-breaking initiatives.
A graduate of the University of Dundee in Leadership and Management Cara is also a trustee for a small local charity as well as a guest speaker for both the University of Ulster and Belfast Met Business Schools.
Job Titles:
- Strategy and Governance Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Worker
- Chairman of the Scottish Youth Parliament
- Non - Executive Board Member of the National Lottery Community Fund
- Non - Executive Director and Former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England
Dame Helen Stephenson is a Non-Executive Director and former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Commission is a non-ministerial government department which employs around 400 staff and is responsible regulating over 169,000 charities. She joined the Commission from the Department for Education where she was Director of Early Years and Child Care. Helen previously worked in the Cabinet Office where she was Director of the Office for Civil Society and Government Innovation Group.
Helen joined the Civil Service from the Big Lottery Fund where she was Head of Strategic Policy and Partnerships. She has worked for a large national charity as a development manager and as a researcher and consultant in the statutory and voluntary sector. Helen has a PhD from Bristol University.
Helen is a Non-Executive Board member of the National Lottery Community Fund and Chair of the People Committee. She is a Board member of the ECB Regulatory Board and on the People and Governance Committee at the Royal Academy of Dance. Previously, Helen was on the Board of the Big Society Trust and was Chair of NCT until her appointment at the Charity Commission.
Helen was awarded the CBE in 2014 and was awarded a DBE in the Birthday Honours list 2024 for services to charity and regulation.
Ellie is a passionate campaigner for children's rights and youth participation in decision making processes.
Ellie is currently the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and the MSYP for Glasgow Cathcart. As chair, Ellie leads the organisation and the board of trustees and ensures SYP's youth led mandate is at the forefront of everything SYP does. As well as Ellie's role as chair, she is a trustee of Young Scot, Scotland's National Youth Information and Citizenship Charity.
Ellie led SYP's ‘The Right Way' project which aims to support officials to meaningfully include young people in their work. Ellie also works on issues relating to childhood bereavement through her campaign ‘Grieving and Growing' and her work on the advisory panel of ‘It's Time' who support young people who have lost a parent.
Ellie is about to enter her final year at the University of Glasgow, studying Politics and Sociology. She also works with the Student Experience team within the College of Social Sciences.
Ellie also works as a youth worker for a young carers centre in East Renfrewshire where she supports their peer education programme.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Member of the UK Funding Committee
Dame Julia is a passionate and practical campaigner who has gained an international reputation for "connecting the unconnected", inspiring individuals and organisations to work together for the common good.
During her extensive career, she has consistently championed long term cross-sector collaboration in the poorest communities, supporting community leaders, and encouraging young people's engagement to help build local capacity and a more robust civil society which values diversity, sustainability, and contextual local solutions.
Dame Julia has chaired Teach First, the National Literacy Trust, and Place Matters - all charities working to understand and tackle inequality in those communities who experience the greatest poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
Having led Government reviews for both Labour and Conservative governments in the last twenty years, she now chairs the National Statistician's Committee on Inclusive Data. She is Co-founder of the #iwill movement, helping young people into social action through volunteering, campaigning, and advocacy. She has served as Board Trustee for the Fair Education Alliance, The Careers and Enterprise Company, the Youth Futures Foundation, Teach for All, and as Patron of Right to Succeed. She began her career with The Industrial Society and served as Chief Executive of Business in the Community for 17 years before working for the then Prince of Wales as his Special Adviser to the Prince's Charities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Founding Director of Friends Provident Foundation
Danielle is the founding Director of Friends Provident Foundation. Friends Provident Foundation is an independent charity, endowed by Friends Provident plc after the de-mutalisation of Friends Provident Life Office. Under her leadership, the Foundation has an international reputation for innovative funding and investment practice and is at the forefront of rethinking the role of philanthropic resources in the UK. The mission of the Foundation is to create a fair and sustainable economy.
