Stephen Unwin Expand Stephen has been the KIDS Chairman since November 2016. Stephen founded the English Touring Theatre in 1993 and opened the Rose Theatre in Kingston in 2008. He has been an Artistic Director and Chief Executive for 21 years. He is a hugely experienced theatre and opera director, has written eight books and taught in universities and colleges in Britain and the United States. He was a Community Governor at Whitefield Schools and Centre, the largest special school in Europe, and is a campaigner for the rights and opportunities of people with learning disabilities. Stephen is a father of a severely disabled young man who has benefitted from KIDS services.
Austin Erwin Expand American-born and a resident of the UK for over 25 years. BA Degree in History from Boston University and MBA from Wharton. Extensive experience in international banking and finance, particularly in the Middle East. Currently focussed on corporate and financial institution restructuring. Outside interests include white-water canoeing, SCUBA and skiing. Governor of Smallwood Primary School and Language Unit, Tooting, London. Married with children; two of whom have special learning needs, both benefitted from the KIDS Lady Allen Playground. Lives in Wandsworth, London
Kerry Crichlow Expand Kerry is an associate Consultant at Hall Aitken. She has substantial successful experience of leading the development and implementation of strategy, policy and commissioning, with a focus on reviewing effectiveness of these change programmes to ensure measurable impact on the lives of the most vulnerable children, young people and their families.
Richard Pogrel Expand Richard is a partner at the global law firm White & Case LLP. He brings to the Board the skills of an experienced legal practitioner. Richard qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and specializes primarily in finance. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees since January 2014, having had involvement with KIDS since 2008. As well as a Trustee, Richard is also an active member of the KIDS Finance and Audit Committee (which is made up of Trustees and non-Trustees), on which he has served since February 2010. He has also provided ad hoc pro bono legal advice to KIDS on various matters ranging back to 2009. From 2008 to 2010, Richard was part of the KIDS Young Fundraising Committee and helped to organize, among other things, the KIDS annual Halloween fundraiser. Richard has also participated in other fundraising events on behalf of KIDS, including running the New York Marathon.
Zoe Peden Expand Zoe Peden is an award winning technology entrepreneur and impact investor who for the last decade has focussed on building impactful tech to help children and adults with speech, language and communication needs. Zoe is experienced in working across education, health and social care and is driven by helping families get access and the most effective support for their needs.
Sam Bowerman Expand Sam is the HR Director for the Customer Businesses that sit within NatWest Holdings. These are Personal Banking, Commercial Banking and Private Banking. Personal Banking includes the Ulster Bank business in the Republic of Ireland. Sam also provides HR support to Bó, the new companion account from NatWest. In her role as HRD, Sam is responsible for the development and execution of the People Strategies in each of these businesses in conjunction with the overall Bank HR strategy and risk appetite. To help her do this, Sam leads a team of HR Business Partners and Consultants based in Edinburgh, London, Manchester and Belfast with a further team aligned to Ulster Bank Ireland in Dublin. Sam graduated in Economics and Management studies and is a Fellow of the CIPD. Sam is married to Andy and they have 2 daughters, Phoebe and Jessica.
Steven Clarke Expand Steven has worked as a volunteer since 1987 in the field of children with special needs. He campaigns tirelessly for better services and more resources in order to deliver nothing less than world class support services to children and families. Following his personal experience of respite care in children's hospices and having supported fund raising for the Wessex Children's Hospice, [Naomi House], he collaborated with Hampshire County Council to establish a new charity dedicated to providing respite care wherever the child was - in the home, at school, in hospital or on holiday! In 2017 SMILE, merged with KIDS to continue the journey. In his personal life Steven has had a career in I.T, new technology and "big data", In recent times, renewable energy and de-carbonisation projects have been his main focus. He has had roles at IBM, Oracle and Lockheed Martin and before joining Centrica, led the development of a start up to provide services to balance the national grid. His current focus is on de-carbonising power with exciting projects such as a large tidal scheme, electric vehicle charging and energy storage.
Mary-Rachel McCabe Expand Mary-Rachel McCabe is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. She specialises in mental capacity and community care law, with a focus on children and disability rights cases. She regularly acts in urgent judicial review proceedings for children who are street homeless or otherwise in need of support or accommodation. She also represents disabled children and adults in judicial review proceedings relating to their care packages. Prior to joining the Bar, Mary-Rachel worked at children’s rights charity, Just for Kids Law. She also sat on the Board of Trustees at Hackney Community Law Centre from 2012-2016, where her interest in social welfare law was sparked. Mary-Rachel has contributed to Disabled Children: A Legal Handbook (Legal Action Group, Third Edition, 2020).
Anna Hamilton Expand Anna trained as a cellist at the Royal Academy of Music and did a Masters in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS before becoming (rather less excitingly) a civil servant. She is currently at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), where she is leading a programme of work to test the safety and feasibility of converting the national gas grid to 100% hydrogen. Before joining BEIS Anna spent over eight years in the Department for Education in a range of strategy, policy and delivery roles, most recently as Head of Regional Delivery for North West London and South Central England. Anna’s family have benefitted from KIDS’ support; her youngest daughter received portage home-learning and they have all enjoyed the many activities and outings organised by the wonderful team at KIDS Southwark.
Diana Sutton Expand Diana is an award-winning charity leader with over 30 years in UK and international disability and children’s charities. Currently Director of The Bell Foundation, a Cambridge based education charity, she has previously worked in different leadership, senior management, public policy, government relations and campaigning roles in the third sector. Diana was previously Head of Policy and Public Affairs for the NSPCC and prior to that Head of Save the Children’s office in Brussels. From 2006-2013, she was a Trustee of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England. Earlier in her early career Diana worked as researcher to European Parliament’s Disability Group of MEPs and prior to that as researcher to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability. She also has personal experience of disability as a sibling.
Sanjay Nair Expand Sanjay Nair is a Chartered Accountant and Management Accountant with 28 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry. He is currently the Head of Finance for Commercial Banking in HSBC, UK (one of the largest single businesses in the HSBC Group) and serves as director on the Board of HSBC Equipment Finance Limited. He has previously worked for GE in varied leadership roles and S&P as a banking analyst. In a career spanning stints in Asia and Europe, he has successfully discharged Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer roles in the HSBC Group. This diverse leadership experience enables Sanjay to bring deep and broad expertise in Finance and Strategy as well as governance experience on Boards in an executive and non-executive capacity. He has served on Central Bank and Regulator Committees in India and Jersey. Sanjay serves as Chairman on Cluster Board at Reach2, the largest primary school Academy Trust in England, in line with his interest in supporting children’s education. He has had proximate family experience in observing the challenges that disabled children and their parents face and is committed to help alleviate them.