Staff Team
Cheryl Hooper - Director
Cheryl has a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and 20 years experience in international development and charity management having worked for 10 years as a consultant for charities in the UK and internationally. Before joining Cecily’s Fund, Cheryl worked as Europe Director at Latitude Global Volunteering and was Head of Fundraising and Programme Development for Bishop Simeon Trust.
Bob Gooderick - Finance Manager
Bob joined Cecily’s Fund in 2014. HIs extensive experience in international finance, governance and risk mitigation began with PricewaterhouseCoopers in London before moving to their South American and European firms. As Chief Financial Officer Bob helped to found, and develop an international car components group of companies, backed by private equity, with operations in Central and Eastern Europe. Bob moved to working in international development in Africa in 2009 working as an Internal Auditor Manager for a microloan enterprise in Malawi and then as Chief Financial Officer of a water and sanitation enterprise in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Bob holds a BA degree in Hispanic studies from Manchester University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Steven Barlow - Senior Programmes Manager
Steven joined Cecily’s Fund in 2016. He has 20 years experience in the international development sector across health care, education support, entrepreneurship, agribusiness, rural enterprise development and international volunteer management. He has designed, developed and managed programmes and projects in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Europe and has a Masters Degree in Applied Development Studies. Steven has a keen interest in supporting local innovation, building capacity through community and local-partnership based approaches, developing sustainable and longer-lasting solutions for youth education and sexual reproductive health support in Zambia.
Anne Cooper - Senior Fundraiser
Anne has 25 years’ fundraising experience in the UK Not for Profit sector. Graduating with an English degree from London University she has recently started an MBA with the Open University. Anne has worked for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Relief, Victim Support, British Heart Foundation and Oxfam. Anne joined Rotary GB in 2000, having been a member of Bicester, Reading Matins and Westminster International clubs and helped to found the Thames Valley Rotary Club. Anne is a committed charity eventer taking part in both London and New York marathons, a charity bike ride along the Nile and overseas treks to Peru and the Sahara.
Lwiza Mulenga - Supporter Relations Officer
Lwiza has five years’ experience in the charity sector with Girl Guiding and National Citizen Service. Upon finishing university, she volunteered with Volunteer Services Overseas for 3 months in Cambodia. All the organisations Lwiza has worked with are centred around empowerment of women, children or youth through education or health awareness. Lwiza was born in Zambia's Copperbelt region and moved to England when she was 12.
Trustees
Stephanie Harland - Chair
Stephanie has many years of NGO experience and has a longstanding connection with Zambia and a strong awareness of the issues affecting orphaned and vulnerable children in the country. Stephanie was Chief Executive of Age UK until September 2021.
Philippa Tolmay - Secretary
Philippa is Cecily's younger sister. She is the Secretary of Cecily's Fund. She works as a criminal barrister with Doughty Street Chambers.
Andrew Tacon - Treasurer
Andrew is a retired chartered accountant having previously worked for many years in Grant Thornton's corporate finance team based in the Thames Valley advising on business sales, management buyouts and fundraisings in the SME sector. Since retiring Andrew has expanded his various voluntary roles which, apart from Cecily’s Fund, now include treasurer roles with Witney Rugby Club, Oxfordshire RFU, a local drama group and the charity that manages the public playing fields in his hometown. He also now has more time to focus on his various sporting interests which include tennis and regular ski trips to the Alps in the winter. Other interests include the theatre and mountain walking.
Tom Childs
Tom is Associate Director of Fundraising at Saїd Business School, University of Oxford. Joining in 2014 his focus is primarily on corporate and foundation fundraising, helping to establish several research initiatives, and fundraising for a range of scholarship programmes. Tom was for 14 years a senior fundraiser for Oxfam, specialising in major gifts that supported its overseas humanitarian and development programmes. Tom has a degree in Communication from Bournemouth University and a master’s in Studies in Fiction from the University of East Anglia. Tom has also held a number of research and marketing roles, including at Blackwells Information Services, Business Link London and Pall Europe Ltd. Tom's wife was born in Kitwe, Zambia, and he and his family chose to support Cecily's Fund as a result of this personal connection.
Veronica Oakeshott
Veronica is Cecily's cousin and was Cecily's Fund's first employee. She is a policy and campaigns professional with 20 years’ experience in the UK and Africa. She works for the climate justice organisation, Global Witness, where she leads their campaign to end tropical deforestation. She has worked to influence governments internationally as well as to influence UK policy, on matters as varied as domestic abuse, HIV medical patents and environmental due diligence. She has worked in Parliament, in Kenya for the Foreign Office, and for charities such as Save the Children. A former councillor in east London, she ran successful community campaigns. She lives in Oxfordshire with her family. She takes a particular interest in Cecily's Fund's programming.
Basil Eastwood CMG
Basil is Co-Founder of Cecily’s Fund together with his wife Alison. He is also Chair of the International Advisory Panel, Chair of Swiss Friends of Cecily’s Fund and a Director of our US sister organisation, American Friends of Cecily’s Fund. He has visited our programmes on many occasions. He had a successful career in the Diplomatic Service and served as Ambassador in Switzerland and before that Syria.
Isobelle Jaques
Isobelle has worked extensively on human rights and conflict-related issues in both governmental and non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty International, the Council of Europe and Wilton Park, an agency of the (then) Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Now retired, she is a regular volunteer in a primary school.
International Advisory Panel
Basil Eastwood - Chair of Panel, Co-Founder of Cecily's Fund
Basil was British Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein and, before that, Syria. He retired from the British diplomatic service in 2004. He was Founder Chairman of Cecily’s Fund for 10 years. He is still Chair of Swiss Friends of Cecily’s Fund and serves as a Director of our US sister organisation, American Friends of Cecily’s Fund. He has visited our programmes on many occasions.