Our Mentors

For over 11 years until January 2023, Nick was the Director General and Secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers: a global charity with over 95,000 members; and Vice Chair of Thomas Telford Ltd, the ICE’s commercial trading company. He is the Chair of Mid Kent College Training Services, a Governor of Mid Kent College, an alumnus of the Royal College of Defence Studies, a Trustee of The Rochester Cathedral Trust and Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Kent. Previously he has been a Vice President of the Institution of Royal Engineers, Board Member and Trustee of EngineeringUK, and a Non-Executive Director of the CIC and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). Nick has extensive experience of running charities both big and small; and has dealt personally with many of the governance, financial and leadership challenges that charities face on a day-to-day basis.  He has a long association with Kent and Medway, having served as a Royal Engineer in the British Army for over 25 years finishing his service as Commandant of the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham. 

Pim is an accomplished senior leader with over 35 years executive experience of strategic leadership in the arts, heritage and the creative industries. Pim stepped down as Deputy Director from the National Portrait Gallery at the end of 2019 after twenty-two years. She began her career in the Arts with the mid-scale touring opera company, Kent Opera, and also spent nine years in senior roles at the National Theatre. Pim lives near Faversham in Kent and has a range of local interests. She is a Member of the Alexander Centre and Patron of the Alexander Collection, an exhibition of work by local artists. Pim is also a Kent Ambassador. As well as being an arts adviser, mentor and coach, Pim’s non-executive roles include being a Trustee of Strawberry Hill House and Garden, near Twickenham, a Member of the Historic Royal Palaces Campaign Board and a Governor of Central School of Ballet. Pim is a qualified Time to Think coach and facilitator.   In September 2022 she was licensed at Canterbury Cathedral as a Lay Reader.   Pim was awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours for services to the Arts. 

Louise is currently studying for an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management at Bayes Business School and has previously qualified as a Chartered Accountant and as a Barrister.  Louise has been involved in the voluntary sector for over 30 years in a variety of roles.  She is currently a trustee of North West Kent Citizens Advice and has previously volunteered as an advisor.  Louise currently sits as a magistrate in the Adult Criminal Courts and on the Family Panel and has had a variety of leadership roles in the magistracy including as the magistrate member of the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee.  Louise is a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent. 

Deb has worked in the social sector for 30 years from supporting people in need and running multi-site operations in London to acting as the CEO for Oasis Domestic Abuse Service in Kent. She holds an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management from Cass Business School and delivers coaching, mentoring, training and consultancy via her company SociaLed

Marion’s whole career has been based on all elements of health and social care both locally and nationally.  Her last position was that of Chief Executive of Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust. Since retiring Marion has become a business advisor and mentor to a number of charitable organisations and small businesses supported by the Kent and Medway Business Fund and The Kent Foundation. She is President of Friends of the William Harvey Hospital and is a trustee and Vice Chair of the Ashford, Wye and District Branch of the University of the Third Age.  She is also Programme Coordinator of the Rotary Club of Ashford, and a Kent Ambassador.

Rosemary has worked for Kent Education for over 40 years , 27 of them as Headteacher . She is involved with many Kent initiatives and is a Trustee of several county organisations . As a Parish Councillor and Area Chairman of KALC , community involvement is a priority in her portfolio . Though an active trustee of several charities in the county she is especially involved with her patronage of Diversity House . This large and successful Kent charity promotes integration , social inclusion and cohesion ; it has won various awards for its successful mentoring and training programmes to provide opportunities for employment for those less advantaged .

Stephen Elsden has over 30 years’ experience in the voluntary sector. Before joining Compaid as CEO in 2009, he was in charge of service marketing for Leonard Cheshire Disability. He was a founder of Professional Fundraising magazine which he edited in the early 1990s before moving on to the British Red Cross to co-ordinate their publishing and above and below the line marketing. Stephen has written and spoken extensively on charity issues in the UK and internationally. Stephen is a former Trustee of both the Institute of Fundraising and the Small Charities Coalition, and has served on many other charity Boards throughout his career. He is currently a Pilotlighter and through that scheme is working with a charity in the West Midlands.

Eva is an experienced senior leader with over 30 years’ experience in the voluntary and not for profit sector predominantly in the social care field.  With extensive experience in strategy, team development and change management within large national/international charities including: The Children’s Society, National Deaf Children’s Society and Carers Trust. Eva has also held a Trustee position at Demelza Children’s Hospice in Kent. Eva holds a Level 7 Diploma in Executive Coaching and Leadership Mentoring from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), is a member of ILM, and a member of the Association for Coaching. In addition, Eva holds a MA in Social Work, Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling, DMS, Prince 2 qualified and is a NLP practitioner.

Chris is the Chief Executive of the Rockdale Housing Association in Sevenoaks. He was previously CEO of Crossways Community, a mental health charity, and before that spent over twenty years as a partner of a law firm in the City of London providing property development and governance legal advice to housing associations and charities. Within the firm he was also responsible for leading and developing the firm’s social responsibility role, especially around improving access to the legal profession for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He has been a trustee of Golding Homes, a Maidstone based housing association; of Crofton Schools Multi Academy Trust and his local nursery school.  He is currently Chair of trustees for his local church. He holds an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management from Cass Business School, City University.

Robert is Chief Executive of Aspens, a charity helping young people and adults with a range of disabilities and complex needs, as well as those on the autism spectrum. Starting out as a registered nurse for people with a learning disability, he has worked in this field in many parts of the UK for over 30 years, and in organisations including charities, local authorities, private companies, and the NHS. Robert has a daughter with Asperger’s Syndrome.

After 15 years with the Diplomatic Service, Victoria was the Chief Executive of Leeds Castle for ten years and then Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for six.  She was Hon Secretary of the Association of Independent Museums for over 9 years, supporting the independent heritage sector. After a term as Under Treasurer of the Middle Temple, she now divides her time between printmaking and writing, and serving as a Lay Canon and member of the Rochester Cathedral Trust.  She is particularly interested in governance, people development, public engagement and organisational change.