Andrew is a chartered accountant and a former partner of Ernst & Young. He is now a trustee of the Centre for Economic Policy Research and an Advisor to the finch firm Adjoint Inc. Andrew has been our Chair since 2020.

Martin is an industry lead for Microsoft in the UK having worked in the IT sector for over 15 years, prior to which he worked as an accountant in practice and in the Higher Education sector. During his time at Microsoft, Martin has managed teams across a variety of industries including a number of years leading the Public Sector team which helped healthcare providers to improve their service.

Watch Martin talking about his daughter Camille’s diagnosis of a brain tumour

Catherine is a consultant paediatric neuropsychologist and clinical psychologist. She has worked for over 25 years within the NHS and independent practice, including neuro-oncology, neurodevelopmental (autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, rare genetic conditions) and child mental health services. Currently, she works within paediatric neuropsychological rehabilitation (supporting individuals and their families, who have been affected by acquired brain injuries) and general neurodevelopmental / learning disability assessment clinics.

Dr Sarah Verity is a clinical psychologist and paediatric neuropsychologist. Sarah works in paediatric neuro-oncology at the Great North Children’s Hospital, Newcastle, where she leads a project exploring the use of psychostimulant medication in preserving intellectual function in children with brain tumour. Sarah is involved with European brain tumour treatment trials, supervises postgraduate projects focused on Quality of Survivorship following brain tumour, and led the Sibling Toolkit project. Sarah supervises Uschi.

Dr Uschi Hiermeier is a clinical psychologist with a special interest in neuropsychology and works in the paediatric neuro-oncology department at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is exploring the pathways for support of European trials data collection within neuro-oncology. This project aims to increase access to children and young people for necessary neuropsychology assessments associated with their medical treatment. Uschi is also working on groups for children and young people with brain tumours, their families and siblings, with the aim to increase the various ways they can access support in Newcastle, and to explore whether groups can be opened to a wider access.

Meghan Owens is a Clinical Psychologist at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Since 2020, Meghan has worked in various speciality teams at Alder Hey including neuro-oncology, major trauma and craniofacial. Her passion is working with children and young people who experience chronic health conditions and the families affected.

Toni is a Clinical Psychologist who qualified in 2021. Since qualifying, she has worked across various specialities within the Clinical Health Psychology team at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. She has a particular interest in paediatric neuropsychology and has previously worked as part of the neuro-oncology psychology team at Alder Hey. Toni’s role will focus on offering assessment and emotional support for both young people and their families, throughout their diagnosis and treatment. 

Anna’s role as a psychological wellbeing practitioner involves delivering low intensity CBT therapy and providing support to children and their families who have been affected by a brain tumour. Anna’s role also includes facilitating and developing resources to support children and their parents/families. Anna has worked in the NHS for three years and the charity sector prior to this, working in mental health services. Watch Anna’s intro here.

Dr Jeni Tregay is a clinical neuropsychologist with a special interest in paediatric neuro-oncology. Jeni has worked in the paediatric neuropsychology service at the Oxford Children’s Hospital in Oxford since 2015, where she leads the psychology service for children and young people with primary brain tumours. She is a full member of the BPS Division of Neuropsychology and is on the UK Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists. She co-chairs the Paediatric Neuro-Oncology Special Interest Group. Jeni supervises Emily.

Caitlin is our Tom’s Trust Assistant Psychologist working alongside the Brainbow team at Addenbrooke’s hospital. Her role is to develop and facilitate a best practice pathway for those moving from paediatric services to adult care.   

Rebecca has 25 years’ experience as CEO at fast-growing charities. Previously CEO at Alzheimer’s Research UK, she grew it from a small local organisation with two staff and half a million pounds per annum to a national organisation of 70 staff and £14 million turnover, with research and fundraising regions UK wide. She was Chief Exec at children’s counselling charity Blue Smile and, alongside being CEO at Tom’s Trust, is Charity Director at The Evelyn Trust (a Cambridgeshire grant-giving organisation) and a trustee at Ormiston Families, East Anglia’s leading family support charity.

Debs and Andrew founded Tom’s Trust in memory of their son Tom Whiteley in 2011. Tom sadly died in 2010 at the age of nine, after a seven-month battle with a brain tumour. Little support was given to their family from the point of diagnosis and through the devastating seven-month battle, and they grew determined that no other family should go through what they had experienced alone. Debs uses her lived experience to drive forward Tom’s Trust. Prior to Tom’s Trust Debs worked for 14 years in the oil industry co-ordinating shipping logistics. She now runs our outreach programme.

Kirsty brings over two decades of experience in Fundraising and Marketing having worked for Wallace Cancer Care and Maggie’s for over 10 years. She most recently worked in the leadership team at Cambridge Arts Theatre.

Lynda is an experienced senior clinical psychologist. She has worked in the NHS for 20 years, developing new services, and in private practice for eight.  During this time, she has worked across various physical health specialities including neurology, palliative care and oncology.

 

Laura’s role as Family Liaison Coordinator, is to help offer support, guidance, and information to our families and caregivers of children with brain or CNS tumours. She has always had a passion for mental health, and previously has worked with different charities. 

Originally joining Tom’s Trust as a volunteer in June 2021, Sean’s dedication led him to officially join the team as a Trust and Foundations Fundraiser in November of the same year. In this role, he diligently secures funding from charitable trusts, foundations, and grant-making bodies, crucially supporting Tom’s Trust mission. Sean’s passion for mental health advocacy is evident in his commitment to providing essential support for those most in need. Additionally, as a Software Administrator, he plays a pivotal role in optimising the use of the CRM to bolster fundraising efforts and enhance organisational efficiency. Sean is currently studying a master’s part time in Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh.

Charlotte joined Tom’s Trust in June 2024 as administrator mainly supporting the Senior Leadership Team with Governance tasks. Charlotte wanted to return to work, after a career break having her family, within a fulfilling role back in the charity sector. She is passionate about helping to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children facing brain tumours and their families. Charlotte has an events management background working within both the charity and corporate sectors and brings a host of transferable skills and experience to the role.

Kelly has over 20 years’ experience working in communications and marketing for charities, national brands, and local independent businesses; including the charities – NSPCC, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Petals, CoFarm and Eddie’s. She is passionate about using comms as a tool for good.

Jada joined Tom’s Trust in October 2024, bringing three years of Consumer PR experience with her. While working with national brands, she discovered a passion for the charity sector and decided to channel her communication skills and press expertise to make a lasting impact.

In December 2020 Guinness World Record holder Ben Blowes ran 31 marathons in 31 days to raise a staggering £225,000 to support children with brain tumours.

Harry is an award-winning expert with over 15 years’ experience in the fitness and hospitality industries with an extensive network of experts spanning every stage of development, implementation and promotion. Harry’s learnings over the last fifteen years have seen him create wellness retreat programmes across top brands in luxury hospitality including Four Seasons, Rosewood Hotels and The One and Only. As wellness business consultant his clients include Twitter, Apple, and Nike. As a performance coach, his entire career has been dedicated to improving the lives and performance of the world’s highest achieving individuals. Harry still counts world leaders, leading industry CEOs and some of the most influential people on the planet as his clients.