Our Trustees
Fran Beckett: Chair
Fran is a Hove based experienced CEO and Board Chair including large national voluntary and housing organisations, Government advisory groups, London and Borough-wide organisations, and grass-roots community organisations and churches. Currently providing charity consultancy, governance development, and leadership mentoring as an independent consultant. Fran is passionate about the practical empowerment of people and communities, especially those on the margins.
Nick Mourant: Chair of the Resources Committee
Nick joined the Board of Trustees in February 2023. Nick graduated with an Economics degree from Cambridge University and spent his career in finance and Corporate Treasury. Nick qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Peat Marwick in Central London before moving into industry in various financial roles. Nick spent the majority of his career working in the Treasury department of Tesco PLC where he was Group Corporate Treasurer for several years prior to retiring in 2010.
Since 2010 Nick has held Trustee roles with One YMCA, YMCA England and Wales and Keep Britain Tidy, as well as advising Save the Children on funding and pension issues.
Andrew Newell: Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
Andrew joined the Board of Trustees in January 2023. He is a committed Christian and is a Churchwarden at Holy Trinity Church, Northwood. He brings to the Board over 30 years’ experience in the UK Personal Financial Services Industry in senior finance roles.
He has previously served as Chair at One YMCA between 2013 and 2022, as Group Treasurer of East Thames Group Ltd, and as a Trustee at Crisis UK. He is currently a Trustee of Langley House Trust and Deputy Chair of Council at the University of Kent.
Paul Roche: Chair of the People and Remuneration Committee
Paul joined as a Trustee in 2026. He brings extensive leadership experience across private and public sector organisations and is also a Board Trustee for Wealden Citizens Advice. Previously, Paul was Director of Innovate for Action, supporting workforce planning, leadership and governance. Before that, he served as Workforce Transformation Director for Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System, leading the system’s pandemic workforce response. Since 2004, he has held senior executive and non‑executive roles in Health and Care, including as a Non‑Executive Director at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. Paul holds an MBA from Warwick Business School.
Simone Button: Chair of the Impact and Services Committee
Simone joined the Board of Trustees in August 2024 and brings 30 years’ experience working with children, young people and adults at a senior level within the NHS. With a registered general nursing and psychology background Simone has led the implementation of the external review into the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people across Sussex and now works as an external consultant. Simone is an accredited executive and senior level coach and mentor who is passionate about the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people and committed to ensuring their voice is heard and their influence maximised.
Michael Chawatama
As a trained mental health nurse, Michael spent the early part of his career working with children and adolescents on young people’s wards. Following this Michael moved onto managing Community CAMHS clinics across East Surrey where he worked closely with the local YMCA. Michael was also involved in leading on behalf of the local CCG, an emotional behavioural transformation project across West Surrey. After spending several years working as Head of Clinical Services in various private sector mental health organisations, he moved onto his current operational management role at Sunrise Senior Living.
Maggie Gairdner
Maggie is a registered General and Mental Health Nurse, and also has a law degree and masters in health management. Her experience includes working in a variety of health settings across several different organisations, including a number of years within secure mental health environments (including the prison service), both adult and children mental health, substance misuse services, as well as overseeing adult and children community health services. She has held a number of senior roles leading service improvement work. Maggie currently works as Director of Safety and Experience/ Deputy Chief Nurse/Patient Safety Specialist at Surrey and Borders Partnership Trust and prior to this, she was Director of Mental Health Services for Working Age Adults.
Damian Haley
Damian joined the Board of Trustees in August 2024, having worked for local and national social housing providers in a range of roles for over 25 years. Damian is currently Assistant Director - Development & Sales at Saxon Weald working across Sussex and he brings experience of affordable housing finance, management and developing new build schemes for homelessness and supported living. Damian is keen to support the positive difference that we can make to young people’s lives in providing opportunities to be who they want to be.
Tim-David Michaelsen
Tim-David's experience spans a diverse range of sectors, from social housing and health and social care to hospitality, retail and data analytics. This vast knowledge underscores his dedication to positive change management, cultural transformation, care, innovation, and inclusivity. Tim-David's passion for uplifting young people's life experiences is anchored in his Christian faith. As a trustee he aims to bring his experience in people and change management to advocate for creating the best possible work environments, ensuring both individual and organisational growth.
Catherine Parkinson
She is an experienced HR professional with a strong commitment to supporting young people. Her career includes senior roles at Goldman Sachs, American Express and, most recently, as Chief People Officer at Zetland Capital Partners. She specialises in early careers development, mentoring and coaching, and has supported programmes such as the Girls Network while leading DE&I initiatives throughout her career. Cath also has a strong interest in ESG and completed Cambridge University’s Business Sustainability course. She brings a thoughtful, values‑driven approach to leadership and a commitment to empowering young people and communities.
Gianluca Zucchelli
Gianluca has 15 years’ experience of working in the housing sector for vulnerable people, having started as a support worker. As a registered manager in London he achieved “outstanding” CQC rating in 2018. He currently works as head of operations for a national mental health charity, for which he is also the CQC nominated individual. Previously, Gianluca has worked as a journalist for over 20 years in Italy and UK; he holds an MA in Political Science and an MBA.
