Our services are overseen by a board of trustees who meet regularly and work closely with our CEO and staff team.
Jill Thompson – Chair. Jill is a perinatal psychotherapist and relationship therapist with over 30 years’ experience. Her career has included assessing and supporting families who were engaged in fostering and adopting children in care in Lambeth and setting up, delivering and expanding a perinatal mental health service for Battersea Counselling Centre. Jill also worked as a school counsellor at a Wandsworth SureStart Centre and as a visiting clinician for the Tavistock’s Parenting Together Service.
Julie Ferguson – Treasurer. Julie is COO/Partner of Ashenden Capital Management LLP, a London-based, FCA-authorised investment advisory company. She has steered the business through strategic changes including FCA regulation of the management company, negotiation of legal contracts, company legal and tax structuring, and set up of all procedural and compliance documentation.
Dr Gertrude Seneviratne. Trudi is lead consultant for the specialist perinatal psychiatric service at the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Trust. She is a member and Vice Chair of the National Clinical Reference Group, NHS England and an active member of the ‘All Party-Political Group (APPG) 1001 Critical Days Campaign’. Working with charities such as NSPCC and Best Beginnings Trudi has contributed to the development of national guidelines and protocols for perinatal mental health services in UK. Currently Chair of the Perinatal Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Trudi leads the work on perinatal services, training/education and research.
Clare Harland. Clare is a psychotherapist whose previous career includes research and advisory work at New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), a consultancy and think tank that supports charities and funders to maximise their social impact, and grant management for a charity that funds education, health and livelihoods projects in South Asia.
Victoria Wright. Vicki is COO of the charity ThinkForward, and was previously Head of Finance and Operations for Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest. She has experience of overseeing financial processes and ensuring compliance with SORP and Charity Commission guidance and has a track record of securing high value tenders, trust and grant income. She is also a former trustee of Charlton Toy Library.
Mercy Browne. Mercy is a specialist perinatal mental health nurse for Oxleas Mental Health Trust, who has been working in the perinatal field since 2007. She has also been Lecturer in the Transcultural Effect of Perinatal Mental Illness at Glasgow University.
Dr Nupur Yogarajah. Nupur is a GP who qualified from Royal Free and University College Medical School in 2006. Over the years she has developed an interest in women’s, children’s and mental health. Nupur is the South East London Perinatal Mental Health Champion 2019, which has given her the opportunity to raise awareness of Perinatal Mental Health with primary care teams locally. She also works for Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group, giving her knowledge of local health structures and funding.
Hazel Pearson. Hazel is a senior lawyer experienced in advising companies and in law firms on UK and EU law, with a focus on competition law and other regulated areas. Currently, writing on EU law and Brexit at Thomson Reuters, her previous roles have included advising at C-suite and board level at Royal Mail and with Sidley Austin LLP in Brussels. Her focus is on governance, legal risk management and compliance issues
Steph Pickerill – Steph is a marketing and communications specialist with experience setting up and managing marketing efforts in tech, finance, wellbeing and professional training. She has worked for startup brands and global organisations and is currently a freelance consultant.
Margaret Carney – Margaret’s background is in education working in inner city schools in London, as a teacher and Headteacher until she retired four year ago. She led and managed a successful Children’s Centre as part of a local primary school in Greenwich. When Greenwich Council first commissioned out its Children’s Centres services she set up a Schools Company, with colleague headteachers and governors, to run services across 4 Children’s Centres in Central Greenwich. (CGCC). It was as a trustee for CGCC that Margaret became familiar with the valuable work undertaken by Mums-Aid, who provided services through the Children’s Centre. Margaret joins us as a trustee and has special interest in governance and safeguarding.