Meet our team members and trustees
Our people
Mark Lever
Chief Executive
It was seeing the power of volunteering first hand that motivated me to move from the world of finance to the charity sector nearly 25 years ago – a move I have never regretted. I am now incredibly proud to be working with such a talented team who are all committed to maximising the impact of volunteering on the health and well being of local communities.
Maeve Hully
Director of Volunteering
As a trained nurse I understand the genuine value volunteers can bring to patients families and healthcare. As someone who has volunteered in an NHS hospital I know how truly rewarding the experience of volunteering can be. We have already had great commitment from health boards in the three countries and I am looking forward to developing them.
Paddy Hanrahan
Director of Strategy & Innovation
My personal driver is social change and Helpforce is a fantastic opportunity to help communities as well as support our brilliant NHS. Based on my own volunteering experience, the magic of helping other people is a win-win for all involved and should play a role in all of our lives.
Sally Williams
Helpforce Connect Network Manager
Every day I am humbled by the efforts of people who use their skills, time and compassion to help others. Volunteer managers across the NHS are creating opportunities for their volunteers to make a real difference to patients and staff and it is a privilege to work alongside inspirational healthcare professionals towards our shared vision of volunteer support for every patient.
Debbie Ambrose
Network Coordinator
Working with Helpforce has given me a unique opportunity to meet and work with an inspirational and dedicated team of talented people whose aim it is to improve people’s health and wellbeing with the help of volunteers. I’m just a small cog in this big wheel supporting the network team by coordinating network activities and website content for its members.
Maxine Moss-Black
Programme Manager
Through my experience of working with social impact organisations to design and develop and improve services, I’ve seen the growing value and benefit that volunteering services bring to the organisation, the volunteers and the community that they serve. It is this compelling reason that I am so excited and passionate to be a part of how Helpforce can work within the Health and Social Care sector to positively impact society.
Melissa Griffith
Programme Manager
From experience working within the health and care landscape I can see immense opportunity to unlock the value volunteers can bring to staff, patients and the wider community. Helpforce are truly committed to supporting health and care systems reap the benefits of volunteering and I am proud to be a member of this team and working with incredible healthcare professionals striving to unlock the full potential of volunteering.
Mark Burrett
Programme Manager
From my experience of co- designing innovative UK National employment programmes, supporting marginalised groups of people, to enable greater levels of social mobility. I have seen first-hand the benefits of volunteering and the experiential learning curve volunteers undergo themselves and the rewards it provides to others within our communities.
I am now very proud and excited to be working with amazing team here at Helpforce, in helping to grow our UK wide volunteering agendas within the Health and Social Care sector, in demonstrating the value of volunteering and subsequent benefits to our communities.
Sara Miles
Programme Manager
Having spent most of my career working and volunteering within the third sector for health-related charities, I am delighted to be part of the Helpforce team. I have seen first hand the benefits that volunteers can bring across health and care, to those experiencing health challenges and their families. I am passionate about the benefit of partnership working to ensure the needs of the whole community are supported and look forward to supporting organisations to harness these local partnerships.
Vy Tran
Communications and Content Manager
I’m fascinated by the power of volunteering and truly believe that volunteering plays an important role in our society. What appeals to me about Helpforce is the organisation’s ambition to embed volunteering within our healthcare system and a philosophy which embraces the values of kindness and compassion.
Peter Agbon
Digital Solutions Architect
People helping people for me is the most strongest force of being human. Digital Innovation and developments is my strategy to support this movement. Working with Helpforce is such a great opportunity to be part of something wonderful, as it focuses on harnessing the power of community and volunteering innovation within the Health and Social Care sector.
Kiran Sekhon
Research Analyst - Insight & Impact
Whilst working for the NHS, I gained first-hand experience of how important volunteering is to hospital staff, patients, and local communities. As a result, I am proud to be working at Helpforce, which has supporting health and care systems at the heart of their company. As a research analyst, my focus is to work alongside health and care systems to develop data collection tools and analyse data to gain an understanding about the impact of volunteers and develop strategies to boost their impact.
Sibel Akbiyik
Research Analyst
The passion that Helpforce has for promoting volunteering in Health and Social care through different strategies is my biggest motivation to be a member of this family. From my experience in the NHS and various research projects as a researcher, I am thrilled to use my skills to make a difference while helping others. And I feel lucky to be part of this journey.
Nikki Fojen
Insight and Impact Service Manager
Through years of working in the charitable sector, I have seen first-hand how vital volunteers are in delivering quality care, health and welfare services to our communities. My drive is to support as many organisations as possible to demonstrate the value and impact of voluntary services, to continue to harness and build upon the incredible support being offered. For me, therefore, it is a privilege to work for Helpforce, and alongside so many health and care organisations, who champion individuals giving their time to help others, ensuring their commitment and skills are recognised and celebrated.
Kate Crossan
Senior Data & Impact Analyst
My career break working in a clinical role in the NHS showed me how incredibly valuable volunteering can be in health and care. I'm thrilled to now be able to use my research and data experience to tangibly prove this value to others. Working for Helpforce and with people who are passionate and committed to continuing to grow the impact of volunteering is something I'm really proud of.
Our trustees
Sir Tom Hughes-Hallett
Founder and Chair
Dr Anna Dixon
Deputy Chair
Claire Riley
Trustee
Claire Newton
Trustee
Director of Resources, King’s College Hospital Charity