Biographies

Kathryn Arbery

Kathryn has worked in social housing for over 15 years at both local authorities and housing associations. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, has a degree in politics and philosophy and a post graduate diploma in housing. Kathryn currently works at Affinity Sutton. Kathryn's experience of working with vulnerable people has given her an insight into the work of Sussex Oakleaf and a family history of mental illness has motivated her to be part of the organisation. In her spare time Kathryn volunteers at a parent and toddler group and looks after her two young children.

Sue Darnell

Sue Darnell joined the Board of Sussex Oakleaf in March 2011 having retired as the HR Administrator for Sussex Oakleaf the previous year. Sue also returned to the organisation in July 2010 as a volunteer, when she set up Project Volunteer, to recruit, encourage and support the volunteers assisting in the various projects within the organisation. Previously in her career Sue obtained her Associateship of the Institute of Personnel & Development and became Head of HR for the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, and then went on to become the Office Manager for a large firm of Independent Financial Advisers where she obtained two further financial qualifications. Sue then semi-retired and went to work for Sussex Oakleaf for a very happy 3 years on a part-time basis before fully retiring, although she happily feels she has never really been away! Sue has been married for over 40 years and has two children, and two grandchildren. She is a keen football supporter and loves concert and theatre going, as well as being a member of Mid Sussex Choir.

Katie Coakes

After studying for a degree in African studies and a year at the London College of Fashion Katie spent 5 years in the fashion industry before moving to Sussex and into Public Relations. In 2009 she began working for Sussex Police Authority (which later became the Office of the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner) as the Communications Manager. She handled media relations, PR campaigns, crisis and change management communications, as well as overseeing the communications for one of the biggest changes to police accountability in the last century. She now looks after her toddler and works part time for a cloud-based software company that specialises in helping public sector organisations and charities to work better together, more efficiently. She also runs a small, part-time business, Roses All Over, hiring out vintage china and helps her brother with the PR and marketing for his newly launched Microbrewery.

Alison Lyon

Alison Lyon joined the Board in March 2011. She is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and hold a BA Honours degree in Social Psychology and an MA in Human Resource Management. Alison has held a number of senior HR management roles in the public sector, most recently as HR Director of Sussex Probation Area. Since 2008, Alison has worked as an independent HR Consultant and her clients include a variety of public, private and voluntary sector organisations. She also serves on the committees of Gymnastics’ Club in Brighton and a local play centre. Alison lives in Brighton with her husband and three young children.

Mark Day

Mark joined the Sussex Oakleaf Board September 2014. He has worked for Rydon Maintenance since February 2014 as Finance and Commercial Director. Initially working in construction with house builders Charles Church Developments and Berkley Homes he also has past property maintenance experience with Serco. Mark has worked in the construction related sectors of lifts and escalators as Finance Director of Kone UK and electronic security with Stanley Black & Decker as European Operations Finance Director. Mark has an economics degree and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Garry Martin

Garry joined our board in 2013. He commenced his career in the Construction Industry in Civil Engineering progressing into property development, spending an ever increasing amount of his time on charity and voluntary work, particularly in the fields of education and health. Specific areas of interest were children with special needs where he served as a Governor in several schools. He was appointed to the Chair of the Patients Advisory Forum (South Downs NHS Trust) followed by an appointment as Chair of the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. He undertook extensive work with the NHS Executive in the S E Region attached to a variety of committees and working parties. Garry has a wide variety of interests including, art, reading, motor sport, rugby, travel and fine wine and fine dining.

Graham Maunders - Chair

Graham has worked in housing and regeneration for many years: local authorities, housing associations, the Housing Corporation and regeneration companies - covering a wide range of functions: governance, service delivery, asset management, development, regulation, funding, regeneration & community development. In 2006 he established Graham Maunders Associates Housing & Regeneration Consultancy which focuses on governance, strategy and operational effectiveness. He was a Board member of Mid Sussex Housing Association, a statutory appointee to the Board of Brighton Housing Trust and Chaired the Homes for Crawley shadow Board. Graham is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He is a past Chair and member of the CIH South East Regional Board and a Board member of Lewes Community Land Trust. Graham has always lived in Sussex and has two children. His interests include music, football, motor sport, cooking and gardening.