Danielle has had senior policy and research roles throughout the non-governmental sector such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Law Society of England and Wales. She has served as in advisory roles to HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and the Financial Services Authority.
She is currently a board member of the National Lottery Community Fund, the Innovation Unit, a Trustee of Britain Yearly Meeting (Quakers) and advisory roles related to the Church of England, and the University of York, the School of Business and Society and the Oversight Trust.
Job Titles:
- Member of the England Committee
- Senior Executive
Daria is a senior executive with a background in supporting purpose-driven organizations through strategy, data, and transformational change. She has worked across the public, private, and social sectors and is currently a Director at the University of Arts London.
Prior to this, Daria worked as an independent consultant, supporting foundations, social investors, and social enterprises. She spent five years at Teach First as Executive Director of Strategy, Research, and Performance, where she led major strategy reviews and change programmes. Before this, Daria was a Director at Better Society Capital, where she established the Access Foundation and worked on integrating social investment into public service reform.
Daria has served in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and authored policy reports at New Local, a network of local authorities focused on public service innovation. She also holds several non-executive roles including board positions at the Bell Foundation and GLF Schools (a Multi Academy Trust), and serves on the investment committee of a Big Issue Invest fund.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scotland Committee
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Senior Management Team
David was appointed Chief Executive of The National Lottery Community Fund in October 2021.
Before joining the Fund, David had a varied career in public service. As Director of the Office for Civil Society, he was responsible for government policy on charities, volunteering, young people, philanthropy, dormant assets, impact investment and mission-led business.
Before this, as an international development adviser, he supported governance and public policy reform programmes in more than a dozen countries, particularly in Asia and the Middle East where he lived and worked.
David's earlier career was in UK Civil Service working in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (principally on education, health and public services), in the DFID and the Cabinet Office.
His leadership has particularly spanned fields of education, health, civil society and community development, and topics including social mobility, loneliness and culture change. A common thread through his career has been his passion and commitment to community, and the social connections and community activities that are at the heart of creating healthier, happier lives and a flourishing society. This brought him to The National Lottery Community Fund and the development of their 2030 strategy ‘It starts with community'.
He enjoys leading people and organisations in support of social improvement and positive change.
He has two degrees in economics and one degree in Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scotland Committee
- Trustee of the Society for Reproduction
Dr Erin Williams is an academic at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in reproductive health, infant feeding, and food insecurity. As Co-Founder and Director of Feed, an independent infant feeding charity based in Scotland, she leads research and advocacy initiatives to reduce infant feeding inequalities and support women and babies. Erin is a strong believer in the power of community, and is a member of local Ayrshire charity The Night Before Christmas Campaign which supports people living in poverty.
Erin is also a Trustee of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, where she leads on education and public engagement.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wales Committee
- Chief Executive of Mudiad Meithrin
Gwenllian is Chief Executive of Mudiad Meithrin, a voluntary organisation and the main provider and enabler of Welsh-medium early years care and education in the voluntary sector with over 1000 settings all over Wales. Gwenllian is a Trustee with the National Library of Wales and volunteers at her local Cylch Meithrin on the committee.
Originally from Bangor, she now lives with her husband and four children in Llanerfyl, Powys. She studied French and Spanish at Oxford University before completing a MScEcon and PhD in Political Theory at Cardiff University where she also taught as a politics tutor.
Gwenllian was elected to represent Riverside at Cardiff County Council in 2004 and was appointed as Plaid Cymru's Chief Executive in 2007. She also worked as a Publications Officer for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol at Aberystwyth University where she was also responsible for its research journal, ‘Gwerddon'.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Member of the UK Funding Committee
- Member of the Wales Committee
- CEO of Severn - Wye Energy Agency
Dr Lowthe-Thomas works for the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority as Director Nature Recovery and Climate Change at the Brecon Beacons National Park. Before that she was CEO of Severn-Wye Energy Agency - a sustainable energy charity working in Wales and the border counties. She previously held multiple roles in that organisation, including Director for Wales and Head of Community Energy. She is also Vice-President for Energy Efficiency and Fuel Poverty at Federene (European Federation of Energy Agencies). She gained her PhD at Cardiff University, studying Energy Crops and Biomass.
