Meet Our Team

"I am passionate about the VCSE sector and its role in supporting communities, and love that my role supports the development of a thriving sector in Gloucestershire".

Emily is our Research and Development Officer. Emily has worked in the VCSE sector for over 15 years for both large national organisations and local organisations. During this time, Emily has developed expertise in research and data analysis in areas such as policy, advocacy, service improvements and strategy development.

Emily's role includes providing our team with a range of data which helps inform decsion making and enables us to develop services which meet both the current and emerging needs of groups & organisations across the county. Emily also supports our team to create data reports such as our State of the Sector Report and the reports in the data & insights section of our website.

Emily is our in-house Microsoft Power BI expert and builds a range of data dashboards for the sector and our partners. This includes our Charity dashboard and Community Interest Company (CIC) dashboard Community Interest Company (CIC) dashboard that you can find on the data & insights section of our website.

Outside of work Emily is a Governor for a local school and runs a reading for pleasure group for children.

Emily's usual working days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I believe good things come when we unite around shared vision and values – helping VCSE organisations and commissioners to find their common ground and be creative in working together is hugely rewarding”

Rob is our Head of Strategic Partnerships. Rob is a social worker by training and has worked in charities, statutory organisations and social enterprises for over two decades, including 7 years as CEO at Age UK Gloucestershire. 

Rob’s role is all about facilitating relationships between VCSE organisations and commissioners – and between VCSE organisations too – so that there is more effective local partnership working in the delivery of services and support to our communities. 

In his spare time, Rob is a trustee of a small young people’s counselling and mental health charity called ‘In Charley’s Memory’. In Charley's Memory was set up by the family of a young man who took his own life.

Rob works 18 hours a week flexibly over the week, meaning he tends to be available at some point most days.

“I love my job because every day is different, and I have the privilege of working with so many VCSE groups & organisations across the county” 

Cate is our Head of Sector Innovation. Cate has worked in a wide range of roles across sectors on a local, national and international scale. Cate has worked in the voluntary sector for over thirty-five years. 

Cate's role involves identifying opportunities which support, develop and sustain VCSE organisations. Cate's work includes supporting local groups & organisations to identify funding opportunities and delivering funding support. 

Cate also oversees our training & events programme for the sector, such as our Trustee Refresher Programme and our ‘Thriving’ leadership programme. In her free time, Cate is the Chair of a local and a national charity. 

Cate’s usual working days are Monday to Wednesday. 

"I want to make a difference and help make Gloucestershire an even more amazing place to live!"

Wendy is our Communications Coordinator. Wendy provides a range of communications support to our team and coordinates our membership programme. 

With a background in magazines and digital content, Wendy also helps create our newsletters and bulletins.

As the first port of call for membership and newsletter subscriber requests, Wendy aims to promote our work as much as possible.

In her spare time, Wendy helps out at Imagine Therapeutic Arts and the Cotswold Players in Stroud. Both experiences have demonstrated to Wendy how important volunteers are in creating healthy and happy communities.

Wendy's usual working days are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"I believe that the power of community is the only force that can genuinely reduce inequalities in our society, and that a well-resourced and empowered VCSE sector is the best way of harnessing that power"

Matt is our Chief Executive Officer. Matt's ethos is that the VCSE sector is better together, and that a joined up sector is greater than the sum of its parts. Matt is dedicated to breaking down barriers to siloed working, relationship building and facilitating cross sector working. This approach is core to our mission and embedded in all that we do.

Matt is passionate about the VCSE sector as an agent for social change. Matt strongly believes that VCSE organisations make up an integral part of the communities they serve, and their dedication, reach, agility and quality mean they make up an incredibly important part of the support at a hyperlocal level.

Matt is committed to achieving our ambition to be a modern, ambitious, data driven infrastructure organisation, capable of supporting a fast changing dynamic VCSE sector in Gloucestershire. 

Matt's usual working days are Monday to Friday.

“I love the variety of the work here… no two days are the same, and it’s interesting to see the breadth of VCSE provision in the county. It’s also great to be a cog in the machine that keeps the incredible VCSE sector in Gloucestershire rolling!” 

Karen is our Business Director. Karen previously worked as a Departmental Accountant at the University of Gloucestershire and has a background in public sector finance. 

Karen’s role involves managing our back-office functions such as finance, payroll, insurance, policies, and HR.

Karen's usual working days are Monday to Friday.

"Knowing that my work is making a positive difference to our sector, local people and communities is extremely rewarding. I particuarly enjoy working across all of our projects and with the range of diverse groups & organisations that we work with daily".

Holly is our Head of Communications. Holly oversees all of our communications, including our newsletters, social media and website.

Holly works closely with our team to create, develop and deliver marketing & communication plans, campaigns and strategies.

Holly has also just started to work with the sector to help them use our communications as a platform to showcase their work and demonstrate their impact.