Richard Pearson

Richard Pearson joined the Board in 2009. He is an economist and independent adviser on employment issues. Recent clients include major companies and public bodies in the UK and internationally. He is on the Board, and Chairs the audit committee of the Sussex Community Foundation (SCF), and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Leicester and the University of Sussex. Prior to this he has been a member of the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) which advises on salaries of the judiciary, senior armed forces, senior civil service, and MPs; Research Director at the Employability Forum which helps improve the integration of refugees in to employment; and for 12 years was Director of the independent Institute for Employment Studies (IES).

Tracy Evans

Tracy joined Sussex Oakleaf in April 2014. She has worked in housing for 30 years and is currently Head of Housing at Eastbourne Homes, responsible for the delivery of housing and support services to 4000 homes as well as the STEPS service to older people needing housing support in Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden. Prior to joining Eastbourne Homes, Tracy worked for a number of housing associations in the South East as well as working at the Housing Corporation. She has previous Board member experience and in July 2015 was elected as vice chair of the Board at Sussex Oakleaf. In her spare time, Tracy loves walking and is a member of the Ramblers and can be found most Sundays out in the Sussex countryside.

Nick Willmore

Nick joined the Board in 2013. Nick is a registered social worker who has been practicing since 1991. He started in child protection but then moved to working with adults in a number of roles. Having moved into management Nick spent four years as a performance specialist with the Audit Commission before setting up his own company (IAC) in 2005. Currently the company offers social work, nursing and project management support to health and social care organisations. In addition to running the company Nick is completing a doctorate at Birmingham University looking at the personalisation of services. In his spare time Nick maintains several classic cars and motorcycles, although his wife keeps asking if he could take up something smaller like stamp collecting so she can get into the garage. Nick has also been involved with choral groups; participating in national and international competitions. As well as offering a wide range of skills in social care and business, Nick has at times been a carer for family members. Along with meeting people with disabilities through work, Nick can also relate to the impact of a vulnerable person on those that are close to them. This brings a personal element to every decision about people and the services they need to support them.

Neil Curtis, CEO

Neil joined Sussex Oakleaf in August 2014 as Interim Director of Finance and IT, and was subsequently appointed CEO from January 2015. Neil brings with him almost 20 years of financial and managerial experience, from both media multi-nationals (BBC, Reuters), as well as more recently in the online publishing sector. He started his career in Billingshurst before moving to London via secondment in Holland. More recently Neil spent 18 months in California building an online genealogical business. Neil is a Sussex native, born and raised in East Grinstead, and now permanently settled in the county, so is well attuned to the local geography and culture. Outside of work, Neil enjoys all sports and is a former Sussex tennis champion in all age groups from 14 and up. He won a tennis scholarship to the US and spent 4 years playing and studying in the American South. While still a social tennis player these days Neil is more likely to be found on the golf course, where he is a keen but equally frustrated devotee of the game.

Elisabeth Saunders - Finance Manager

Elisabeth joined Sussex Oakleaf in February 2015 as Finance Manager. Having worked for over 12 years as Head of Finance in a leading international Business Travel Management Company in Brighton, she also worked in other business sectors including utilities and telecommunications, but more recently in not for profit organisations including a special needs residential school and college in Brighton and at the University of Sussex supporting the introduction of the concept of Finance Business Partnering within the Professional Services Team. Elisabeth is a fully qualified Global Management Accountant (CIMA) and as well as having a keen eye for the numbers is committed to the concept of business partnering; supporting the management of the organisation at all levels to achieve their goals and those of the organisation. With an adult son with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Elisabeth has had first hand experienced of the challenges faced by those with mental health issues, and has been involved in peer support groups and sat on Local Authority SEN Forums as a parent representative. She is currently a trustee of Flutewise, an organisation which supports young flute players and promotes music education both in the UK and Internationally.

Caspar Murphy, Director of Operations and Business Development

Caspar has worked in social care for over 25 years, predominantly within mental health organisations. Caspar’s experiences has enabled him to work with diverse communities across a broad range of locations, including Wandsworth, Southwark, Lambeth and, Hackney in London; Alloa in Scotland; Brighton and now in East & West Sussex. Caspar has worked as a volunteer, a support worker, a housing manager, a service manager, a trustee, operations director and as the director of a charity, and therefore has first hand experience of a variety of roles. Outside of Sussex Oakleaf, Caspar is a UKCP registered Psychotherapist, with over 18 years clinical experience, still seeing individuals on occasional evenings. He is also a trustee of a large inner city church in London.