Patrons and Advisors
We are extremely fortunate to be supported by our patrons and advisors.
Patrons
Alexander and Hannah Armstrong
Alexander is best known as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. He hosts Classic FM’s flagship weekday mid-morning programme. Alexander is a regular host and presenter of popular TV shows (Pointless, Have I got News for You, Alexander Armstrong In…) and has written many books. Hannah and Alexander have been married since 2004 and have four boys.
Sally Hogg
Sally is Associate Director at the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood which exists to catalyse and inspire action in early childhood, in order to create a happier, healthier and more nurturing society. Prior to this Sally was the Senior Policy Fellow in the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) at the University of Cambridge and Deputy CEO at the Parent-Infant Foundation.
The Countess of Inchcape
Georgina is a Director of the Glenapp Estate Company and a Trustee of the Inchcape Foundation and a founding Patron of The Centre for Emotional Health.
Annette Mountford, MBE
A former Health Visitor, Annette introduced The Nurturing Programme to the UK in 1992 and was Chief Executive of Family Links (as we then were) until March 2015.
Rosalind Portman
Rozzie was one of the three co-founders of The Centre for Emotional Health (originally Family Links). She has a background in stress-management and counselling and was awarded The Beacon Award for New Initiatives in 2004.
Sir Philip Pullman, CBE
Philip Pullman is an award winning author. He spent many years as a middle-school teacher, writing plays for school performances and inspiring pupils to be creative themselves. He is a patron of the Pegasus Youth Theatre in Oxford, The Story Museum in Oxford and the pressure group Save Kids TV.
James Sainsbury, OBE
James is Chair of Trustees of the Resurgence Trust, which publishes “Resurgence and Ecologist” magazine. He is also President of Home-Start UK and a trustee of the Tedworth, Headley and Staples trusts and the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund.
Advisors
Laura Barbour
Laura has 30 years of experience in the voluntary sector including 5 years at UK Youth before joining the Sutton Trust. There she focused on developing the Trust’s Early Years strand; leading on research, policy initiatives and practical programme delivery. In June 2024, Laura joined Chimo Trust supporting the creation of a community of best practice in social prescribing for young people’s mental health.
Dr John Coleman
John is a clinical and developmental psychologist. He was formerly the Director of the Trust for the Study of Adolescence (TSA), and a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Education at Oxford University. He has served as a Policy Advisor in the Department of Health, and is currently Chair of the Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH).
Hilary Emery CBE
Hilary began her career as a primary teacher, later working in teacher education and education policy before becoming CEO of the National Children’s Bureau. She was awarded a CBE in 2018 for services to children and young people.
Naomi Jones
Naomi has over 20 years’ experience as a mixed-method researcher but she specialises in high-quality qualitative research and the use of qualitative research in evaluation. She works across policy areas but much of her work is centred on the area of children, families and young people.
Dr Kathryn Lester
Dr Kathryn Lester, BSc, D.Phil (Oxon), is a Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology and Director of the CAPE Lab at the University of Sussex. Her research focuses on the impact of early play experiences, family and peer relationships, and school and community factors on child development and emotional health and wellbeing.
Geoff McDonald
Geoff is the former Global Vice-President at Unilever, and a leading voice in promoting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. As an experienced practitioner, he brings valuable insights to his role as a consultant and advocate.
Francis Murphy
Francis is Head Teacher at Sir Thomas Fremantle School. He has a passion for developing emotional health in schools and developing staff wellbeing. Previously he has been the Chair of the Trust’s Head Teachers’ group for a small multi academy Trust in Oxford. He has chaired the South Oxford City School Partnership.
Gethin Nadin
Gethin is an award-winning psychologist, bestselling HR author, and one of the world’s most influential HR thinkers. Gethin was awarded seven trophies in 2024 for his work in influencing the HR industry. He is also a Fellow at King’s College London, King’s Business School.
Frank Young
Frank is CEO of Parentkind, the UK’s largest parent charity. He joined Parentkind in 2024 as director of policy and research and has a background in education and family policy. Before joining Parentkind he worked for two leading think tanks in Westminster. He was a non-executive director on the Board of Ofsted between 2022 – 2025 and has been a trustee of a national children’s charity.