Trustees
The Madrinha Trust board comprises professionals with a broad range of expertise and cultural diversity.
I have lived in ten different countries, and have visited educational projects across the globe, from the slums of Delhi to the favelas of Brazil, from the South African township of Soweto to the Bronx in New York, from downtown Vancouver to the East End of London and found that poverty has no borders. In all my travels I have been privileged to meet extraordinary people who dedicate their lives to making a real difference; and everywhere there are marginalised children living in poverty and in danger. We have to do better by them.
Amrit Singh was born and educated in India where she graduated in Sciences. She spent two years in Japan working in Public Relations for the India Tea Board before moving to the UK where she obtained a degree in Art History and Interior Design.
She became a director of the Edwardian Group in 1990 and took on the joint Interior Design role for the group in 1997. She is married to Jasminder Singh and has four children.
Amrit Singh
An educationist, researcher and manager with over 20 years international experience in equitable education for the vulnerable, particularly women and girls, professional development, monitoring and evaluation.
As former head teacher of a secondary school, Education Commissioner of the Zambia Episcopal Conference and Consultant, her interests include: Teaching and Learning, Gender and Education, Teacher Migration, Diversity in Education, the role of stakeholders in development and education. She believes given the relevant education, tools/materials, support and mentoring, most young people can become better leaders now and in the future.
Is a Trustee, member of the Education & Mentoring committee for Madrinha Trust as well as leading the CBT (Career Build Team). Ellie was the DTTL Global Managing Partner, Financial Services Industry Tax and a partner of the DTTL Global Employer Services Tax group. She was Vice Chairman of the Deloitte UK firm and a member of the UK Board of Directors. She has written various articles on Financial Service tax issues and is also a regular speaker at internal and external tax and financial services conferences. Ellie was a member of the Deloitte’s Women’s Leadership Team, appointed by the senior partner and Chief Executive to support him and the firm in this area. After Ellie’s retirement in 2014, she became a trustee of the Madrinha Trust, set up her own Consulting Company. Ellie is a board member of Geller & Co, a US based advisory company. In addition to being a Trustee for the Madrinha Trust, she is also a Trustee of the British Youth Opera and a Committee member of Breast Cancer Now Pink Ribbon Ball. Ellie has a BSC in Economics & MBA
Pharmaceutical professional specialising in Oncology, Science, Medicine, Pharmaceutical, Chemistry, Toxicology, Biochemistry, Genetics
Hobbies : Food, gym, yoga, travelling, photography. Passionate about science, travelling and languages.
I have been working in clinical research for most of my career. Through my job, I am able to help people improving their quality of life or heal from debilitating diseases.
When not working, I spend time travelling to various destinations, sampling local foods and soaking up the different cultures. I have been lucky enough to have lived and worked in four different countries, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the UK.
I am fluent in English, Italian and Japanese
Global nomad, retired bank lawyer now pro bono legal counsel to charities.
An advanced toastmaster who mentors and arm twists young speakers to enter competitions. Weather permitting, she is a compulsive roller-blader often found at Hyde Park, training for international skate marathons and long distance skate tours all over the world. Overcoming fear, fall, fail through skating, is her metaphor for life.
Will has a background in corporate finance and real estate and is a Partner at Crosstree Real Estate, a real estate private equity firm based in London. Prior to this, he spent five years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in their investment banking division. He was educated at Eton College and graduated from Bristol University in 2006. Will is married and lives in London with his young family. He is a keen sportsman and Chelsea season ticket holder. Will has been a mentor with Madrinha since 2014 and in 2020 joined the Board of Trustees.
Vanessa is an experienced Enterprise business leader with over 20 years in the technology industry, spending 17 years at Microsoft and currently employed at Apple. In her spare time Vanessa likes to keep herself fit, loves to travel and music is a key passion where she often attends live concerts.
Sarah is a Trustee of the Madrinha Trust and the Royal Commonwealth Society and has extensive charitable and governance experience. She was previously on the Senior Management Team of The Prince’s Trust, a founding Trustee of Prince’s Trust International and on the Council of the National Trust.
Andrew is treasurer of Madrinha Trust. A qualified Chartered Accountant with over 40 years’ experience, Andrew spent most of his career at Deloitte including over 25 years as an equity partner.
Following ‘retirement’ from Deloitte he founded a Fibre Broadband company and was the Group CFO until late 2023. He currently sits on the Board of the expanded group.
He has lived and worked in France and Hungary and has travelled extensively to Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America.
When not travelling with his wife, Andrew rows regularly on the Thames – and despite his declining standard continues to enjoy playing golf.
Since joining the organisation in December 2015, S-J Heany's journey from Trust Manager to Chief Executive Officer is testament to her ability to adapt and thrive in a dynamic organisation. From her days as a Music Record Label owner, producer, and performing artist in the 1990s music scene to her foray into Project Management within Big Data Technology start-ups in the 2000s and as UK Business Development Director for a fast-food brand, she is determined to make the world a better place through her work.
One of S-J's defining qualities is her ability to infuse empathy and care into her work. As part of her role, she champions Madrinha's Scholars, tirelessly encouraging them to develop their skills and engage fully with the Career Skills Programme, which she co-curates with Trustee, Vanessa Kyte.
S-J firmly believes that collaboration is the cornerstone of success, and her strong collaborative streak inspires others to work together towards shared goals.
Making a positive impact on the community is deeply ingrained in S-J's DNA. Beyond her professional life, S-J volunteers her time and support to STORM, a local community family centre, where she actively contributes to their events and development activities. Giving back to her local community.
In her personal life, S-J is a loving mother to Archie, who attends Dulwich College. She has a passion for music and sings with her jazz band at performances at various venues around London.
Remembering Caroline Pocock
May 1947 to June 2024
It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that Caroline passed away peacefully in her sleep early yesterday morning (12 June 2024). She had fought so hard for so long and with endless positivity. Mike and I visited her on Friday and she was still as upbeat and cheerful as always.
She loved being a part of the Madrinha family and I will miss her tremendously. As a founding trustee her input was an integral part of the original foundations of the trust. We are putting together a tribute for the upcoming Madrinha party so please send us any photos or special memories you would like added.
May she rest in peace after a life well lived.
Jania
“The gift of time to change lives when you never know how much you have, is a priceless legacy.”
— Sui Chin McKeand