Our people

Natasha has extensive leadership, policy influencing and communications experience in the charity sector. She spent 11 years as Chief Executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and care leavers. She has served as an advisor to two Children's Commissioners and has sat on the advisory boards of two national inquiries into the criminalisation of young people in care and on several government taskforces. She was awarded an OBE for services to children and families in 2019 and has been a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts since 2007. She is a trustee at Catch22, a charity and social business that designs and delivers services that build resilience and aspiration in people of all ages and within communities across the UK.

Helen has 19 years’ teaching, training and programme management experience in the education and charity sectors. Before joining Working Chance she managed wellbeing programmes for care leavers and other vulnerable groups and has worked in youth offending and prison settings.

Before joining Working Chance, Lucinda worked in childcare for 20 years, ranging from caring for infants right through to 16 year-olds. She has also worked supporting adults with learning disabilities and women in recovery.

Before joining Working Chance, Hayley worked at Bounce Back for two years providing employability support to people experiencing homelessness. Prior to that, she worked in the NHS for over 10 years as a nursing assistant in various departments, including A&E.

Before joining Working Chance, Aoibhinn worked at a hostel supporting people experiencing homelessness in Ireland, and in a role delivering workshops to youth groups. She is a trained Samaritans volunteer and is currently studying for a master's in counselling and psychotherapy.

Before joining Working Chance, Lyra studied LLB Law (Hons) at university and has had roles in the legal and voluntary sectors, including at Citizens Advice, the Innocence Project and within a family law clinic. Lyra is continuing her studies in Criminal Policy & Forensic Psychology.

Richard has 25 years’ experience working in criminal justice for voluntary, public and private sector organisations, including prisons and probation. As well as his extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system, Richard has an extensive and well-established network of UK and international professional contacts. His career has always been driven by a desire to support people to become the very best they can be. Richard is a Trustee of POPS (Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group).

Alex has over four years' experience providing employability and careers advice in the education and charity sectors. Before Working Chance, she worked as an employability advisor for young adults, specialising in supporting students with additional needs and disabilities. She is passionate about politics and supporting women who become involved with the criminal justice system.

Before joining Working Chance, Katherine was a teacher of English and has a Master’s degree in education. She has worked across the criminal justice sector in various roles and is also studying for a research PhD on education in women's prisons, exploring how gender-responsive and trauma-informed practice could improve the experience of accessing education for women in prison, and how this could lead to a reduction in offending.

Lizzy has led on communications and marketing for a range of not-for-profits and social justice causes. She was formerly Head of Strategic Communications at STOP THE TRAFFIK, a charity disrupting global human trafficking.

Vanisha has a degree in criminology and has worked on national projects for care leavers. She spent just under four years on our frontline team, and has taken her insights from this and joined the communications team, helping us to ensure that we consider women’s aspirations, skills and any challenges they face in our communications work.

Steph is an experienced charity professional, specialising in fundraising. She has worked across multiple sectors in both paid and voluntary roles. She has a degree in Criminology and Social Policy, and is a Trustee of KeshetUK. Steph has served on EDI committees and engagement groups, and is passionate about creating environments where people feel welcome, included and valued.

Ruth is a qualified accountant who has worked in a range of senior finance roles in charities including The Prince's Trust and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. She completed her accountancy training at KPMG in the not-for-profit sector.

Nicola is a values-led Chartered MCIPD human resources professional with over 13 years' experience in all aspects of HR including equity, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, and people strategy. She is also a trustee for Peer Power Youth, a social justice charity promoting empathy for children and young people. Nicola strongly believes in equal access to life’s opportunities for all.

Dan has 12 years’ experience in charity monitoring and evaluation across a variety of projects including advice, community development, and financial exclusion. He has developed and delivered multiple impact evaluation frameworks and is committed to understanding the impact projects and organisations have in order to improve them.

Ann has many years of experience in finance roles across a range of sectors. Prior to joining Working Chance, she worked in the finance team of a national mental health charity.

Vicky has been a Patron of Working Chance since 2014. She is an economist and former Joint Head of the UK's Government Economic Service. She is passionate about how the criminal justice system impacts women's lives and the economy, and has written books including 'Prisonomics: Behind Bars in Britain's Failing Prisons' and 'Women vs. Capitalism'.

After spending her early career working as a teacher and social worker, Lin trained as an educational psychologist and was principal educational psychologist at Coventry City Council. Since then, she has held many senior roles in government and public bodies including at the Ministry of Justice and as Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board. Lin is also Chair of Make-A-Wish UK and Home-Start UK.

Joanna is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and won a national award, Finance Director of the Year, Growing Business in 2005. She is a highly experienced and versatile finance director with extensive board experience in both the private and charity sectors.

With nearly 20 years' experience working in recruitment, Ami has in-depth experience of delivering talent solutions for a wide range purpose-led commercial businesses, social enterprises and charities across the UK and globally. As Director of People Beyond Profit, Ami finds the right people for the right roles, alongside a social mission to support leadership development of underrepresented groups.

Clare is currently a charity consultant focusing on campaigning, communication and coaching. She has worked in policy and campaigning in the charity sector for over 15 years including at charities such as Pause, Young Lives Vs Cancer and the Family Planning Association. Clare also managed campaigning at Women’s Aid where she worked on campaigns such as making coercive control a criminal offence. Clare has over a decade of trustee experience. Outside work Clare enjoys walking her dog Alan, running, cooking and listening to podcasts. She can be found chatting charities, dog walking, what’s in the news, running and tea on Twitter at @ladylaxton.

Kat has worked in the charity sector for 13 years delivering services in early years education, children's literacy, and criminal justice. She is currently a mental health advocate at the charity Women in Prison, supporting prison leavers. She is passionate about prison reform and user-led services that provide women with lived experience of the criminal justice system the opportunity to thrive.

Kate spent her early career as a lawyer. She has worked for more than 15 years within HR in professional services, initially as an HR business partner. Since 2013 she has specialised in diversity, equity and inclusion and is currently Head of Diversity & Inclusion for the UK, Ireland and Israel at McKinsey & Company. Kate is passionate about creating environments that support people to thrive and reach their potential.

Andrea has extensive experience of leading HR and change within mission-driven charities. She is currently Global People Director at the Sunrise Project, a global climate justice organisation. She is also a school governor and deputy chair of the HR Committee at Kings Cross Academy.

Alex has worked in the charity sector for 12 years across a number of areas including data, compliance, innovation, events and individual giving and is currently the Deputy Director of Supporter Experience and Engagement at Teenage Cancer Trust. She has previously been on the board of directors for Pride in London, where she helped introduce and grow a sustainable fundraising stream. Alex is also Chair of the National Autistic Society, Sutton Branch which supports families and individuals. She is passionate about EDI, recently setting up a Pride network at Teenage Cancer Trust, and is dedicated to creating and elevating women's voices within the workplace.