We have eight trustees on our board, including members of the Buxton family who are supported by expert trustees who bring a wealth of relevant experience to guide our funding decisions in the three areas where we make grants and in our investment strategy.
Brendan has lived and worked in Africa (Niger, Burkina Faso and Egypt) and became Oxfam UK’s Africa Director. He was the first CEO of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). He specialises in accountability and communication, with a particular focus on organisations working in the field of international development. He volunteers at a pop-up cafe for rough sleepers in Oxford. Brendan leads on our Africa grants programme.
Tahera has a range of experience within the charity sector. She was CEO of the Maya Centre, a charity that offers trauma counselling to women. She also works as a consultant for health and social care organisations, with reference to women, refugees and asylum seekers and minoritised communities. She is Chair of Women’s Aid in Luton which provides refuge to women and children fleeing domestic violence and abuse. Previously Tahera was Chair of Transform Africa, a capacity-building project for community groups in African countries. Tahera advises on our Africa grants programme.
Jo’s background is in teaching and the voluntary sector. From 1974, after returning from volunteer work in Nicaragua for two years, she worked with Child Poverty Action Group. In 1979, she became the founding CEO of Family Rights Group, a national charity that offers legal and social work support to families when children’s social care becomes involved in their life. Since 2004 she has worked on projects specialising in social welfare and family justice policy, practice and research about vulnerable families and children. Most recently this has included promoting the expansion of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC), an innovative problem-solving approach to care proceedings triggered by the local authority’s concern about the impact on children of parental substance misuse and related difficulties. Jo leads on our Family grants programme.
Katie is a great granddaughter or our Founder, Lord Noel Buxton. She trained as a solicitor and practiced at Travers Smith and Collyer Bristow. She has worked as in-house counsel for an IT company, Fixflo. Katie advises on our Family grants programme.
Katie works at the Home Office in the Crime Directorate . She has been a policy adviser at Clinks, the charity that co-ordinates voluntary sector groups working in the criminal justice system. Previously, she was Policy Adviser at The Prince’s Trust. She is also a trustee of the charity StreetDoctors and co-chairs Hackney CVS. Katie is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is a Freeman of the City of London. Katie leads on our Penal grants programme.
Anna’s mother was a Buxton [and her great grandfather Noel Buxton’s 1st cousin]. She has worked in a range of charities throughout her career, initially in international development, including for Save the Children Fund and until recently across the UK leading the impact team at Lord’s Taverners. Her focus is now more local, working for Suffolk Community Trust, evaluating the impact of their grants. Anna advises on our Penal grants programme.
James is an investment manager. He currently works for Castlefield Investment Partners, specialists in ESG investing and has worked for Barings Asset Management, Premier Asset Management and Brown Shipley Private Banking. He takes a keen interest in ethical investing and holds a CFA Institute Certificate in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing. James leads on our Board’s investment strategy.
Emma is a great grandniece of our Founder. She is a practising solicitor and was Global Head Investigations, at UBS until June 2024. Emma has chaired the Trust since 2013.
The Trustees are assisted by the Manager, Anne Murray, who is responsible for the daily running of our Trust.
