Meet the team
We have a wonderful team of brilliant people committed to transforming society, one family at a time, and a group of top-notch trustees who support us every step of the way.
Our staff team
Aaron Shah
Support Coach
Aaron is part of the Support Coach team and is keen to encourage and support facilitators in all aspects of running programmes in their communities. He loves the outdoors (hiking, paddle boarding and wild camping), owns the best dog in the world and has even published a poetry book, “Being Still – A Quiet Revolution”.
Andrea Zanin
Content Manager
Andrea keeps you in the loop with quippy socials, plus chunkier commentary that hangs out in our website news. Need anything written? Andrea’s your person. When she’s not scribbling away or dreaming up the perfect sentence, Andrea can be found sitting by a fire (okay, more like a lightbulb #cityvibes), recounting stories about life in South Africa and imagining a book deal.
Annabel Burgher
Operations Administrator
Annabel collaborates with Katie and Gary to ensure the systems at Kids Matter run seamlessly. A history enthusiast and mum to two children, Annabel spends her spare time either writing or enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in hand.
Becca Catchpole
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Becca works on the Comms Team, bringing creativity and passion to our online presence. She loves crafting engaging content and connecting with our audience. In her spare time, Becca can usually be found outdoors trying new running routes and coffee shops.
Ben Shanmugam
Clinical Psychologist
Ben helps to ensure that all our material is evidence-informed and accessible. He brings experience both as a Clinical Psychologist and as a new father of two (this chapter has also increased his appreciation for coffee!). Ben has a joint love for food and football, so a winning day is when both come together.
Cheryl George
Finance Manager
Cheryl, a finance whiz, excels at turning numbers into strategies and budgets into opportunities. A mum to two sons and two mischievous cats, she loves outdoor adventures and baking cakes. On holidays, you’ll find Cheryl hiking, camping, or visiting family in South Africa.
Eli Gardner
Co-founder & Executive Director
Eli loves to use her experience and knowledge as a Clinical Psychologist to help drive forward Kids Matter’s vision, and she embodies our values of being both ambitious and respectful. She is always on the hunt for ways to be even more effective by listening to podcasts, reading books or chatting with anyone she can about changing the world – ideally doing all of this whilst eating delicious food in the sunshine.
Gary Scull
Head of Operations
Gary likes to think about the big picture. He works with our Senior Leadership Team to develop strategy, and manage budget and logistical activities. He loves great food/dining out, spending quiet time in his garden or noisy time Karting with his boys, hitting long country roads on his Harley Davidson, Six Nations Rugby and F1 – in no particular order.
Jess Main
Executive Assistant to Executive Director
Jess is the Executive Assistant to Eli, taking care of all the details that enable our Executive Director to focus on Kids Matter’s vision to see every child in need raised in a strong family. When Jess doesn’t have her head in the detail and the diary, she loves being mum to two small girls and enjoys walks at the beach with a coffee or ice cream (sometimes both!) in hand.
Jo Stilwell
Head of Partnerships
Jo leads the Partnerships Team, which, if possible, she would do from the inside of her beloved campervan nicknamed ‘Peggy’. Jo leads her team with the positivity (and copious amounts of Diet Coke) required to encourage and support our facilitators as they run programmes across the country.
Katie Akhurst
Head of Training & Programme Development
Katie oversees the development of all our programmes, ensuring they meet our values of excellence and respect. She is also the Lead Trainer involved in the development and delivery of all our trainings. When not sat at her desk drinking many cups of tea, you will find Katie on her bike or on a football pitch.
Katie Washington
HR & Systems Coordinator
Katie works with Annabel and Gary to keep systems ticking over smoothly at Kids Matter. She loves making others excited about a big, bold vision (like ours!) and when she’s not immersed in the detail of all things operations, Katie enjoys listening to podcasts and running in the countryside, and is happiest with a slice of cake and a cuppa!
Libby James
Programme Writer
Libby is part of the Programmes Team, working to ensure all our programme materials meet the needs of parents and families in the communities we serve. She’s a mum of two, plays several instruments and also leads a church plant in her ‘spare time’! Libby’s happy place is her garden.