Dr Lowthe-Thomas was a founding board member at Community Energy Wales and spent ten years at Cardiff University as a Research associate.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wales Committee
- Director of the Bevan Foundation
Victoria is 24 years old and lives in Belfast. She currently works in the arts, culture, and heritage sector as a data analyst, delivering people-focused research for organisations. She is passionate about the value of the arts in communities. "I'm passionate about the arts and helping National Lottery supported organisations that provide opportunities for young people to have fun and be creative in a safe space. From my job I have good working relationships with existing arts and culture organisations that work in the community and am fairly aware of the evaluation process and common funder expectations. I'm looking forward to being on the other side of things and figuring out the decision process. I think it's important to listen to young people as they have the best ideas of what they need. There is nothing to compare with lived experience and its value cannot be replicated."
Dr Victoria Winckler has been the Director of the Bevan Foundation since 2002. For the last 40 years she has worked at a senior level in the third sector, local government, and higher education, giving her a deep understanding of Wales' political, social and cultural context.
Victoria is firmly committed to the voluntary and community sector, having worked in it for over 20 years and has served on many charity and non-profit boards. She regularly speaks at conferences and seminars, frequently gives oral evidence to Senedd Committees, delivers webinars and training, and contributes to radio and television.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- England Director
Emma joined the National Lottery Community Fund in July 2022. As one of our England Directors, Emma is responsible for the Leadership of Programmes, Operations and English Regions.
With over 20 years' experience in grant making, Emma was most recently the Head of Design and Delivery at BBC Children in Need, ensuring the successful delivery of the fund across the UK and leading multiple major change programmes for the charity. Prior to that, she worked for a diverse range of funders, including Community Foundations and Housing Associations, gaining significant experience in charity governance and compliance during this time.
Since October 2022 Emma has been a member of the board of Trustees at London Funders, which continues to diversify her knowledge and relationships across the funding sector.
Emma has been a strong advocate for wellbeing and empowerment of staff at all levels of the organisations she has worked at and believes passionately in the need for open and transparent communication.
"I am delighted, as someone whose career has centred around quality grant making, to be able to support work of such scale and breadth. The capacity available to enable communities across the UK is humbling to me, and making time to listen to the wealth of knowledge and expertise of the organisation is key my role to enact positive and meaningful change where it is needed most."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wales Committee
- Director of Sub - Sahara Advisory Panel
- Founder and Director of Watch - Africa Cymru
Fadhili is the Director of Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP) a network of African communities in Wales working in international development and across Wales. At SSAP, he manages a team working on local and international projects (mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa).
Fadhili is also the Founder and Director of Watch-Africa Cymru: Wales' African Film Festival. Having started the festival in 2013, it has grown to become one of the leading festival in Wales focusing on African cinema. Other than running SSAP and Watch-Africa Cymru, Fadhili is an Arts Associate for Arts Council Wales and RSA Fellow. A keen runner, footballer and enjoys a healthy debate.
Job Titles:
- Member of the England Committee
Halima Khan has worked as a policymaker in national, regional and local government and at Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation for social good. Halima now works independently with a focus on people-powered approaches to public service innovation, which incorporate the insights of citizens and frontline staff.
Previously, Halima was Executive Director for Communities and Skills at the Greater London Authority, where she was responsible for adult skills, social policy, civil society, children and young people, and public health during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining City Hall, Halima was in the leadership team at Nesta where she led work on people powered health, and supported frontline staff in public services to rapidly experiment with new ways of working. Before that Halima was Deputy Director at the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office, providing policy advice to No.10 and Cabinet Office ministers on a range of domestic policy issues. Halima has also worked in local government at Camden Council, focusing on strategy, policy and research, including the Council's citizens' panel.
