Dr Stefan Fafinski DL - Chair of the Board of Trustees Expand Stefan spent the first part of his career in the IT industry before completing a PhD in technology law and moving into public and prison law, where his work focuses on rehabilitation and support for vulnerable prisoners. Until December 2025 he served as the Chair of the WCIT Charity, the charitable arm of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. He is Chair of The Inside Out Trust, a national charity supporting people under Probation Service supervision to rebuild their lives, and was a co-founder of the Hammersmith Academy. Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire in 2023, Stefan has a long record of civic and charitable service spanning justice, technology, and education. He is also a qualified pilot, and enjoys music and sport.
Dr Charlotte Wilson - Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees Expand Charlotte is an Executive Headteacher of a small Multi Academy Trust with three schools in both the primary and secondary phases. All three schools host specialist units for children with special needs. In her role as Headteacher she represents Secondary Heads on the Local Authority Funding Forum and is part of the SEND Strategic Partnership Board. Charlotte is also a serving Ofsted Inspector specialising in both primary and secondary inspections.
Debbie Fulton Expand Debbie is a Registered Nurse working within the NHS, with 32 years of experience and a broad range of managerial and leadership positions. She is currently an Executive Director of Nursing in a Mental Health and Community Trust. Debbie is also a specialist advisor for the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Debbie holds a BA from the University of Reading and an MA in Health and Social Care management from University of West London.
Colin Hayfield Expand Colin Hayfield is a chartered accountant and a director of the Hypnos Limited bed group. He is Chair of Governors at Manor Green School in Maidenhead and Chair of Trustees at The Pace Centre in Aylesbury.
Neil Porter Expand Neil is a Qualified Chartered Surveyor. He trained at Gooch &Wagstaff (now part of Colliers) followed by stints at CBRE and Knight Frank. In 1993, he was managing partner of a surveying practice in London’s West End dealing with all aspects of the professional and agency work. In 2003 he set up Levanter Properties, trading commercial assets in UK and Germany, then in 2013 Allois Properties.
Stacey Marlow Expand Stacey Marlow is an HR Director with 25 years of experience in the cruise/ maritime industry, retail, finance and estate agency sectors. She is currently VP Fleet Crewing at HX - Hurtigruten Expeditions. Stacey has worked at operational and strategic levels to deliver HR employment lifecycle activities for 2,000 to 15,000 employees. Stacey enjoys travelling to remote destinations and watching sports.
Rachel Childs Expand Rachel is a former headteacher who has held leadership positions across the primary and secondary sectors. Since 2011, Rachel has pursued a career in regulation. She served on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Council between 2011-2019, acting as Senior Independent Director from 2016. She also acted as the Independent Reviewer of Council Decisions on an interim basis in 2025. Rachel currently chairs the Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel, assessing complaints in relation to the naming, packaging and promotion of alcohol. Rachel also works on a freelance basis for several professional regulators. She is a Fitness to Practise and Investigating Committee Panel Chair at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Health and Care Professions Council and the General Osteopathic Council; she is also a Lay Member of the Professional Conduct Committee at the Architects Registration Board. Rachel is additionally appointed as an Independent Complaints Assessor for the Department of Transport.
Sue Clark Expand Sue Clark is a Partner and Head of the Court of Protection Team at Trethowans LLP, with extensive experience supporting vulnerable individuals, their families, and those who lack capacity. She specialises in deputyship, attorneyship and trust matters, managing complex financial, welfare and care arrangements for clients with significant needs. Sue is also the parent of an autistic young man with complex needs who has benefited from specialist education and care. This personal experience, combined with her professional expertise, gives her a deep understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable young people and their families. She is a passionate advocate for high-quality support services and is committed to helping organisations deliver meaningful, positive outcomes for those they serve
Dr Carly Jones MBE Expand Dr Carly Jones MBE is an award-winning independent advocate, advisor, speaker, and leader who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of autistic people since 2008. Raised in a teenage mother and baby homeless hostel in Bracknell, Carly’s personal experiences have shaped her unwavering commitment to equality, safeguarding, and systemic change. Following the diagnosis of two of her daughters as autistic, and later receiving her own autism diagnosis in adulthood, she developed a specialist focus on gender equality in autism and the lived experiences of autistic women and girls. Drawing on her own experiences navigating education, healthcare, employment, and personal safety as an undiagnosed autistic young woman, Carly has become one of the UK’s most influential voices in autism advocacy. Her work spans policy, safeguarding, accessibility, trauma-informed practice, co-production, and inclusion across public, private, and third-sector organisations both nationally and internationally. In 2014, Carly became the first British autistic woman to address the United Nations on the rights of autistic women. She has since continued to contribute to international disability rights discussions through the UN’s CEDAW committee. Her policy and advisory work has informed national strategies and publications through organisations including the UK Parliament, the Department for Education, and the UN Office of Human Rights. Carly has held numerous high-profile leadership and advisory roles, including Chair of Aviation and Maritime DPTAC working groups for the Department for Transport, Co-Production Lead for NHS England’s Learning Disability and Autism Programme, and Chair of the Executive Steering Group overseeing the pilot of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disability and Autism. She also serves as an Independent Panel Member for the Ministry of Justice, contributing to recruitment for major public appointments across the justice system. Her expertise has led her to advise organisations including the BBC, Heathrow Airport, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Motability, and the Cabinet Office, while also guest lecturing at leading universities including Sheffield Hallam, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Recognised for her exceptional contribution, Carly was awarded an MBE in 2017, became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2019, and received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Sheffield Hallam University in 2022. Through her advocacy, writing, and leadership, Carly continues to drive meaningful change toward a safer, more inclusive, and equitable world for autistic people and their families. She is a proud Patron of Lotus, a Sheffield-based charity which supports autistic survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence