Michael is Head of Grant Programmes at Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, a volunteer with Just Treatment, and a trustee with Global Green Grants UK. Michael’s background is in community development and organising within Gypsy Traveller and refugee communities. Michael is training as a coach with the Oasis School of Human Relations.

Ruth Stephens is Senior Grant-Making Manager: South East and East at the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF), overseeing investments across the South East and East regions. She has worked in grant-making since 2016 and is particularly passionate about place-based, local grant-making and shifting power dynamic in funding relationships. Ruth comes from a voluntary sector background, and prior to TNLCF, she managed programmes and projects at Ethical Property Foundation and LawWorks supporting not for profit organisations to access professional advice and build their capabilities. Ruth’s interests outside of her professional life include wandering around antique shops or museums, swimming, theatre, and going to gigs to indulge her love of heavy metal music.

André is currently the Director of Charity Development at Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales. His role brings together investing in small charities across England and Wales through funding but also strengthening the organisational effectiveness and sustainability of charities. André has worked in a variety of roles across the international and UK not-for-profit and philanthropy sectors in grantmaking, organisational effectiveness and learning.  Most recently, he worked at BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief where his roles focused on improving the effectiveness of their social change work by ensuring greater inclusion, effectiveness and transparency in their funding and learning practice, relationships and processes. He is also the Chair of the Open and Trusting Grant-making Initiative. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor walks, baking, being an avid fan of Great British Bake Off, and learning how to swim.

Palmela is Project Manager for ‘Positive Futures Fund’, Southwark Council’s Knife Crime Community Safety programme. Palmela has over 20 years’ experience of working in local government and across the voluntary and community sector, both in a paid and a volunteer capacity, as well as an MSc in Voluntary and Community Sector Studies from Birkbeck, University of London.

Kamna is Chair of IVAR’s Board of Trustees. She is Portfolio Manager at Impact on Urban Health, a member of The Edge Fund, and a Trustee at The Otakar Kraus Music Trust. Kamna’s background is in grassroots community development at Newham Asian Women’s Project; and she has an MA in Social Anthropology of Development from SOAS.

Anneessa is Director of Member Services at the Community Transport Association UK and a Trustee of Wrexham Glyndwr Students’ Union. Between 2015 and 2017, Anneessa was a Youth Leadership Group Member of the Commission on Islam and Public Life; she is currently completing a Masters in People and Organisational Development at the Roffey Park Institute. 

Rosa originally joined IVAR as the Head of Communications to develop the organisation’s brand communication strategy and share the research insights and learning with its growing audience base. She has real affection for developing organisations through creativity, messaging and design. After two years working for IVAR she went freelance and later joined our Board.

Previous work: With over 18 years brand marketing experience gained within creative agencies and in-house she has worked with a rich variety of commercial and voluntary sector organisations at both local and national level. Recent clients include The National Youth Orchestra, Battersea Arts Centre, Centre 404, The Amy Winehouse Foundation, The National Trust, Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation, TJX Europe, The YMCA, London Play and many more.

Other interests: Rosa is on the board of an award winning, youth-led, social enterprise called Fully Focused – which uses film to challenge perceptions and transform lives. She has also completed an MSc in Charity Marketing and Fundraising at Cass Business School.

Tim has been a trustee since 2006. He met Ben Cairns when they were both serving as governors at their children’s primary school.  Tim is a Chartered Accountant and currently works as Finance Director for Oxford Computer Group.

Previous work

He has worked in a number of positions over his career, ranging from senior positions at British Telecom, to being the Treasurer of an Oxford College – very different propositions in terms of size, scale and governance, in fact in almost every respect!

Other interests

Tim works in a number of voluntary positions. He remains a school governor, and has been Treasurer and Trustee for both Oxford Youth Choir and Oxford University Rugby Football Club. He enjoys cycling and wishes he could spend more time skiing.

Sam is the Deputy Chair of IVAR’s Board of Trustees. He led the development of the Partnership Improvement Programme and was a facilitator of the Building Health Partnerships and the Health and Social Value programmes, as well as strategic review work with organisations funded by the Tudor Trust and Lankelly Chase.

Sam was chief executive of Kids, a national charity for disabled children, for seven years. Prior to that he was executive director of Norwood, a Jewish charity providing services to children and adults with learning disabilities. He has a Masters degree in Public and Social Administration and a PhD in strategic decision-making in voluntary organisations.