Meet Our Trustees

Jenny Coles

Appointed Chair: February 2023

Jenny Coles is a qualified as a social worker and has been a senior manager in Local Authority Children’s Services since 1997.  She has worked extensively in children’s safeguarding, looked after children and quality assurance, and has also managed integrated youth and youth justice services, education and Special Educational Needs and Disability.  Jenny became Director of Children’s Services Hertfordshire County Council in 2010 and retired in August 2021.  Jenny was President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) from April 2020 – April 2021.  She has been a trustee of Coram since 2017 and is currently a member of the National Children’s Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.

 

 

Richard Fass

Appointed as Treasurer: January 2021

Richard is a Londoner and a Chartered Accountant. He was previously CEO of the Jewish Chronicle Newspaper and Head of Finance of the Alzheimer’s Society.

He has been a non-executive director of Central and North West London NHS Mental Health Trust, chairing the Audit Committee, board Complaints Convenor, chaired inquiries into suicides on ward and chaired Manager’s Hearings for patients detained under the Mental Health Act. He was a Non-Executive Director of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and served on various committees.

He has been treasurer, trustee and volunteer for several other health related charities including 10 years as Treasurer of the Centre for Mental Health. He is currently a volunteer with the Court Witness Service at the Old Baily helping witnesses & victims to/of serious crimes through process of giving evidence in court. He also supports “litigants in person” at the Central Family Court.

 

Daisy Ryan

Appointed Trustee: January 2021

Daisy has a background in trust and foundation grant-making including roles at Tudor Trust, John Lyon’s Charity, The Henry Smith Charity and five years at BBC Children in Need across both the Grants Team and the Funding Partnerships Team. She is currently managing the portfolio of children and young people’s work at Fidelity UK Foundation. She has been an Independent Visitor for many years – which she hugely enjoys! – and is the former chair of the National Independent Visitor Network steering group which works to support, promote and improve IV services. Daisy is a former trustee of the Kensington and Chelsea Social Council and is committed to strengthening the voice of the voluntary sector and promoting the fantastic work of diverse community groups.

 

 

Jonny Hoyle

Appointed Trustee: June 2017

Jonny is a 32 year old care leaver. He has three children and was a social worker in Scarborough in North Yorkshire until July 2017 when he left to manage a Leaving Care Team.

Jonny helped to set up the charity A National Voice when he was 18 and was a trustee of the charity and chair for 8 years until it became a part of Coram Voice in 2017.

Between 2003 and 2013, Jonny was a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children. From 2011 and 2013 he was a member of the Social Work Reform Board which worked to change Social Work and develop the College of Social Work.

Jonny continues to advocate for and with young people in and leaving care. He was presented with an award by Tony Blair in 2005 for his work with young people; received a “Making a difference” award by North Yorkshire County Council; was named in the 2009 “who’s who” of Britain’s youngest directors and in 2016 was a finalist in the Social Worker of the Year Awards.

 

Rachel Malik

Appointed Trustee: March 2023

Rachel is an Investment Advisor and is passionate about ESG, climate and impact investing. Rachel graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BA Hons in Economic and Social History. During her undergraduate degree she was awarded 4 international scholarships which allowed her to study across the globe. In 2016 she was awarded a scholarship to study her Masters in Beijing. Rachel graduated with a Masters in World Economics and Chinese Studies in 2018. Rachel is passionate about equality and social mobility. She is a One Young World Ambassador and the Co-Chair of the Women in Banking and Finance’s UK Future Leader’s Shadow Board.

 

Roger Black

Appointed Trustee: March 2016

Roger has degrees in Architecture and Business Management.  He brings a wealth of experience to the Coram Voice board through his background in business. He is currently a creative Director within the real-estate industry.  He has specialist skills in corporate strategy, leadership, communications, product design and branding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Venosi

Appointed Trustee: April 2017

Kevin Venosi worked in the public sector for over 35 years originally in the commercial arena but later leading on major government projects and programmes. Kevin worked for 15 years at the Youth Justice Board as Director of Operations and Commissioning providing strategic leadership for the effective provision of youth justice services across the secure custodial estate.  Kevin is passionate about improving services delivered to children and particularly those who come into contact with the youth justice system and he is a strong advocate for the safe and appropriate care of children held deprived of their liberty.

Kevin is also the Chair of the Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust which is a charity dedicated to providing community mentors to young people leaving custody to support their effective resettlement.

 

Dr Pui-Ling Li

Appointed trustee: February 2023

Dr Li is a Trustee of Coram and a member of the Children’s Services Committee, and has recently been appointed Chair of the External Affairs Group. Dr Li has spent many years working as a public health physician in the NHS.  Also qualified as a GP, her roles have included the regional Consultant in Public Health Medicine for the NHS in  London from 1997 to 2000. She was also the Head of the Chief Medical Officer’s Corporate Development Unit for the Department of Health from 2000 to 2002; and from 2003 to 2009 she was the Director of Public Health in Waltham Forest, a deprived London borough. More recently Dr Li has taken on the position of Deputy Regional Director – System Delivery in Public Health England (London). She is also the founder and Chair of the Chinese National Healthy Living Centre in the UK.

 

 

Nia Thomas

Appointed Trustee: January 2021

Nia was born and grew up in west Wales, moving to Cardiff to study Law and Japanese in the mid 90s.  She began her career in the NHS, where she stayed for nearly 10 years working in local and national roles whilst studying her masters in public services.  She moved to local government in the late 2000s to co-ordinate and manage early years and family support services, working closely with children’s social services and education. In 2006, Nia qualified as a reflexologist and practiced for 10 years until returning to university to study a doctorate in business administration, having recently submitted her thesis for examination.  Nia was sworn in as a magistrate over 10 years ago and has sat on both adult courts and family panels.  Nia moved to London nearly 2 years ago and now works at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

 

 

Sharon Reid

Appointed Trustee: February 2019

Sharon has more than 20 years marketing experience gained across agency and private sector businesses; facilitating the development and delivery of customer engagement plans.

Alongside Sharon’s marketing career, she has always had an interest in people; looking to work directly to guide, advise and help in aspects of personal and career development. Having trained as a mentor, Sharon is experienced with working with individuals to support them in the delivery of personal goals by looking at alternative ways of thinking and problem solving, in addition to helping them have a voice to express their dreams or concerns to achieve their ambitions.