Holly's usual working days are Monday to Thursday. 

"I enjoy getting involved with the range of amazing projects in the county and hearing people's stories”

Jill is our Head of Operations. Jill’s background is in consultancy to VCSE sector organisations, with a particular focus on turning national policy into practice and coproducing initiatives that address health inequalities. 

Jill’s role involves ensuring that the VCSE sector is represented and embedded in Gloucestershire's health and care system.

Jill is passionate about supporting a vibrant and diverse community sector in Gloucestershire. In her free time, Jill is a qualified executive coach and volunteers as a coach to leaders in the sector. 

Jill’s usual working days are Monday to Thursday. 

"I'm always happy to support anyone looking to get involved in volunteering across Gloucestershire".

Sophie is passionate about making volunteering in Gloucestershire easy, accessible, and meaningful for everyone.

As our Go Volunteer Glos Support Co-ordinator, she supports the county's online volunteering platform-keeping it up to date, supporting individuals to find roles that suit their interests, and helping organisations to promote their opportunities and connect to potential volunteers.

With a strong background in the VCSE sector, and as a Volunteer Co-ordinator, Sophie has always placed volunteering at the heart of everything she does. 

Sophie's usual working days are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

"I love being able to support such a variety of incredible organisations across Gloucestershire and to see first hand the amazing work that volunteers are doing across the county - their impact on their communities is truly inspiring"

Emma manages Go Volunteer Glos. Emma oversees the online platform and supports organisations to develop their volunteer roles.

Emma also works to strategically strengthen volunteering across Gloucestershire, making it the best county to volunteer in. Emma has worked for a variety of charities during her career and has a range of experience supporting and training volunteers, as well as developing volunteering strategies. 

Being a part of the VCSE sector is something that has always been important to Emma, with volunteering always at the heart it all.

Emma's usual working days are Monday to Thursday.

James is the Director of Communications, Engagement and Involvement at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

James has a wealth of senior leadership experience, across national and international organisations, where he has led on improving staff experience, building community partnerships with voluntary and charitable groups, and delivering public involvement and consultations to ensure local voices shape how services are provided.

Kit serves as the Education and Community Officer, Academic Board member, and Board of Trustee member at the University of Gloucestershire's Students' Union, where he represents student interests and contributes to academic and strategic initiatives.

Kit also actively participates in the Cheltenham Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) committee, working towards policies to address and prevent gender-based violence. Kit's commitment to innovation is evident through his involvement in the Curriculum Transformation Project and the Awarding Gap Steering Group, where he promotes co-creation and utilises demographic data to inform course content and tutors.

Holding a degree in History, Kit has previously interned in finance sectors, including roles at ADASS and leading lending institutions in the UK. Recently, he initiated a salsa class to introduce and celebrate diverse cultural traditions in a predominantly white area.

Karen is the CEO of Mindsong. 

Mindsong creates and provides services across Gloucestershire that are tailored for people living with dementia and their family and friends, helping to support wellbeing, decrease isolation, develop new relationships, and bring joy through music. Mindsong offers clinical Music Therapy sessions, community singing groups and volunteer-led singing with residents in care homes. They also aim to increase awareness and understanding of dementia through training and education.

Mindsong uses the same skills to deliver supportive singing groups to improve breathing and quality of life for people with respiratory conditions, heart failure and Long Covid.

Karen has spent her entire career in the arts (in some form or another), celebrates the fact that we are surrounded by good people doing good things most of the time and is never without a book or a biscuit. 

Abdul is currently Head of Inequalities & Prevention Programme at NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Abdul has over 30 years’ experience of in working in community, health and social care settings. Formerly a CEO of a health charity and a Healthwatch in Blackburn (Lancashire) for 12 years, Abdul also worked in local government developing community development projects and involving community in major regeneration schemes, as well as, as a youth and community worker for 10 years.

Abdul has spent over 20 years in governance roles in a voluntary capacity which include primary schools, high schools and special schools. Becoming chair of a CVS and a board member of a large social landlord as well as a member on the Lancashire Police Crime Commissioners Panel.

Abdul is passionate about giving people a voice, in particular those who are most vulnerable and on the margins of society.

Julie is our Chair and is currently the CEO at Headway Gloucestershire.

At Headway Gloucestershire, Julie is responsible for ensuring that the organisation operates effectively and delivers the right services, to the right people at the right time.

Julie has over 30 years’ leadership experience in the charity, public and private sectors, including change leadership, human resources, and all-round support for businesses to help increase turnover, profit and productivity.

Julie has worked intensively with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion matters in every sector and always puts the individual at the centre of the organisation. Her ethos is very much about Communication, Collaboration and Courage. 

Janette is Grants & Social Value Officer for Bromford Housing. 

Janette has a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit and charitable organisations, supporting Charities across Gloucestershire to obtain grant funding and to support improvements in Governance.