Halima holds non-executive roles at the Royal Society for Public Health and the Mayday Trust and is a member of the Public Policy Committee at the British Academy. In 2015, Halima was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences by Anglia Ruskin University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scotland Committee
- Member of the Scotland Committee for the National Lottery Community Fund
Following retirement from her role as Chief Executive of Children in Scotland, the national intermediary charity for the children's sector, with over 550 members, Jackie has held a number of interim roles, such as Chief Operations Officer for The Promise Scotland and is currently Project Manager for What Matters 2 You, a voice-led system change approach funded by BBC Children in Need and The Hunter Foundation. . She was deputy director for learning and support in the Scottish Government and has also worked in local government.
Jackie is a member of the Scotland Committee for the National Lottery Community Fund; she is a non executive director for Wheatley Care and the Wheatley Foundation. She is a director of The Promise Scotland and a trustee of PEEK, a youth work charity based in Glasgow.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Member of the England Committee
- Member of the UK Funding Committee
John Mothersole has held senior local government posts in UK cities including London, most recently as Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council. Since standing down from that post in December 2019 after 11 years, John has taken on a series of non-executive roles which now include Chair of The Sheffield College, trustee of a community care charity and advisory roles with companies involved in regeneration and environment. He was also an assessor for the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, a role that concluded with the publication of the final report in September 2024. Prior to being selected as Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund England Committee John was a member of that committee.
John has been heavily involved in the policy agenda for UK cities through the Core Cities network, the Northern Powerhouse initiative and with Government in securing city and city region devolution deals and participating in trade missions.
His early career was in the arts, primarily in London and the North-East, and he sees a highlight of that part of his career being the reopening of the Roundhouse in London which enabled its subsequent redevelopment.
John lives in Sheffield although his roots are in the North-West. When he stood down from being Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council he said that he was working out what his hobbies are. That is sill the case!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Wales Director
John is accountable for the development, delivery, and communication of The National Lottery Community Fund's operations in Wales, as well as leading the Fund's UK wide environmental strategy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the England Committee
- Founder and CEO of Impact Hub Bradford CIC
- Non - Executive Director of the Leeds Local Enterprise Partnership
Kamran is founder and CEO of Impact Hub Bradford CIC, a locally rooted, globally connected social innovation hub and coworking space based in the historic area of Little Germany, Bradford. Impact Hub Bradford inspires, connects and supports changemakers, social entrepreneurs, businesses and start-ups to build solutions that create positive social impact. Impact Hub has worked alongside brands such as Red Bull, Channel 4, TEDx, PWC and successfully led a partnership to secure a £6.6 million social Investment fund for Bradford District which Kamran now chairs.
Kamran was appointed a non-executive Director of the Leeds Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP - Feb' 2020) and of Bradford City of Culture 2025 Trust (Nov' 2019). Kamran holds a Masters in International Politics, undergraduate degree in Youth and Community work and has over twenty years' sector experience. Prior to setting up his own social enterprise, Kamran worked for Unltd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs. Kamran is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Common Purpose Graduate and is trained in both the Art of Hosting and unconscious bias and intersectionality.
Job Titles:
- Member of the England Committee
- Chief Executive of Cambridge House
Karin Woodley CBE is Chief Executive of Cambridge House, a London-based charity tackling poverty, social inequity and injustice. Karin has over 35 years' leadership experience in social action charities specialising in the development of social policy and practice, diversity and inclusion and the delivery of community empowerment services.
Awarded a CBE in the Queen's 2021 Birthday Honours for services to social justice, and the Lifetime Achiever Award at the 2016 Excellence in Diversity Awards, Karin is currently Chair of the Race Equality Foundation, a trustee of the Felix Project, a non-executive director and audit and risk committee member of the Ministry of Justice's Office of the Public Guardian, and a core member of the Better Way Network.
