Hibiscus Initiatives’ board of trustees are a diverse group, reflecting the diversity inherent in the world their work is shaping. They are thought leaders who have significantly influenced thinking and action in the social justice and immigration movements. They bring expertise, resources and vision to their work – along with track records as catalysts of change.

Rachel Youngman | Chair

Rachel has both national and international experience across a range of sectors both at CEO and Board level. Her work has involved developing relationships and working on achieving policy change with senior stakeholders including those from the UN, EC, national governments and regulatory bodies. In her former role as Deputy Executive Director of an international legal organisation she was responsible for the commercial law programme. She has experience with the Prisoners Education Trust as the Interim CEO developing new ways of working as a team including for government policy on prison education. Throughout her career, she has volunteered for a number of different projects, including teaching English to young refugees from Vietnam.

Mike Greenwood | Treasurer

Mike is a chartered accountant. He is currently employed in the role of Chief Financial Officer at Medequip, a provider of community equipment services to local authorities and the NHS across the UK. Mike has 30 years’ experience in finance roles across various industry sectors including Industrial Services, Vending & Food Services, Distribution & Packaging and Retail & Distribution, working for companies with varying ownership structures, including families and private equity.

Anne Stephens | Trustee

Anne was a member of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Holloway for 19 years before joining our Board. She also worked as a volunteer for Citizens’ Advice Bureau for 10 years and has been a Magistrate in the Adult and Family courts since 2004.

Sara Khan | Trustee

Sara’s academic background is in psychology and gender and she has worked in roles relating to mental health and equality and diversity. She spent three years as a Diversity Manager in HMP Brixton supporting staff and prisoners and improving services.  Since 2009 she has worked in policy and corporate roles in central government on justice-related issues.

Margaret Crisell | Trustee

Margaret worked as a solicitor for almost 40 years and has specialised in children’s law, family law and mental health law. She is a qualified mediator and now serves as a tribunal judge. She was appointed by the North East Strategic Health Authority to chair two independent homicide inquiries. Margaret has conducted teaching and training in mental health law and practice and in children’s law and practice for various institutions. She was a founding committee member of the first Women’s Refuge Sunderland and participated in the Northumbria domestic violence forum.

Erika-Maria Szasz | Trustee

Erika’s academic background is in Politics and International Relations and she came across Hibiscus when working as a Consular Officer at the Embassy of Romania in London. Through her work there, she was able to observe the work Hibiscus does and the lifeline it provides to victims of trafficking and decided to get more involved with Hibiscus when she took on her current role as a Parliamentary Researcher at the House of Commons. Erika hopes that her history of working with Hibiscus at the Romanian Embassy and her experience at the heart of politics will help to take the charity forward and provide help to even more women.

Roz Morrison | Trustee

Roz has over 20 years’ experience in a variety of social care and criminal justice settings. As a senior manager, she has led a number of initiatives designed to enhance service provision aimed at reaching a range of diverse communities. She currently works as an independent consultant across the private, public and third sectors.

Louise Swan | Trustee

Louise is a Senior Manager in the charity sector with extensive experience in strategic leadership and collaboration to build successful cross-sector partnerships in the UK and internationally. Following nearly 20 years as a producer with BBC World Service she has headed programmes in public health and freedom of speech including the prison writing programme with English PEN, working with prisoners and young offenders in the UK.