About Me

I’ve been working and volunteering in the charity sector for over 20 years, most recently as CEO of Self Injury Support, via a wide range of roles from facilitating peer support groups and community advocacy spaces to large scale project management, including setting up and running helplines, peer support services, conferences and training programmes. 

As a CEO I specialised in organisational strategy and infrastructure development, partnership working across the voluntary sector, NHS, local authorities and universities, development of new services and diversifying fundraising. 

Alongside these core functions, I have led organisations through a range of financial and strategic challenges and ensured a strategic focus on supporting and enhancing staff wellbeing and improving diversity, inclusion and representation both within the staff team and in service reach, setting up partnerships to offer better representation and support to a wider range of people. 

Peer support and the solidarity of shared experience have been fundamental to shaping who I am both professionally and personally and have been core to all of my roles.

I love supporting the development of spaces where people can receive the support they need on an equitable basis, as well as discover the huge value they can bring to others.

Background and Experience

I started my journey in the voluntary sector in 2001 in roles at Edinburgh University’s Student Advice Service and Health in Mind’s Mental Health Resource Centre alongside being part of the team running Edinburgh University’s Nightline helpline service and facilitating a mental health peer support group.

My support group work led me to become a Development Worker for CAPS Advocacy in 2009, supporting people with mental health diagnoses to campaign for better support through lobbying, policy involvement and designing and delivering experience-led training.

I then moved on to run a volunteer mentoring project for people with mental health and addiction issues at Volunteer Bristol in 2013, before joining Self Injury Support to run their national helpline service in 2014 and becoming CEO in 2017.

I also have experience as a trustee for experience-led organisations SISH Bristol and Walk a Mile and like to keep my hand in as a volunteer supporting my local Repair Café and working with local community groups to develop funding streams.

My breadth of experience means I have a wide-ranging view of how multi-faceted and complex working in the voluntary sector can be, and lots of expertise, ideas and enthusiasm for resolving the challenges this can bring.