Previously, Karin held roles as the Chief Executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, the Tabernacle Centre for Arts and Learning and the Minorities Arts Advisory Service.
Past non-executive roles include parliamentary appointments to the Economic and Social Research Council and the Legal Services Board Consumer Panel, she was the UK representative on the Global Social Economy Forum, a member of the Wellcome Trust's Understanding Patient Data Advisory Committee, Vice Chair of Locality and Community Southwark, the founding Chair of Kensington and Chelsea's Race Equality Partnership, Chair of an MPS Independent Advisory Panel on Race and Chair of the Black Art Gallery.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Northern Ireland Director
Kate Beggs was appointed as The National Lottery Community Fund's director for Northern Ireland in January 2019.
Kate said: "I'm proud to work for The National Lottery Community Fund and have the opportunity to meet a wide range of stakeholders, volunteers and the beneficiaries involved in the projects we fund.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Northern Ireland Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Scotland Committee
- Member of the UK Funding Committee
Kate is the former Director for Scotland for the Prince's Trust, a leading youth charity supporting young people to live, learn and earn. She was a Board member of ERSA for many years, Chair of Employment Support Scotland and a Fellow of the Institute of Employability. Kate started her career as a teacher after completing an MA (Hons) in Politics at Glasgow University.
She has over 25 years of relevant experience in delivery of education, apprenticeships, skills, employability and community enterprise and regeneration programmes across multiple sectors, including 15 years in the Charity sector. Kate has a passionate desire to make a difference coupled with the drive to achieve impact on issues of poverty, equality and diversity and social justice. Kate has held strategic leadership roles at EU and UK levels including Management of EU aid programmes to Central and Eastern Europe. A former Board Member of Strathclyde European Partnership, she completed her MPhil in European Policy research at Strathclyde University in 2011.
She has held Director roles previously with Rathbone and Wise Group. Kate has spent over four years volunteering with her local community council.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wales Committee
- Director of the All Wales Forum of Parents
Kate Young is the Director of the All Wales Forum of Parents and Carers, which is the national network for family carers of people with learning disabilities, engaging with over 4,000 families across Wales.
She holds the Vice Chair for Wales Carers Alliance, is the Health and Social Care representative for the Third Sector in Wales on the Partnership Council and sits on various Ministerial Advisory Groups and policy forums covering topics such as direct payments, Regional Partnership Boards, Advocacy, Inspection of Services and most recently the Covid Vaccine Stakeholder Board for Wales. Kate was also Chair of Vale People First for 10 years and Wales Trustee for the Family Fund UK for five years.
Kate has a sound understanding of the devolved administration in Wales and the cultural, social, and economic opportunities and challenges it offers to communities. She has a strong commitment to communities being at the heart of change, believing that our unique and diverse nature as a nation, when brought together, is a real force for change, innovation and inclusion.
She is a passionate advocate of rights and personal choice, with a particular interest in disability, carers and equality. As a sibling carer to her brother who lives with severe learning disabilities and autism, she has a personal understanding and lived experience of the social model of disability and of the inequality issues within society in Wales.
Job Titles:
- Member of the England Committee
- Chairman of London Youth Theatre
Matt Downie MBE has been Chief Executive of Crisis since January 2022. He is one of the country's leading experts and advocates on ending homelessness, serving on advisory bodies for the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments, as well as international committees. He was awarded an MBE in the 2019 Queen's birthdays honours, for ‘Services to tackling homelessness'.
Matt was Crisis' Director of Policy and External Affairs from July 2014, leading a number of significant initiatives in policy, research, best practice and service development in homelessness. This includes leading the campaign to achieve the Homelessness Reduction Act which came into force in 2018.
Prior to his work at Crisis Matt led award winning teams and successful campaigns at Action for Children and the National Autistic Society, and he began his career at Shelter.