Lynne Ryder
North West Engagement Manager
Lynne is based in Cheshire and has a particular passion for seeing children in need thrive in North West England. She has a dog called Alfie, and loves cruising and watching Rugby League (Warrington). Lynne’s favourite thing is spending time with her two grandchildren, Chloe and Eddie.
Matt Corry
Head of Communications & Digital Engagement
Matt heads up the Comms Team, keeping us on brand, looking good and communicating clearly. He uses his creative eye to help us showcase our impact through our website, videos and print. Matt is a committed Tottenham fan (someone has to be!) and emulates Bob the Builder with his DIY skills.
Meg Darnell
Prison Delivery Manager
Meg has a passion for the criminal justice system and facilitates Kids Matter parenting workshops in prisons. Her other passions are applied theatre, sea swimming, singing, and anything colourful. Meg lives in Brighton and has a lovely cat called Atticus, named after Atticus Finch from her favourite novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Megan Hunt
Partnership Coordinator
Megan’s role on the Partnerships Team is to connect with churches and organisations keen to partner with us to run Kids Matter groups in their communities. She’s a mum of two who enjoys spending time outside with family and friends when the weather is nice, and inside with a book and some cake when it’s rainy! Megan also loves music/singing and is slowly learning to play the piano.
Nikki Kerr
Head of Fundraising
Nikki is great at building relationships and with skills in strategic planning is keen to drive sustainable income growth at Kids Matter. When she’s not championing our cause, you might find her on stage with her local amateur dramatics society – she’s currently rehearsing for Shrek! She also speaks French and German, bringing a touch of international flair to the team.
Rachel Wellard
Support Coach
Rachel is on the Support Coach Team, coming alongside facilitators who support parents and families in their communities. An Australian mom of two, she’s married to Scott, a pastor in Dover. Rachel enjoys competitive sports, especially paddleboarding and other ocean-related activities.
Sophie Jackson
Support Coach Lead
Sophie leads the Support Coach Team, and loves the ability to coach Kids Matter facilitators through the challenges they face as they seek to reach families in their communities. When not being on hand to answer a support call, she will be sipping a (decaf!) coffee or warming up her vocals to be ready to sing in her local choir.
Steve Bunting
National Engagement Lead
Steve aims to grow partnerships at Kids Matter by connecting with churches and community networks with a heart for reducing the impact of poverty on children. He loves being adventurous and is a reluctant runner. Steve enjoys going to theme parks with his teenage children and is a season ticket holder at Manchester United.
Our trustees
Not only does the Board of Trustees support Kids Matter with a wealth of knowledge, experience and clout but every single member is passionate about seeing children in need raised in strong families. They champion us in our work and every decision made is to bolster the ultimate goal of seeing children thrive by reducing the impact of poverty through our community-based programmes.
Ali Stewart
Ali Stewart began her career in banking in New York before moving to London, where she spent two decades working in international development, fundraising, recruitment and coaching. An accredited parenting and corporate coach, she chaired the Kids Matter board for six years while also working at Resurgo. In August 2024, Ali and her family relocated to Atlanta, her hometown. She’s excited to remain on the board and help grow the impact of Kids Matter in the U.S.
Anja Batista Sonksen
Chair
Despite her career as a management consultant, strategy manager, and now a charity sector consultant, Anja believes parenting is the most demanding job she has ever done. (And that’s although her three children are nothing short of wonderful!) Passionate about supporting families, Anja is dedicated to helping Kids Matter empower parents with skills, confidence, and community to enable happy childhoods for every child.
Chianne Buckle
With 10 years of coaching experience and a background working with a wide range of clients across both the public and private sectors, Chianne brings a thoughtful, hope-filled approach to her work. She is especially passionate about supporting those who may feel overlooked or underrepresented, and loves helping people move toward meaningful change.
Ed Dix
Ed, together with his wife Fuzz, lead St Luke’s Millwall, a local Anglican church serving the community on the Isle of Dogs – a diverse, inner-city part of east London. Ed loves prayerfully pioneering new initiatives that can make a tangible difference in people’s lives. He and Fuzz have four sons, who give him grey hair and much happiness.
Eli Gardner
Eli is a Clinical Child Psychologist with more than 25 years of experience in the NHS. She established the charity Kids Matter in 2017 to help churches deliver scalable, affordable, much-needed early intervention to the most vulnerable families in the country. She is married, lives in London and has three children.
Jo Watling
Treasurer
I am a chartered management accountant who Ioves finding solutions, making things happen and discovering the gold in people. Working as a chaplaincy volunteer in HMP Holloway and HMP Brixton for the last 10 years opened my eyes to the lack of hope and opportunities available to so many in our society and led me to my current role as COO of Onwards and Upwards. I have four grown up sons so I’m all too familiar with the rollercoaster that parenting is and the need for community, encouragement and support. Kids Matter is doing a brilliant job to provide this and I am delighted to be part of the team!
Julia Grant
Jules has spent much of her career in the fundraising world, firstly at International Development Agency Tearfund in their Partnerships team, and then across all areas of fundraising at UK based organisation Resurgo, contributing to their growth over a ten-year period. Jules is married to Seb and they have four young boys. Since becoming a mother, Jules has experienced first hand how much difference having the right support makes to the early years of parenthood, which is why she loves the vision of Kids Matter.
Pete Bacon
Pete is an experienced coach specialising in personal development and social impact at Resurgo Trust. He has diverse coaching experience from the corporate and charitable world, with clients such as M&S, HSBC and the Big ASK, and he specialises in helping groups navigate complex problems. Pete has three young kids and loves getting into the outdoors with them whenever he can.
Vicky Neal
Vice Chair
Originally trained as a teacher and experienced in working with young people at risk of exclusion, Vicky went on to spend twelve years serving on church leadership teams in Bristol and London. More recently, she has held senior operational positions within the non-profit sector. Vicky is married to Simon and has two adult step-daughters and a toddler.
Our research team
Research and evaluation matters to us. It is vital to what we do at Kids Matter, serving to 1) demonstrate our impact, 2) develop and deepen our understanding of those we support, and 3) provide healthy oversight of our programmes. To help us achieve this we have the following team of research consultants providing relevant expertise and a useful steer in all our research and evaluation endeavours.
Dr Shaun Liverpool
Dr Shaun Liverpool is a Chartered Psychologist, Researcher and Senior Lecturer in Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing. His research has a particular focus on children and families from minoritised and marginalised communities who are often underserved or underrepresented. Shaun currently holds positions within the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine at Edge Hill University and the Evidence-based Practice Unit at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
Dr Rafael A. González
Dr Rafael A. González, Ph.D., specializes in neuropsychology, with a focus on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and their impact on mental health. He is dedicated to identifying developmental and environmental factors contributing to adverse outcomes, including violence and morbidity. Dr González currently leads the psychology provision of neurodevelopmental services in the Hackney CAMHS NHS, and provides consultancy services to charities and NGOs.
Narissa Samani
Narissa Samani is a first-class MSci Psychology graduate from University College London with extended experience in psychological research, and in supporting both children and adults coping with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. She currently works as a behavioural therapist, providing intensive one-to-one evidence-based treatment utilising principles of applied behavioural analysis to children between the ages of 3 to 6.
Ceren Bayrakci
Ceren Bayrakci is an Honorary Research Assistant working with Kids Matter to evaluate the impact of the charity’s evidence-informed parenting programmes on individual participants and their communities. Ceren’s analysis is supported through external literature, reviews, and research, and equips Kids Matter with the information necessary to develop programmes that will make a real and lasting difference in the lives of children and families.
Prof. Cathy Richards
Prof. Cathy Richards, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, led NHS Lothian’s CAMHS service for over 20 years. She holds an honorary Chair at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests include Child and Adolescent Mental Health, specifically focusing on early intervention, eating disorders, and digital support. A former CAMHS Advisor for the Scottish Government, Cathy was recently appointed Chair of the National Eating Disorders Network Scotland by the Minister for Mental Health.
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By working in partnership with churches, charities and community-driven initiatives to build strong families, we believe it is possible to see children in need flourish.
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