Emmaus is a homelessness charity with a difference.
We don’t just provide a bed, we provide a reason to get out of it too. Central to our ethos is the rebuilding of self-esteem, confidence, and skills through engagement in purposeful work opportunities. Companions are provided with support, training and development to undertake roles in the charity’s social enterprises.
What does a board of trustees do?
The purpose of our board is to provide sound governance to our organisation. This includes agreeing strategic direction, approving and reviewing policies and procedures, appointing executive staff and ensuring compliance with the objectives, purposes and values of our organisation, and with its governing document.
The whole board meets every two months and there are a number of sub-committees which meet both online and face-to-face with a particular focus. Trustees govern on a voluntary basis and do not get paid for the role. Trustees are expected to commit around a day per month in time to their role.
Gaenor
Gaenor is an accountant who has worked for a variety of organisations in both the public and private sector. She has recently retired from a specialist maths school where she was the business manager.
She has been part of Emmaus Greenwich for many years and is very proud (and amazed!) of how we have grown from a single property with residential and retail outlet to the current three shops and four houses. She is excited at how we are starting to increase our impact and support those living outside, as well as within, the Emmaus community.
Gaenor became Chair of Emmaus Greenwich in 2013, and in the last 10 years, she has met some truly interesting and dedicated people along the way – staff, companions and trustees.
Ed
Ed has been a trustee at Emmaus Greenwich since 2017. Living in South-East London, he saw the jarring contrast between prosperous areas right up against places where people have almost nothing, and he has always wanted to give back and try to help his neighbours.
After being a passionate donor to our charity for more than 10 years, Ed was invited to get more involved. He had worked as an asset manager in the City for a long time, and was very happy to put his skills to use in a more human way as treasurer for the community.
Ed feels strongly about the Emmaus story and model, being part of a community and helping others to help yourself. He is passionate about the fact that Emmaus doesn’t patronise people but opens doors for them to improve their lives.
Nazar
Naz is a chartered engineer and a director of a structural engineering consultancy, having worked in the industry for over 40 years. In addition, he also has experience in property development and property management.
He has enjoyed being a trustee of Emmaus Greenwich for a number of years, having been approached then by the Chair of Trustees to assist in the expansion and renovation of their building.
On a personal level, Naz is a keen advocate of human rights and climate justice. His other interests include football, music and theology, having gained a MA in Youth Ministry and Theological Education.
Tim
MBA trained and with a strong commercial background, Tim is the owner and founder of eTraining Limited, a company delivering Apprenticeships, traineeships and AEB funded back to work programmes, among others.
Tim has also been a member of KATO for many years, more recently a committee member, and since 2019, Chair and Director. In this role, he is able to assist KATO in the Apprenticeship and Back to Work arenas ensuring that their work is useful and helpful.
Tim has been a member of the Emmaus board of trustees since 2021. He arrived with the merger of the Coombe Trust with Emmaus, as both charities work in the homeless sector and it made logistical and commercial sense to merge and increase the ability of Emmaus to reach more people. As a trustee, Tim works to enable that to happen.
Dan
Dan has spent nearly thirty years in investment management and has a particular interest in the business development of early-stage technology companies. He currently acts as an advisor to a range of organizations, on issues relating to strategy, financing, and investor relations.
He is also the co-founder and executive chair of an non-governmental organisation (NGO) specializing in providing specialist medical services to low resource countries around the world. Dan has a degree in engineering from Bath University and an MBA from Imperial College.
Tamara
A trustee since 2023, Tamara is keen to support her local community, and she brings in her international experience in human resources (HR) consulting working with private and public sector companies. In her role, she helps drive organisational and personal development.
Simon
Simon is a recently retired lawyer. He specialised in insurance law, and has experience of many areas of the law that impact upon businesses and charities. He was a partner in a global law firm for 30 years and has experience of leading local, national and global teams of colleagues delivering complex advice to clients large and small.
Simon has long had an interest in the provision of assistance to homeless people, assisting in the management of a winter homeless shelter for a number of years.
Simon joined the board of trustees in 2025, and is very much looking forward to contributing to the development of the community.