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.
Paul Staines Expand Paul has recently joint the Board of Trustees and will play a role as our housing specialist, assisting us as we expand our role in this important area. Paul has worked in housing for local authorities in Oxfordshire for over 25 years covering both homelessness, housing advice and affordable housing development. He is currently the lead officer for delivering both accelerating planned housing development and additional affordable housing as part of a Deal between Oxfordshire councils and Government.
Catherine Rowe Expand Catherine has 25 years of business experience, working within the private retail, education, travel, hospitality and automotive sectors. As a senior marketing leader she brings a wealth of experience in shaping marketing, PR and brand strategies and developing customer propositions and experiences. With a speciality in digital customer touchpoints and CRM, she has extensive experience of leading and developing large teams and driving commercial outcomes.This is Catherine's first Trustee position, although she has been involved with Aspire for several years having sat as a Director on the trading company Board since December 2019. She is passionate about being able to share her expertise to enable Aspire to help even more vulnerable individuals and to ensure the sustainable future of the organisation.
Hugh Richardson Expand After training as an accountant with PwC and a spell with the International Accounting Standards Board, Hugh spent 20 years in investment banking and general management with S.G. Warburg before becoming a bursar at an Oxford college and then director of finance at a leading school. He has been a trustee of many charities including those involved with the arts, urban regeneration, international development, sport, men’s health, survivors of human rights violations, and grant-giving, and remains engaged in a range of voluntary activities.
Chair: William Powlett Smith Expand William Powlett Smith is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, retiring in 2008 from Ernst & Young LLP after 25 years as a partner where he led the Anglo-German business development practice and subsequently the health sciences team. He then held two non-executive appointments with private companies and taught on the undergraduate programme at St Clare’s, Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. For fifteen years (including five years as Chairman) he served as a trustee of Cecily’s Fund, which helps educate orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. He was a founding trustee of Charity Mentors, Oxfordshire which provides strategy mentoring for non-profit making organisations. In September 2016 he was appointed Chair of Northern House School Academy Trust, and until 2023 he was Deputy Chair of Prior’s Court Foundation, a residential provision for young people with complex autism.
Sophie Barnett Expand After completing her doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of Canterbury in 2020, Dr. Sophie Barnett moved to Scotland as a post-doctoral researcher. In early 2021, Sophie moved to the University of Oxford as Project Manager at Modernizing Medical Microbiology before taking on the role of Programme Manager for the Malaria Vaccine Group at the Jenner Institute. In addition to her role with Aspire, Sophie was previously Finance Officer and Director for Headway Glasgow, a charity working with individuals living with acquired brain injury, their carers, and their families, and a Trustee for Autism New Zealand.
Chris Blackburn Expand Chris Blackburn recently retired as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes University Business School where he had spent three decades in a variety of academic and managerial roles. Prior to his career in Higher Education, Chris worked in marketing communications and advertising with major organisational clients such as Unilever, Colgate Palmolive and Associated Newspapers, covering a range of well-known brands from breakfast cereal through beer to banking. One of his early clients was the housing charity, Shelter. In addition to his role at Aspire, Chris also acts as a review panel chair and institutional mentor for the European Foundation for Management Development which accredits international university business schools. He is also a qualified personal development coach.
Edward Andrews Expand Edward has 20 years of experience in real assets, having successfully led investments across the infrastructure, social housing, renewable energy, leisure, student housing, and healthcare sectors. For the past six years he has acted as shareholder and Director of Oak Housing, a for-profit registered provider of social housing. He is also Co-Founder and Partner at ABT Capital, a specialist private equity company focused on operational real estate. Prior to starting ABT Capital, Edward held investment roles at global private equity firm TPG Capital and sustainable infrastructure investment company Greensphere Capital in London. He also worked for Ernst & Young’s project finance team in Canada, and Citigroup’s M&A investment banking team in London. Edward has an undergraduate degree in History from Cambridge University and an MBA from Oxford University, where he is also currently a part-time Graduate Student researching the intellectual history of sustainable development and social enterprise.
Clare Dines Expand Clare qualified as a nurse in 1994 and has received her long service award for 35 years of work in the NHS. During her career, Clare has worked in the Emergency Department, Bullingdon prison, as a team leader in Health Visiting, and as a consultant for the Department of Health on a violence reduction initiative in emergency departments, part of the cross-government tackling knives action programme. Clare has presented violence reduction work methods at numerous conferences in the UK and has published an article on violence reduction in emergency departments using the Cardiff model. Clare completed her MSc in Public Health in 2016, with a focus on the impact of Domestic Abuse on health outcomes, and now works as a health improvement practitioner for Oxfordshire County Council Public Health Directorate, where she supports the work of commissioning Domestic Abuse services. Through her career, Clare has balanced her professional commitments with volunteering for Simon House homeless hostel, various nursing roles, weekend foster carer for children with disabilities and as membership secretary and coach for the falcon canoe and kayaking club. As a trustee for Aspire, Clare brings skills in strategic working, commissioning services, identifying gaps in services, identifying unmet needs, and partnership working.
Helen Cannon Expand Helen, born and raised in Oxfordshire, has built a distinguished career in the recruitment industry over the past 17 years. Her professional journey includes significant roles at AirTanker, where she played a crucial part in supporting the company's growth, and at Oxford University, where she led recruitment for senior appointments and spearheaded an ambitious apprenticeship strategy to support young people entering the workforce. More recently, Helen co-founded Intake Talent, a recruitment company dedicated to supporting the next generation of talent. She is now focusing her time on assisting organisations in recruiting skilled workers and navigating the apprenticeship landscape. Helen's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social mobility aligns perfectly with Aspire's mission. As a trustee for Aspire, Helen brings a wealth of recruitment and HR expertise. She is dedicated to supporting Aspire's efforts to tackle the root causes of poverty and social exclusion, helping individuals build better futures for themselves and their families. Helen is delighted to contribute to Aspire's mission and enhance its impact on the community.