SENIOR MANAGEMENT

CEO - Philip Williams - Prior to joining SYP in July of 2016, Phil spent 28 years within public services as a senior Detective with the Police Service. He has worked within the areas of Child Protection and Drug units within the Police Force and then moved onto leading senior management teams within the Education domain. Phil is a qualified teacher and has been a University Lecturer within the education faculty of Canterbury Christchurch University.

- COO - Sarah Lake joined Shaftesbury in February 2016 after 15 years working in Banking and Financial Services. Sarah brings with her a diverse range of skills from the commercial sector and enjoys getting involved in all aspects of an organisation. After graduating with a First Class degree in English Literature Sarah trained as an accountant and auditor with PwC, subsequently moving to Close Brothers plc where she held a number of senior Financial Control and Finance System roles. Sarah has a track record of delivering finance improvement projects and has led project teams drawn from Finance, IT, HR, Payroll and Procurement.

- Finance Manager – Godfrey Bwalya is a qualified Accountant with more than 20 years experience in charity finance. He has worked for SYP for 15 years. Prior to SYP, he worked for Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) as a Management Accountant for 3 years after working at Caxton House Community Centre for 4 years. He also had a 2 year stint in accountancy practice before joining the voluntary sector. Godfrey is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and holds a bachelors degree in Accountancy.

- Office Manager - Tracey joined the West Midlands Police on leaving school as a junior typist/secretary. After 9 interesting years in various departments, Tracey moved to London in 1987. She has worked for several organisations as a Personal Assistant, namely Martin Hamblin GfK, & Network Rail. More recently before joining SYP, Tracey was a Private Secretary at the Transport & General Workers Union. Tracey holds a BEC National Diploma in Business Studies attained from Garrett’s Green Technical College.

-Head of Centre – The Keresley Centre – Cheryl Moulsdale - qualified as Education Management and Leadership with subject specialists in English. Cheryl has previously worked in specialist schools for all age groups, Universities, FE Colleges, Extreme education settings and young offenders’ institutes. Private Business Ventures - Overseas projects involved school developments, supportive housing, education and welfare. Business Ventures closer to home – private schools, nursing establishments, hospitality businesses, work related housing, supporting vulnerable young people and adults, voluntary work with the women’s refuge, and so much more. The Keresley Centre is a welcoming safe environment and a school which is progressing and developing. Cheryl heads up a strong team of teaching staff delivering a successful education programme.

Interim Joint Centre Manager - Catherine Epps started at the Arethusa in 1998 as a volunteer and then an instructor gaining various National Governing Body qualifications in outdoor education and experience working with children and young people. Cath left the Arethusa for a short time where she travelled and worked in Australia, running youth projects for the Government in Victoria. Cath came back to the UK and returned to the Arethusa as an Instructor and then as a Senior Instructor. On and off Cath has worked for Shaftesbury Young People and The Arethusa for approximately 16.5 years and has met some fantastic people. Cath loves working at the AVC and believes the centre staff work brilliantly with the children that visit the centre, giving each child their time. Cath says: ‘We see so many children, and in such a short time they achieve so, so much. It is a great place to work and it is so important that children have the opportunity to experience all that we do.’

Interim Joint Centre Manager - Vicky Bavin - Vicky has worked in the outdoor industry for over 21 years mainly in a financial capacity. Vicky has always had a general interest in business gaining a BTEC in Business Studies during her first employment with PowerGen. Vicky joined the Arethusa Venture Centre 21 years ago as a Finance Officer and worked her way up to Office Manager. During her career at the AVC she gained various financial and managerial qualifications including the Certificate in Small Business Financial Management which helped her gain the necessary business knowledge required to carry out her role.