Matt is also the Chair of London Youth Theatre, and the UK Board representative for FEANTSA, the European-wide body on homelessness.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Interim Director for Funding Strategy
Mel is the Interim Director for Funding Strategy, Communication and Impact and has been at the Fund for over 17 years, working across a range of roles including strategy, governance, performance and estates.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scotland Committee
Melodie has over 25 years of experience in developing and leading community-based projects with children, young people, and families impacted by poverty across Scotland. As the founding CEO of PEEK - Possibilities for Each and Every Kid, a multi-award-winning charity, Melodie supported thousands of children and families across Glasgow.
She is currently the Deputy CEO of MCR Pathways, where she plays a key role in supporting the organisation's mission to improve the lives of young people facing challenges through mentoring and support. Prior to this, she co-led the Thrive Outdoors Programme at Inspiring Scotland.
Throughout her career, Melodie has served on several boards and advisory groups and has mentored many emerging leaders in the social sector.
In 2013, Melodie was awarded the Herald Society's Unsung Hero award and is also a Clore Social Fellow.
Melodie is deeply passionate about driving social change to create a fairer and healthier society for children and young people, with a strong belief in giving back.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scotland Committee
Naila is an enthusiastic and dedicated community engagement professional. With more than 15 years of experience working across Scotland, she has in turn built up a strong network across all sectors. As Head of Social Impact at Balfour Beatty, Naila supports communities in several areas including: employability and training, employer supported volunteering, charitable giving, and supply chain development.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Scotland Director
Neil was appointed as The National Lottery Community Fund's director for Scotland in July 2019.
Neil is responsible for the development, delivery, administration and communication of The National Lottery Community Fund's grant programmes in Scotland and is ultimately responsible for The National Lottery Community Fund's work and reputation in the country.
Neil first joined The National Lottery Community Fund in 2000 to set up the Scottish Land Fund and has since gone on to progress through a number of positions, from Funding Officer through to Deputy Director.
Prior to joining the Fund, Neil started his career as a community worker in Shetland and worked as a Scottish Civil Servant in community care policy, both of which gave him his thorough grounding in community led action and the importance of putting local people in the lead.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Northern Ireland Committee
- Journalist and Public Relations Consultant
- Member of the Transformation Advisory Board
Nick Garbutt is a journalist and public relations consultant. He is a former editor of the Irish News and deputy editor of the Belfast Telegraph. He currently edits ScopeNI, Northern Ireland's public policy magazine.
Nick is a member of the Transformation Advisory Board, which advises the Health Minister on health and social care reform. He also has more than 20 years experience as non-executive director of a range of charities across sectors ranging from the environment, the arts, young people and social housing. He has a strong interest in good governance.
Nick said: "It's an honour to be appointed to the committee. It is also a great responsibility. During my time in post I want to help make a tangible difference to individuals and communities across Northern Ireland. These are difficult times for so many, and I expect that to translate into enormous demands on funds such as ours. That makes it all the more important to ensure that every penny is well invested and helps to bring about positive change."
Nick believes that citizens should have much more power over their own lives and is a passionate supporter of expanding the democratic process through Citizens Assemblies, Participatory Budgeting and involving people more closely in designing the public services we all rely on.
Nick added: "That's the main reason why I wanted to get involved with the National Lottery Community Fund. It puts people in the lead, and that's exactly how it should be. Those who need support are best qualified to tell us how we can help."
Norman McKinley has spent his professional career working as a senior leader in the Voluntary Sector across the UK and was the Executive Director of UK Operations for the British Red Cross for six years prior to his retirement at the end of 2021. Norman is also a volunteer member of the Independent Monitoring Board at Hydebank Wood Prison and an active volunteer with the South Belfast Foodbank.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Northern Ireland Committee
- Member of the UK Funding Committee
Paul has a wealth of experience working in the voluntary, community and public sectors in Northern Ireland.
