Our trustees

Charles and Virginia first encountered Emmaus when he was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 2011/12. They were delighted to be asked to become Patrons in 2013, having seen what extraordinary work Emmaus does—and now to be able give active support.
Virginia practiced as a Five Element Acupuncturist (including charitable working at Drugcare St. Albans with addiction and PTSD sufferers) after a career in the art world and before that in retail and fashion. Charles has always been in the financial world, is active in a number of Hertfordshire charities and organisations and is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. Their interests include gardens, country life, travel, reading and music.

Heather joined the Emmaus Hertfordshire board in June 2017 and became Co-Chair in March 2018. She wanted to support a local charity and was attracted to Emmaus Hertfordshire because of our practical approach to tackling homelessness,  helping people move on from experiences of social exclusion and homelessness and to get their lives back on track.

Heather’s background is in psychology, mental health social work and mental health law.

Richard’s interest in homelessness began in the late 1980s when he used to walk through the cardboard city near Waterloo.  He moved to St Albans over 20 years ago and continued to support a number of homeless charities.

Once his children left home he decided that he wanted to be more involved in the governance of a charity that I felt a strong affiliation to and became a trustee of Emmaus Herfordshire in 2017.

In his spare time, he is an active member of the local churches whilst also enjoying opportunities to run, walk or cycle in the local countryside.

Sam has previously worked in financial services as an underwriter and broker for Lloyds of London. Initially, she was based in London before moving to Singapore, spending ten years covering Asia and Australia. On returning to the UK at the beginning of 2017, she searched for charities that might find her financial skills and fundraising experience useful. Her main aim was to find an organisation that she could get deeply involved with and dedicate a portion of her working week to.

The work of Emmaus Hertfordshire stood out to Sam. Before officially becoming a trustee with us, Sam volunteered with us so she could experience all the work that our companions do, whether that be upholstery, helping in the workshop, cooking, working in the retail shops or on the vans. This helped her to get a good understanding of how an Emmaus community works before officially becoming a trustee.

Robert has lived in Harpenden for the last 22 years and is keen to support charities that have an impact on his local community.

Robert has worked in finance for over thirty years most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of a top 100 UK private company with extensive experience of working as a senior director with a particular specialism in finance, strategy and system implementation. In his current role the objective is to maximize the profitability of 54 road service locations across the UK which needs strategic and commercial input as well as my knowledge of finance. He is using his experience to support the work we do through our shops in St Albans, Tring and Boxmoor, and is working to identify opportunities to maximize the income through these locations together with new sources of income.

Richard has a professional background as a Retail and Retail Property Director and has lived in St Albans for over 35 years. He has been involved as a school Governor at three local schools covering a period of over 25 years.

Richard has been a Trustee with us at Emmaus Hertfordshire for just over a year, wanting to use his skills to support a local charity. Our approach to tackling homelessness appealed to him as we are a very practical organisation, and our community of companions looks to develop skills and assist people to move on when they are ready to do so.

Chloe is originally from Harrow in North West London but spent her 20’s and early 30’s living in London, before moving to St Albans in 2015 to start a family.

She was drawn to St Albans Emmaus after hearing good things about the charity from a friend.  During the pandemic she experienced fresh motivation to make positive changes in her life and career and decided to apply when she learned of the Trustee role.  Chloe has sat on voluntary committees before, but not as a Trustee, so is expecting to learn as she goes along!

Chloe’s career background is such that she has worked in construction and the built environment for almost 15 years; becoming a chartered quantity surveyor in 2020.  She is currently working on live building projects for a consultancy practice in London. Chloe is hoping to be able to use her skills and experience in construction to contribute knowledge to the Board at Emmaus St Albans, particularly for any building maintenance requirements and a possible future expansion development project at Hill End.

Simona joined the Emmaus board in December 2022. 

Her professional background is in communications, marketing and PR. She has worked both in the non-profit and private sectors. Her current role is at a prominent defence law firm, where she leads on all external and internal comms.

In her spare time Simona volunteers at a charity called Doorstep Library, rock climbs and spends as much time outdoors as possible. She is also currently working towards finishing a qualification in counselling. 

Michelle is a hypnotherapist with  a background in social care working within supported housing and day services and has also worked within the voluntary sector where she first became aware of Emmaus Hertfordshire.

Michelle was drawn to the way in which Emmaus Hertfordshire supports people experiencing homelessness by providing accessible, inclusive spaces where they feel safe and able to make changes and move forward with their lives.

She joined the board in December 2022

In her spare time Michelle enjoys meditating, reading and going for walks in the countryside.

David has lived in St Albans for 25 years. He became a Trustee with us through a desire to support our work in tackling homelessness through social enterprise.

David has worked as a Communication Director in the retail and technology industries and as Chief Operations Officer in the charity sector. His early career was in TV production.

In his spare time David plays tennis, gardens and enjoys hill walking.

A lawyer by profession, Fiona, heard about Emmaus through her work colleague Julia Elson, a former trustee, who stepped down from the role after relocating to Kent.

Fiona said: “Julia used to talk about Emmaus at work and she asked if I knew anyone who would be interested in taking on her role. I’d heard enough about Emmaus to know it was a great charity and the aim of supporting people to move on to independent living was a big draw for me.”

Fiona works as an in-house lawyer and hopes to be able to support the team with the new governance framework being adopted by Emmaus UK and shared with all its communities.

Fiona lives in Bedfordshire with her husband Richard, and the couple have three daughters, Emily, Izzy and Jess.

One of Fiona’s more unusual pastimes is driving an HGV lorry in her spare time! Her daughters are avid equestrians, so Fiona became HGV-qualified to enable them to take part in UK and European competitions and events.