Our team

Our staff, volunteers and trustees bring a wide range of skills, experience and perspectives to our work. Together, we create the trusted relationships and supportive communities that help young people move forward.

Meet our trustees

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  • With over 40 years of experience working in both the public and private care sectors, Alan is acutely aware of the needs of young people and has a passion to help and support individuals achieve success that they can celebrate.

    Alan currently owns and manages a consultancy business offering small to medium sized companies key business advice and services. Over the years Alan has also been a board member for several charities and now uses his collective knowledge to help Pure Insight develop as an organisation to become the best they can be.

    Alan lives in Cheshire with his wife, and has three grown-up sons and a daughter, he also has seven incredible granddaughters, who keep him on his toes! His interests cover a wide range of topics but most of his spare time is spent with his grandchildren.

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  • Laura supports our organisation as HR Trustee. As a CIPD-qualified HR professional with extensive experience, she contributes valuable expertise to our people strategy and organisational growth initiatives, while helping to ensure we remain a supportive, rewarding and positive place to work.

    As a care leaver herself, Laura’s interest in HR began at a young age. As a teenager, she was invited to sit on a local authority youth panel, where she helped interview prospective social workers. This early experience sparked her interest in people and recruitment.

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  • Mike is a mentor with Pure Insight in Warrington, where he has supported several young adult care leavers through targeted projects. His commitment to helping children and young people is very personal, shaped by his own experience as a young carer.

    Drawing on this lived experience, Mike authored Guidebook for Young Carers and created an accompanying website to provide practical support and guidance for young carers today.

    Professionally, Mike runs his own consultancy, specialising in bid management and bid writing for organisations competing for public and private sector contracts. His earlier career includes service as an Army Officer and as a Ceasefire Monitor with the Foreign Office.

    Mike lives in Warrington with his wife, young daughter, and two spaniels. In his spare time, he enjoys watching rugby and keeping active. As a trustee, he is committed to supporting Pure Insight’s continued growth and impact.

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  • Steph was a solicitor in central Manchester for over 20 years before moving to live in America. Upon her return she volunteered with Pure Insight as a Parent Angel and then completed the mentor training course in September 2016. Steph was consistently impressed with the work of the charity and ethos of the staff that she knew she wanted to do more and so became involved with their other projects and she hasn’t looked back since.

    Steph has seen first hand the huge benefits the mentoring scheme can bring to the lives of  young adults , the tag line of “transforming lives “ really is true. Steph remains committed to working with Pure Insight to deliver their goals and ideals.

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  • Sam is a care-experienced social worker currently working in the charity sector. He has many years experience working in local authorities directly supporting cared for and care leavers. He also has experience of managing teams and setting up specialist projects to support care leavers around education, employment and training as well as supporting newly arrived unaccompanied young people. 

    Sam has first hand experience of working with a local authority which Pure Insight supported and has seen the amazing impact that a mentor can have for a young person as well as the brilliant relationship based practice which Pure Insight offers.

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  • Jenny works across a portfolio career focused on driving transformational change and leading complex system-level programs across the public sector in Greater Manchester.

    The first in her family to attend university, Jenny graduated in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in Social Sciences and subsequently completed qualifications in teacher training, project management, ILM and Human Resource Management, becoming a member of the CIPD.

    Her lived experience, including time in the care system and becoming a young parent, deeply shapes her professional commitment to inclusion, social justice, and compassion. Across her portfolio, she brings extensive experience leading public sector and community-focused initiatives supporting women in the criminal justice system and young people leaving care.

    Jenny is passionate about empowering disadvantaged groups to have a voice. She is a dedicated advocate for trauma-responsive, person-centred system reform, as well as building resilient communities and emotionally intelligent teams. Jenny is proud to serve as a Trustee, providing strategic guidance and practical support to the leadership team.

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  • An award-winning charity marketer and business development manager, Abby currently works as a brand manager for a global hospitality textiles brand. Abby’s prior roles in charity marketing in the region have generated nationwide recognition for corporate partnerships at the BCIAs and regional and national media coverage including BBC Breakfast, The Metro, ITV, Steph’s Packed Lunch, and various radio placements. With accolades including being named to the inaugural SheInspires Leaders List and being selected for the Northern Power Women Future List, Abby uses her free time to give back to her adopted home in Manchester.

    After immigrating to the UK in 2019, Abby has immersed herself in the local area, where alongside her job and trustee obligations she is the local president of the Junior Chamber International and volunteers with Conversations Over Borders.

    Abby’s role on the PI board includes marketing and branding guidance to help the incredible work of the team shine through.

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  • Mark brings significant financial expertise and governance experience to the Pure Insight board in his role as Finance Trustee. 

    Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC, Mark progressed to Senior Manager level in the Audit and Business Assurance department, advising both national and multi-national businesses on financial reporting, corporate governance, due diligence and business procedures. He then spent three years in corporate finance, advising on multi-million pound business acquisitions, disposals and private equity placements.

    Moving into the private sector, Mark co-founded and ran two successful medical businesses, developing first-hand experience of the financial planning, risk management and operational oversight that comes with running organisations responsibly over the long term.

    Now retired from his professional career, Mark is committed to applying his wealth of knowledge to the voluntary sector, with a particular focus on ensuring robust financial governance and strategy at Pure Insight.