Our Executive Leadership Team & Governing Body
No one understands more about putting people at the heart of everything we do than our Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Their combination of skills, knowledge and personal experience has been vital to our success.
They are supported by a diverse Board of Trustees who help steer our direction as an organisation with their wide range of skills and high level experience. As an organisation that champions diversity and inclusion, we ensure there is a permanent position on the board for a person with learning disabilities. We were delighted when Richard Keagan-Bull became the second individual with disabilities to be appointed to our board in 2013.
Executive Leadership Team
Holly Spiers
Chief Executive
Holly joined Walsingham Support as Chief Executive on Monday 12th September 2022. Holly joined having over 20 years’ experience working in the charity sector, 10 years of which was working in the Hospice sector and at Sue Ryder in various senior leadership…
Tom Sharples
Director of Operations & Engagement
Tom joined Walsingham Support on 17th October 2022 as Director of Operations and Engagement. Tom has had a career in social care spanning over 20 years starting as a support worker in learning disabilities and fell in love with the work.Since then, Tom…
Brian O'Donoghue
Director of People & Engagement
Brian joined Walsingham Support on 3rd October 2022 as Director of People & Engagement. Brian has had a career in Human Resources spanning over 30 years with a number of Director roles across multiple sectors. Brian brings a wealth of experience…
Sarah Servantes
Interim Director of Finance & Commercial
Sarah joined Walsingham Support on 1st November 2022 as Interim Director of Finance & Commercial. Sarah has had a career in finance spanning 25 years, working in senior finance roles across a range of industries and moving to the charity sector in…
Governing Body
Robert Longley-Cook
Chair of Trustees
Robert joined the Walsingham Support Board of Trustees as Chair Designate in May 2022, and took on the role of Chair in September 2022. Robert has a wealth of experience in both the commercial and third sector, where he has successfully held a number…
Liz Edwards
Trustee
Liz joined the Walsingham Support board of trustees in April 2016. Liz has over 30 years’ experience within HR and has been responsible for resolving staffing issues in a range of charities, including Action for Blind People, NSPCC, St Joseph’s Hospice…
Richard Keagan-Bull
Trustee
A Walsingham Support trustee since July 2013, Richard brings his personal experiences of services for people with a learning disability to the board. He attended a residential college in Shropshire for 17 years, but has lived independently in his own…
Mark Best
Trustee
Mark joined the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2017. He is a founding Partner and Director of Midtown Capital Ltd who are responsible for the delivery of major development projects across the wider South East. He holds a number of directorships and…
Lal Heaton
Trustee
Lal joined the Walsingham Support board in December 2017.Lal originally trained as a Speech and Language Therapist, and holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Organisation of the Public Sector.She has over 20 years’ experience in the public sector,…
Cadanna Llewellyn-Peart
Trustee
Cadanna joined the board in 2018, after having recently completed a Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Middlesex, attaining the grade of Distinction. Here she won the award of Student Voice Leader of the Year, after her key role…
Paul MacDonald
Trustee
Paul joined the Board in 2019 with the objective of making a difference. He has varied experience in steering change across multiple customer focused sectors, countries and cultures. The first member of his family to attend university, Paul is ambitious…
Ramya Vadivel
Trustee
Ramya joins the organisation with strong values believing truth always prevails and diligence and responsibility make a team, work. These values along with her experience in project management, as a Customer Success Account Manager allows her to support…
David Walji
Trustee
David joined the board in 2021 with a wealth of international, strategic, digital communications and stakeholder management experience. David's lived experience positions him as an ideal addition to the board of trustees. His vision for Walsingham Support…
Sarah Miller
Trustee
Sarah has been Chief Executive of Papworth Trust since May 2018, a disability charity providing accessible housing, employment services, care, learning and leisure activities and opportunities for hundreds of disabled people in the East of England. Sarah…
Damian Bridgeman
Trustee
Joining Walsingham Support Community Solutions in 2021, Damian became a Trustee with a wealth of personal and professional experience. In July 2022, Damian became a Trustee for Walsingham Support. In 2005 and 2006, respectively, Damian was awarded a…
Nikki Craig
Trustee
Nikki Craig was a trustee for Walsingham Support Community Solutions, and became a trustee for Walsingham Support in September 2022. Nikki is Head of Community Engagement at Amazon. For many years prior to that she was SVP HR UK and Ireland at DHL Supply…
Honorary President & Vice President
Mark Snell
Honorary President
Along with his wife Anne, Mark is the original founder of Walsingham Support. They have two sons, the younger of whom, Matt, has a learning disbaility. Back in 1980 he sold his Travel Agency business to work with people with learning disabilities…
Heather Benjamin
Honorary Vice President
Heather was elected as Walsingham Support’s Chair of Trustees in October 2013 and stepped down in July 2019. She was delighted to be appointed as Honorary Vice President. With over 30 years’ experience in the commercial and voluntary sector, Heather’s…
Maddy Thomson
Honorary Vice President
Maddy was the first chair of Walsingham Support Community Solutions, whilst also serving on the Board of Walsingham Support as Vice Chair. She was delighted to be appointed as Honorary Vice President. She is passionate about facilitating inclusion in…
Deven Pillay
Honorary Vice President
Deven has been involved with Walsingham support since 2003, and was attracted to join the board of Walsingham Support by the alignment of the organisation’s values with his own; those of supporting the less advantaged, the rights of individuals and promoting…
Donna Clark
Honorary Vice President
Donna joined the Walsingham Support board in July 2013 and was elected as Chair of the Finance Committee in September 2014. Currently working as the Finance Manager at a charity supporting young people in work based training, Donna has experience in…
“My personal experience enables me to understand what other people with learning disabilities may want from their service which other Trustees may not be aware of”
Richard Keagan-Bull - Trustee for Walsingham Support