The team

CEO Ian Soars

Ian Soars, CEO of Spurgeons, leads the charity's mission to care for every family, putting children and young people first in everything we do.

Annelize Mynhardt, Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer Annelize Mynhardt

Annelize Mynhardt, Spurgeons' Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for overseeing the charity's operations, ensuring optimal support for families, children and young people.

Lorraine White, Director of Commissioned Services

Director of Services and Practice Lorraine White

Lorraine White, as the Director of Services and Practice at Spurgeons, ensures the charity's services are delivered effectively, focusing on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and families.

Ann-Marie Fisher, Head of Communications and Digital Services

Director of Communications and Digital Delivery Ann-Marie Fisher

Ann-Marie Fisher, as Director of Communications and Digital Delivery, she leads the charity's communications strategies and the development of digital services to support families and community partners digitally.

Karen Ortiz-McAvoy, Head of Strategic Programmes and Governance

Head of Strategic Programmes and Governance Karen Ortiz-McAvoy

Karen Ortiz-McAvoy, as the Head of Strategic Programmes and Governance, plays a crucial role in shaping and overseeing the charity's strategic initiatives and ensuring governance standards are met to support our mission.

Director of Fundraising Sarah James

Sarah James, as Director of Fundraising is instrumental in developing our engagement with supporters to empower our mission to support children and families.

Head of Service Amanda Massey

Amanda Massey, as Head of Service, oversees key contracts in Wiltshire, Surrey and Birmingham, ensuring high quality support for families, fulfilment of key performance targets goals, team development and practice development.

Head of Practice Development Sarah Smith

Sarah Smith has over 25 years of experience as a registered social worker. As the Head of Practice Development at Spurgeons, leads in safeguarding practices, chairs the Safeguarding Panel, and supports the leadership team in organisational development.

Head of Service Birmingham Jonathan Wiggin

Jonathan Wiggin, as the Head of Service in Birmingham for Spurgeons, is dedicated to supporting families and children, providing a range of services that contribute to giving children the best start in life.

Family Hub County Manager Lucy Bracher

Lucy Bracher, Family Hub County Manager (Wiltshire) manages Quality and Practice in Wiltshire's family hubs, focusing on high standards and team empowerment to enhance family life in the community.

District Manager at Elmbridge Sally Roberts

Sally Roberts, District Manager at Elmbridge supports the children and families at our family centres in Elmbridge.

National Domestic Abuse Lead Tracy Foster

Tracy Foster, with over 20 years of experience as registered social worker, currently serves as the National Domestic Abuse Lead at Spurgeons, where she supports individuals impacted by domestic abuse.

Catherine Barker, Policy and Public Affairs Advisor

Policy and Public Affairs Advisor Catherine Barker

Catherine Barker, as Policy and Public Affairs Advisor, liaises with government, local authorities, charities and other stakeholders to influence policy, share good practice and support innovation to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable children and families.

Head of Service Nadine Massey

Nadine Massey, has over 30 years’ experience working with children and families. As Head of Service for children affected by imprisonment, Nadine works nationally across the prison estates, youth custody, secure school, education and the community, to provide a bespoke service to meet the specific needs of each dad, child and their families.

Tia Barham, Head of Growth and Partnerships

Head of Growth and Partnerships Tia Barham

As Head of Growth and Partnerships, Tia is responsible for the development and expansion of Spurgeons' services to schools and other organisations across the South East and beyond.

Head of People Jo Foster

Jo Foster, Spurgeons' Head of People delivers the organisation's HR strategy, focusing on our supportive work culture and employee engagement.

Head of Counselling Ellie Johnston

Ellie is a counsellor with experience across education, the NHS and charity sectors. She leads counselling services, teaches CPCAB courses, runs a private practice, and consults for a national children’s counselling charity. Her work focuses on relationships, family breakdown, and emotional wellbeing.