From 1987 to 1994 he was the Director of the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, which supported community-based self-help initiatives.
He joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) in 1994, initially on secondment, as an adviser on community development and reconciliation. Throughout his subsequent career in the NICS he held a number of senior positions including Deputy Secretary in the Office of the First and deputy First Minister, Permanent Secretary in the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education.
Since retiring from the NICS in 2017 Paul has undertaken a trustee role in a number of not-for-profit organisations involved in regeneration, culture and young people.
Paul said: "I consider it a privilege to be appointed into this role and to be afforded the opportunity to build on the success of the Fund's grant making in the years ahead.
"The Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector across Northern Ireland has responded to the challenges of COVID-19 with leadership, resilience and compassion. I believe that The National Community Fund is well placed to continue supporting local people as we re-build after the immediate pressures of the pandemic."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Executive Director at the Eden Project
Peter Stewart LVO is an Executive Director at The Eden Project, with the responsibility for Eden's charitable mission. Peter's career started in advertising agencies in London working on major behavioural campaigns including for The Guardian, Knorr, National Dairy Council, Courage (Fosters, Courage Best and John Smiths), Proctor and Gamble, Philip Morris and Nestle. Agencies included JWT, Leo Burnett and BMP DDB. In the 1990s, Peter embarked on a new venture to run community public houses in Cornwall. A Cornishman, being immersed in the issues of local communities, this is where he started a family, marrying his wife Jane and having two children. Working with local businesses, Peter joined The Eden Project in 2003, after supplying products to the Project since its opening.
Since joining he has held many roles including Joint CEO from 2013 - 2014. He leads the biggest outreach programme, The Big Lunch, which is accredited with building social capital on a mass scale. Peter was appointed to the main Eden Board in March 2012. In the same year, he was also appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) by her Majesty The Queen and then promoted to Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in 2022 for the community work driven through the respective Jubilee celebrations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- England Director
Phil joined the Fund in June 2022 as England Director (Strategy, Partnerships & Engagement). He is responsible for jointly overseeing our largest funding portfolio and ensuring our new funding strategy is best informed by partnerships and engagement with key stakeholders.
Most recently, Phil was Executive Director for External Engagement at City Lit - the largest adult education college in London. Prior to that he held a number of senior leadership positions at the Youth Sport Trust, Legacy Trust UK and Big Lottery Fund. Phil also spent 10 years within the Civil Service, working on a range of high-profile policy issues and international campaigns, as well as directly within a Minister's private office.
Phil's career to date has led to extensive experience in strategy development, corporate communications, political engagement, policy and programme development, funding distribution, strategic leadership, and stakeholder relations. He is a committed and enthusiastic individual, offering both a sense of purpose combined with a sense of humour.
"I am fortunate enough to have been informed by all my experiences, and I am excited to help lead and further champion the work of the National Lottery Community Fund through the delivery of their strategy 'It starts with community', and best support the communities and individuals it serves."
Job Titles:
- Member of the England Committee
- Executive Director of Oxford Hub
Ray is an executive director of Oxford Hub, a community charity, and was previously CEO of Auticon, a social enterprise and IT consultancy employing autistic adults as consultants. Prior to joining Auticon, he was a legal director at Osborne Clarke, where he specialised in impact investing and social enterprise.
Ray chairs the Small Charity Advisory Panel at the NCVO, is a director of the Oxfordshire Social Enterprise Partnership and is a founding trustee of TREEZ, an environmental charity operating in Malawi. Ray has been recognised by the Social Entrepreneur Index as one of the top ten social entrepreneurs in the UK.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board
Richard Collier-Keywood is the Chair of the Welsh Rugby Union, Chair of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, the Chair of Fair4All Finance (the UK financial inclusion organisation funded by dormant assets), the Chair of New Forest Care (a company that provides bespoke care and education to children with complex needs). Richard is on the Board and chairs the finance committee of Women of the World Foundation, he is on the Board and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee of The National Lottery Community Fund, he is on the Board and chairs the finance committee of St George's House based in Windsor Castle, he is on the Board of CoGo, a social enterprise tech start-up based in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, focussed on empowering consumers in their climate choices and finally, he is a non-executive director on the international Board of Eversheds Sutherland.
