Meet the team

We care about our communities.

We have over 140 full and part-time staff working for the Foundation, supporting 20,000 people a year across Sunderland, South Tyneside and County Durham.

We are led by a dedicated, knowledgeable board of trustees who have a passion for making the North East the best it can be.

They, alongside a number of board committees, steer our Chief Executive and senior leadership team on strategic direction, who lead our employees in carrying out the day-to-day activities of the organisation across the region.

Royal Patron

Her Royal Highness Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, GCVO

Our Trustees

Sir Bob Murray CBE (Chair), The Hon James Ramsbotham CBE DL (Vice Chair), Steve Cram CBE (Treasurer), The Rt Hon The Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley PC, Kate Adie CBE DL, George Clarke, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, The Rt Hon The Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE DL, Sir Tim Rice, Martin Hibbert, Jill Scott MBE

Programmes Committee

Joan Atkinson, Andrew Bainbridge, Sue Brent, Lynda Brown, Mike Chapman, Ian Green MBE, The Rt Hon The Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE DL, Kumareswaradas Ramanathas (RAM), Karen Marshall, Estelle Morris, Toni Rhodes, Denise Taylor, Gerry Taylor, Jamie Wright

Finance, Audit and Risk Committee

Martin Hibbert (Chair), Sam England, Mark Hetherington, Paul Kingsmore, Neil Smith, Hayley Wardle

Our Ambassadors

Leo Pearlman, Jonathan Reynolds, Steve Foots, Jeff Brown, Terry Deary, Geoff Ramm, Julie Elliott, Paul Askew, Kevin Ball, Paul Collingwood, Marco Gabbiadini, Melanie Hill, Sharon Hodgson MP, Stephanie Houghton MBE, Tony Jeffries, David Jones, Jimmy Montgomery BEM, Guy Mowbray, Michael Oliver, Kevin Phillips, Lord David Puttnam, Gavin Slark, Peter Fiddler CBE DL, Tasmin Archer, Carley Armstrong, Niall Quinn