Dr Carol Sweetenham (Chair of Trustees) Expand Dr Sweetenham is a founder member of Aspire, and has been Chair of Trustees since 2014. She is a senior civil servant with a long track record in government and experience in local government, the voluntary sector and the European Commission.
Lesley Pollock Expand Lesley has been a solicitor in private practice since 1980, and working in Oxford since 2008. She is a director of Freeths LLP which is a national law firm. In her current role, she is head of charity property and head of residential property in the Oxford office, but also has over 30 years previous experience as a commercial property solicitor. She is a member of the Charity Law Association. Lesley has previously been a charity trustee for various charities, including a Housing Association, and has been a member of Aspire’s board since 2010.
Rose Rolle-Rowan Expand Rose has worked in local government for 9 years and prior to that worked in the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors. Her background is in economic development, working with disadvantaged communities to support them into employment. Rose currently works as a manager for Oxfordshire County Council in the Organisational Development team in Human Resources. For Aspire, Rose leads on HR matters on behalf of the board for example supporting senior staff recruitment, encouraging a performance management culture, and acting as a sounding board for senior managers on HR issues. Rose also liaises with our external HR service provider on behalf of the board as required. Rose has been a member of the board since 2011.
David Green Expand David has been a trustee of Aspire since 2011. With key strengths in financial and commercial strategy development and delivery, he is currently Head of Food Commercial for Midcounties Co-operative, as the UK’s largest independent Co-operative, they share many of the core values of Aspire.
David Whittingham Expand David joined the Aspire board in January 2016. David is the Chief Executive of the Oxford Brookes Students' Union and also brings experience from across the luxury hospitality, higher education and not for profit sectors.
Jaffa Holland Expand Jaffa has worked in the public and vountary sector for 20 years, primarily supporting vulnerable households within welfare benefits and housing. He has experience of joint and single commissioning of supported housing services and outreach services for local authorities. Jaffa is a firm believer in that any service that works with vulnerable people should look at the individual as a whole and where possible help to get people back into education and employment. Employment empowers people to have choices and provides opportunities and positive outcomes in many unexpected and positive ways.
Helen Fowweather Expand Helen is a qualified accountant and has over 15 years’ experience as a Finance Director for a variety of commercial and not-for- profit organisations. She brings in-depth knowledge of financial and charity regulations and compliance to Aspire, along with experience in devising financial and commercial strategy across a range of businesses and charities.
Gareth Nixon Expand Gareth has been working in the digital sector in Oxford for over 20 years. He is the Managing Director of Global Initiative, a local digital agency working in digital health, education, and more recently, community projects. He brings knowledge of digital strategy and engagement, but only recently joined Aspire in 2018.
Richard Dick Expand Richard Dick is the Chairman and CEO of Lucy Group Ltd, which was established in 1812 as an iron founder and now has 1500 employees with a turnover of just under £200 million. Richard joined Aspire's board of trustees in 2018 and brings considerable commercial experience, local business contacts and a passion to tackle homelessness.
Mick Blowfield Expand Mick has four decades of experience in international development, much of which has involved helping build, fund and manage socially and environmentally oriented enterprises in poorer countries. He has a wide range of geographical and sectoral experience as well as first-hand knowledge of the different governance and organisational structures that help social enterprises thrive. He brings a mixture of theoretical and practical experience having helped develop types of social enterprise, and also being a senior academic at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and was Professor of Corporate Responsibility at Wolverhampton University. He is a published author on the role of business in society, and has advised a number of large companies in Europe and North America. For Mick, Aspire is the kind of organisation that can not only draw on his experience, but one that addresses his concerns about how to assist disadvantaged people. He has a special interest in tackling issues faced by people who experience mental illness, homelessness and special educational needs, and how these can be addressed through effective organisational strategies.