Previously Richard was a senior adviser to DCMS (2017 to 2021) and Global Vice-Chairman of PwC from November 2011 to February 2017 and served as Managing Partner of PwC UK from 2008 to 2011. Richard is a barrister and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Senior Advisor
- Trustee
- Senior Adviser to the CEO
Shane Ryan is the Senior Advisor to the CEO at The National Lottery Community Fund. He was appointed for his extensive expertise in social justice, community engagement, and strategic philanthropy. Shane plays a pivotal role in driving the Fund's mission to support and empower communities across the UK.
Before joining the Fund, Shane served as the Global Executive Director of The Avast Foundation. There, he successfully expanded its initiatives to 27 countries, focusing on digital inclusion and citizenship. At The National Lottery Community Fund, Shane's leadership has been instrumental in creating our initial Youth Voice strategy, which ensures young leaders are integral to decision-making processes, and our Partnership strategy. He also initiated and developed the Phoenix Fund, an initiative dedicated to supporting black and minoritized communities, and more recently, The National Lottery Innovation Unit.
Shane's career spans significant roles across the public, private, and charity sectors in both national and international contexts. This includes time at DCMS as a strategy advisor and significant time as a Chief Executive Officer in the charity sector. He has collaborated with global organizations and business from Sony Columbia and Unilever to UNESCO and ITU, leveraging his expertise to address critical social issues and promote sustainable development worldwide.
A dedicated community advocate, Shane is also a trustee for various organizations and remains active in his own community. His contributions to the charitable sector were recognized with an MBE in 2023 for services to charity and young people. Shane's executive education at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, supports the organization's current and future work around sustainability. His MBA studies focused on Leadership and Sustainability at the University of Cumbria, which supports his strategic approach to philanthropy and community development.
"Throughout my career to date, I have been driven by a commitment to social equity and community well-being. My leadership at The National Lottery Community Fund reflects my passion for creating inclusive, resilient communities and fostering positive change."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Chief Finance and Resources Officer
Stuart joined the Fund in January 2022 as Finance Director where he is responsible for ensuring strong financial management alongside the oversight of internal audit services, procurement and risk management. Stuart also has strategic oversight for the Fund's counter fraud, controls assurance, strategic planning, and the Fund's technology and cyber security arrangements.
Stuart Hobley has spent almost twenty years working in the grant-making and not-for-profit sector, including philanthropic and charitable giving, social finance, local authority funding for communities, and lottery grants. He is Director of The Linbury Trust and was previously a member of the Mayor of London's Cultural Leadership Board, which included advising on the development and delivery of the acclaimed London Borough of Culture programme. Prior to this, Stuart worked for the National Lottery Heritage Fund in a number of roles, most recently as the Area Director for London and the South of England. He has been on the national Audience Council for the BBC Trust, and been on judging panels for BAFTA, and Kids in Museums.
Job Titles:
- CEO of YouthLink Scotland
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wales Committee
- Board Member of Social Care Wales
- Chief Executive of St Davids Hospice
Trystan Pritchard is Chief Executive of St Davids Hospice in Llandudno, North Wales. The hospice delivers end of life care in the counties of Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey.
Previously, Trystan spent several years as Head of Communications for a major Health Board. He was later appointed to a senior role in local government in developing strategic partnership programmes across health and social care, children and young people and community safety.
Trystan is currently a Board Member of Social Care Wales, Mantell Gwynedd County Voluntary Council and is a former Chairman of the Citizens Advice Wales committee.
Away from work, Trystan enjoys spending time with his family, Welsh rugby and mountaineering.