People

Maria is a financial services lawyer and has held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Barclays and various other major financial institutions. She has experience dealing with illegal immigration while being involved with the Jesuit Refugee Service. During that time she regularly visited detainees in Harmondsworth and Colnbrook centres. Maria is also involved in One of Us, an infancy UK cultural platform think tank to promote the value of human life. Maria is a native Spanish speaker.

Richard is the Director of Caritas Westminster. He was previously a senior civil servant and deputy director of the independent think tank Reform. He has extensive experience of research and policymaking in the public sector and third sector and has advised governments in Australia, Japan, Europe, Africa and the Middle East about various aspects of public service reform. He has published on a wide range of topics, including crime and criminal justice, deregulation, fiscal sustainability, philanthropy, social investment and impact evaluation. Richard is a trustee of the Forces in Mind Trust, and sits on the Advisory Councils of Volunteering Matters, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Our Common Good. He is also a Senior Associate of the Power to Change Trust and a Visiting Senior Fellow at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Nicola is Diocesan Secretary (Chief Executive Officer) of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark which covers all of south London and east Surrey. She was previously a Senior Civil Servant in the Home Office, most recently leading on integration for refugees and safeguarding of vulnerable asylum seekers. She is particularly proud of having led the team which created the Community Sponsorship Scheme for resettled refugees. Nicola has worked in a variety of interesting and challenging roles, including as Private Secretary to two Home Secretaries, and specialises in policy and strategy for operational delivery. In her spare time, she enjoys choral singing, especially in the English Cathedral tradition. She is active in her local Catholic parish.

Johan is a professed lay member of the Carmelite Order and worked for 18 years as the Order’s Communications and Outreach Manager in Britain. He has written and edited a number of books on spirituality, and leads retreats and quiet days in Britain and abroad. He has a Doctorate in Medieval Literature, a Diploma in Pastoral Ministry and Christian Leadership, and teaches literature, history, and theology in a number of institutions. Johan is a Research Associate at the University of York’s Centre for Medieval Studies, a Fellow of the Centre for Marian Studies, a Fellow of the Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome, and Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. For over thirty years Johan has accompanied pilgrims to Lourdes, especially sick and disabled people, and he serves on the international formation team for volunteers in the sanctuary. Johan lives in York where he serves on the pastoral councils of Our Lady’s Parish and the Diocese of Middlesbrough’s LGBT+ Ministry. A keen ecumenist, Johan has served several terms as Chair of Churches Together in York, and as Chair of the Ebor Lectures in Theology and Public Life. His interest in Catholic Social Teaching has prompted Johan to become involved in hospital chaplaincy, mental health promotion, a parish foodbank and warm welcome centre, and projects in collaboration with CAFOD and the Archbishop Romero Trust. He is training to become a counsellor in person-centred therapy.

Daphne is a cradle Catholic currently working as a freelance consultant supporting development of social and health care innovations and their scaling to regional and national levels. She also supports organisations on their journey to become more sustainable and more equitable, diverse and inclusive organisations. She previously worked as a sustainability and climate change consultant and in grantmaking in the healthcare sector. Alongside her work, Daphne is Chair of the IRISi board, a national organisation enabling delivery of interventions from a health care lens that support women experiencing domestic violence and abuse. She is passionate about ensuring all organisations and work she’s involved in live out values of equity, diversity and inclusion. This also applies to her faith and Daphne has led sessions with young Catholics to explore the role of the church in tackling racism.