Meet the team

Natalie is a social entrepreneur and non-exec director, with experience in the public, private and social sectors. She is CEO of Belu Water, an ethical drinks business that donates 100% of its net profit annually to WaterAid to help bring clean water and decent toilets to millions across the world. Natalie is deeply motivated by her values and a desire to see a UK without the need for food banks.

Bev is a consultant, lecturer, speaker and ordained ecumenical minister, with over 30 years’ experience working in areas including social & 'race' justice, diversity and politics – both internationally and in the UK. Bev has served in key roles including training in several theological colleges and Director of Evangelical Christians for Racial Justice.

Duncan is CEO of St-Martin-in-the Fields Charity working to tackle homelessness across the UK. He previously worked at Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales and Crisis leading policy, research, communications and campaigns to influence public policy and practice. He has also worked in central and local government and is Chair of Trustees at Switchback, a charity supporting young men leaving prison.

Louise is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics at Birmingham Newman University. She researches and teaches philosophy and ethics, with a focus on the history of philosophy and contemporary ethics. Her work in the teaching and development of Catholic Social Thought, particularly its challenge to structural injustice and its promotion of solidarity and the common good, led her to join Trussell.

Sarah is CEO of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), which supports charities and volunteers across England. She started at NCVO in 2020 as Director of Public Policy and Volunteering. Sarah has held a number of senior roles in the voluntary sector. Her career started in local government, working for the Mayor of London.

Suresh is a non-executive director at NHS Somerset, where he chairs the Primary Care Commissioning Committee, and at NHS Dorset HealthCare. He serves as a Co-Chair of Literature Works, as a board director of Norland College, and is an advisory council member of the British Library. An Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset, he joined Trussell following a motivating experience at the Genesis Trust.

Tom qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC, before moving into leadership roles at large UK charities; Barnardo’s, the National Trust and Community Integrated Care. He has operated at senior levels across a range of disciplines, including finance, strategy, change and technology. His desire to join the Trussell Board was driven by the charity’s mission to address the underlying issues that lead to hunger and poverty.

Sasha has been a campaigner on poverty and inequalities issues for over a decade. She re-established the Social Mobility Commission in 2018 and was its director for five years. During her career, she worked at the Department for Education, advised No. 10 on international development and trade issues, held senior roles at the Department of Communities and Local Government, and was Chief Operating Officer of the National Infrastructure Commission.

Ed is the Head of Strategy and Planning at the Premier League, where he focuses on strategic change initiatives. In a decade at the business, Ed has worked in Strategy, Business Intelligence and Commercial functions. Prior to joining, he worked at the research consultancy Yonder. Ed has been a supporter of Trussell for some time and is passionate about the critical role food banks play, while equally being frustrated at their ‘normalisation’.

Ross is CEO of Ramblers, campaigning for responsible access to nature and seeking to play a part in addressing some of the deep-rooted social challenges of our time through the act of getting out walking in nature. Prior to this Ross was Deputy CEO at Scouts leading initiatives that empower volunteers and support young people to develop skills for life, and was CEO at WorldSkills UK championing further education, skills and apprenticeships.

Emma is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience across the charity and social enterprise sectors. Emma is Chair of the Board of Trustees at Edinburgh Food Project, which provides emergency food and support services to individuals and families in crisis across Edinburgh. Beyond this, Emma provides interim leadership and consultancy to organisations undergoing change, and volunteers on the board of her local development trust. 

Andrew is an experienced professional with a diverse career spanning leadership roles in consumer brands, community service and strategic governance, including as a Director of Centrica, where he first came into contact with Trussell. In this role, he worked alongside Trussell to co-ordinate the delivery of 50,000 food parcels per month during pandemic lockdowns. He is a trustee of Wokingham Foodbank and also of Reading FC Community Trust.

Val is a social justice advocate and speaker, particularly focusing on poverty and the failures of the UK’s social security system – drawing on her own experience from sufficiency to seeking help from food banks. Val has been a lived experience partner at Trussell for the past four years, and has spoken frequently on behalf of Trussell at political, community and faith-based events, and has also worked to co-develop our new strategic framework.