Trustee Board Profiles 2025

A Trustee since 2009, Joy has been Chair of the Trustee Board since 2016.

With a background in healthcare (10 years in the NHS followed by 20+ years in corporate roles, up to European leadership), Joy now provides ad hoc specialist support to an international project team serving the medical industry.

A firm believer in the importance of reading skills, Joy also volunteers with Bookmark Reading Charity, delivering one-to-one online reading sessions with children still catching up after the COVID lockdowns.

Continuously engaging in her own personal development, Joy remains committed to bringing even more impact to her private leadership coaching.

Liz has been with us as our Accountant and Treasurer for more than 14 years.

She is responsible for the preparation and submission of our statutory accounts and Annual Return to Companies House and the Charities Commission, as well as having oversight of the staff payroll.

Liz is a Partner at Kendall Wadley LLP where she works as a Chartered Accountant, Registered Auditor, Tax and business advisor.

Alison was elected at the 2016 AGM.

Originally from Worcester she moved to London, spending eight years as a CPS case worker before joining the Cabinet Office in 1997. From Secretary to the Civil Service Appeal Board, to HR Policy Advisor, she became the go-to person for occupational health policy.

From 2007 she was priority project co-ordinator working on change management with government departments and local authorities, also serving as Finance Officer.

Currently she manages the business side of her husband’s coaching service and provides administrative support to the Bredon Hill Group of Churches and the Worcestershire West Rural Team in the Worcester Diocese.

Cymone Hughes has been a trustee since early 2022. With over 27 years of social work experience, Cymone has specialised in areas of Child Protection, Family Group Conferencing and managing several family support services across Shropshire and Powys.

Her passion to encourage families and wider networks to come together to make plans for children saw her presenting her findings as far away as New Zealand.

Cymone has increasing understanding in areas around child exploitation (including human trafficking and grooming gangs in the UK); subjects only recently being offered some recognition and understanding by much of society.

Today, Cymone works as a freelance social worker. She also works with many clients in her private practice as an energy healer.

Dal leads on the agenda for organisational development, talent management and leadership.

With over 20 years’ experience in the industry, Dal has a passion for learning and development and equality, diversity and inclusion. She brings together both agendas to develop programmes of learning which are vibrant, modern and embrace an inclusive learning culture. In previous roles, Dal has successfully led on several high-profile projects, specialising in organisational development and change, Inclusion, leadership development, talent and succession management, whilst managing a wide multifaceted learning and development agenda.

In addition, Dal supports a number of organisations either as a trustee or a judge. Dal is a qualified coach and a chartered member of the Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) with a Masters in Strategic HRM. She is an established lecturer in her field and has jointly co-authored several books for CIPD gaining a credible reputation as an ongoing researcher and publisher.

In her spare time Dal enjoys family time as well as staying active and has a keen interest in a variety of sports and volunteering to support environmental initiatives.

Melissa brings over seven years of experience in PR and Marketing, with a background spanning both agency and in-house roles following her degree. She now leads on Fundraising, Communications and Stakeholder Relations within the charity sector, focusing on building awareness, nurturing relationships, and increasing funding to support essential frontline services.

Her connection to WMRSASC began almost seven years ago through volunteering, sparking a lasting commitment to advocating for survivors of sexual violence and championing intersectional, trauma-informed support.

As a trustee, Melissa is passionate about raising the charity’s profile, strengthening its communications, and ensuring that the voices and needs of survivors remain central to all messaging.

Outside of work, Melissa juggles mum life with gym sessions, runs for headspace, bakes for fun (and stress relief), and always has a book on the go.

Lauren is a dedicated and experienced family solicitor and solicitor advocate, known for her unwavering commitment to helping others through times of hardship. With a legal career spanning over a decade, she has built a reputation for providing compassionate and expert legal guidance.

A graduate of Keele University, Lauren has always been driven by a passion for justice. She has a deep understanding of the complexities that individuals face during difficult periods.

Lauren’s expertise ranges from individual in-person meetings through to court advocacy, ensure that clients receive comprehensive support throughout their journey.

Lauren is recognised for her dedication to community service and pro bono work. Lauren has an ability to navigate complex situations which makes her a trusted advisor and advocate .

Lauren’s unwavering commitment to others through times of hardship exemplifies her role as a trustee, ensuring the value of integrity is upheld.

Having honed her skills for over 4 years in both agency and in-house settings, she’s a whiz when it comes to navigating the ever-evolving world of social media. After graduating from university during lockdown, Imogen dedicated her time to supporting others through her love of nursing.

This experience, coupled with her early volunteering days at WMRSASC, has instilled in her a deep understanding of the charity’s mission and the people it serves. Imogen’s strategic digital marketing skills and genuine commitment to the WMRSASC team and through social media, make it the charity everyone’s talking about.

Her expertise in social media will be instrumental in raising awareness and ensuring WMRSASC’s vital work reaches the communities and organisations.

In her spare time she loves hiking, traveling and running (or trying to, at least!)

Veena is an employment law specialist and leadership development consultant with over 25 years of experience supporting public, private and third sector organisations. She is currently a Non-Executive Director at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, in addition to running her own employment law consultancy and training company, through which she delivers training in leadership and management, focusing on building inclusive, supportive workplace cultures. Her work is grounded in practical legal knowledge and a commitment to equity and wellbeing.

With a strong personal interest in addressing inequalities, Veena brings both professional expertise and a values-driven perspective to her role as Trustee at WMRSASC, supporting its mission to help survivors of sexual violence and abuse.