Meet the team
Find out about The Children's Trust Senior Leadership Team, and our Board of Trustees who are responsible for overseeing our corporate governance and strategic direction.
Our Senior Leadership Team
Mike Thiedke
Chief Executive
Mike Thiedke is The Children’s Trust’s Chief Executive.
Melanie Burrough
Director of Therapies and Education
Melanie has spent 17 years working in the NHS, education, and charity sectors. She has led and managed a range of multi-professional teams; at The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, holding a varied clinical background in paediatric acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental conditions and complex neurodisability.
Steve Harris
Director of Finance
Steve has spent 25 years working in finance across investment banking and the charity sector. He has held senior finance positions in a number of health and social care organisations, including Barts Charity, the Royal Society of Medicine and Leonard Cheshire Disability.
Mike Maddick
Director of Resources
Mike has 20 years' HR experience gained within the Financial Services and Charity sectors. He has worked in a number of significant global roles within corporate HR departments.
Michelle Martin
Director of Fundraising and Communications
Michelle is a highly experienced charity leader and passionate fundraiser. For more than two decades she has worked collaboratively across fundraising, marketing and communications at both local and national levels. She has led large multi-disciplined income generating teams working with fundraisers, volunteers, supporters and partners to deliver and grow voluntary income at leading healthcare charities.
Dr Vijay Palanivel
Medical Director and Consultant Paediatric Neurodisability
Vijay has worked in tertiary neurodisability and neurology centres at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Bristol Children’s Hospital and Cambridge University Hospital.
Sian Thomas
Director of Nursing and Quality
Director of Nursing and Quality
Mike Thiedke
Chief Executive
Mike Thiedke is The Children’s Trust’s Chief Executive.
Mike has more than 15 years’ experience in executive and senior positions in the third sector, advocating for children’s and families’ rights and tackling systemic inequality and discrimination.
He will join The Children’s Trust from youth homelessness charity Depaul UK, where he has served as Chief Executive for the past five and a half years. Mike holds a PhD in education and socio-psychology and has previously worked at children’s rights charity Plan International UK, ActionAid and the United Nations.
Melanie Burrough
Director of Therapies and Education
Melanie has spent 17 years working in the NHS, education, and charity sectors. She has led and managed a range of multi-professional teams; at The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, holding a varied clinical background in paediatric acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental conditions and complex neurodisability.
Melanie has a MSc in Professional Development, with research interests in quality improvement and knowledge translation. In 2015, she was awarded ‘outstanding occupational therapist of the year’ for a quality improvement service re-design across Camden mainstream schools. She is also Chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists School-based occupational therapy clinical forum.
Steve Harris
Director of Finance
Steve has spent 25 years working in finance across investment banking and the charity sector. He has held senior finance positions in a number of health and social care organisations, including Barts Charity, the Royal Society of Medicine and Leonard Cheshire Disability.
Mike Maddick
Director of Resources
Mike has 15 years' HR experience gained within the financial services and charity sectors. He has worked in a number of significant global roles within corporate HR departments, with a focus on business partnering, talent, graduate resourcing & development and senior hiring.
Mike was a youth worker and community volunteer providing support to children and young adults via sport and independent living projects.
Michelle Martin
Director of Fundraising and Communications
Michelle is a highly experienced charity leader and passionate fundraiser. For more than two decades she has worked collaboratively across fundraising, marketing and communications at both local and national levels. She has led large multi-disciplined income generating teams working with fundraisers, volunteers, supporters and partners to deliver and grow voluntary income at leading healthcare charities.
Dr Vijay Palanivel
Medical Director and Consultant Paediatric Neurodisability
Vijay has worked in tertiary neurodisability and neurology centres at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Bristol Children’s Hospital and Cambridge University Hospital. His specialist areas of expertise include acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy, movement disorders including administering botulinum toxin injections, and other complex neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD and learning disability.
He is also the founder and director of Jaysan Child Neurodevelopment Clinics, Chennai, India which offers neurodisability and neurorehabilitation treatments and charitable medical camps for children in South India. Vijay is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Sian Thomas
Director of Nursing and Quality
Director of Nursing and Quality
Our Trustees
The Children's Trust is governed by our Board of Trustees, which meets six times a year. Our Trustees are responsible for overseeing our corporate governance and strategic direction, ensuring our operations are managed effectively and efficiently, and taking all major decisions involving policy and spending commitments.
Steve Flanagan
Chair of Trustees, Appointments and Remuneration Committees (Committees Chair)
Steve Flanagan is Chief Executive of CSH Surrey, an employee-owned, not-for-profit organisation providing NHS community healthcare for children and adults in Surrey.
Fiona Sheridan
Vice Chair of Trustees Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes (Committee Chair); Audit and Risk; Investment and Remuneration Committees and EDI Steering Group
Fiona is a Chartered Accountant and an external member of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee of the University of Oxford.
Nigel Scott
Audit and Risk (Committee Chair); Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes and Investment Committees (Committee Chair)
25 years' involvement in charity finance at Director and Trustee level, including 14 years lecturing on Charity Finance and Management MSc Courses...
Denise Matthams
Clinical Governance and Safeguarding (Committee Chair); Educational Governance and Remuneration Committees
Independent Nurse Member for a Clinical Commissioning Group in East Sussex, with Chairing responsibilities for the Quality and Safety Committee.
Toby Mullins
Educational Governance Committee (Committee Chair)
Principal and proprietor at Mount House School, Barnet. Toby's career history in Education spans 32 years, including a former position as Headmaster of Seaford College...
Christine Brookes
Whistleblowing Champion and EDI Steering Group
Christine Brookes is Head of Client Engagement and Marketing at Laing O’Rourke.
Tim Davies
Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes; Audit and Risk; Investment and Educational Governance Committees
Chairman of BlueSpark Foundation, a charity supporting the education and development of children and young people...
Rory Litherland
Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes; Remuneration and Appointments Committees; Whistleblowing Champion
Rory Litherland is Co-Founder and Human Resources Consultant at Noble Mackay, with more than 20 years’ experience in the HR sector including roles at RBS, Aviva, NBC Universal and 21st Century Fox.
Marian Ridley
Clinical Governance and Safeguarding Committee
Marian Ridley is an experienced healthcare leader, consultant and strategic adviser.
Steve Flanagan
Chair of Trustees, Appointments and Remuneration Committees (Committees Chair)
Steve Flanagan is Chief Executive of CSH Surrey, an employee-owned, not-for-profit organisation providing NHS community healthcare for children and adults in Surrey. He brings decades of leadership and transformation experience within the NHS, third and private sectors. He has previously held roles as Chief Executive of The Fremantle Trust and Managing Director of Bupa Home Healthcare. He is taking up this role as a voluntary position, in addition to his ongoing full-time role at CSH Surrey.
Fiona Sheridan
Vice Chair of Trustees Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes (Committee Chair); Audit and Risk; Investment and Remuneration Committees and EDI Steering Group
Fiona is a Chartered Accountant, a former Managing Partner with Ernst & Young’s Risk Advisory Services practice and a member of EY's UK Leadership team. She is currently an independent member of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee of the University of Oxford as well as the Audit & Risk Committee of UK Research & Innovation. In addition she is a member of the Advisory Panel of the Financial Reporting Council.
She has held other Trustee positions in the past in educational charities. In her spare time she enjoys outdoor pursuits including horse-riding, cycling and running with her dog.
Nigel Scott
Audit and Risk (Committee Chair); Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes and Investment Committees (Committee Chair)
25 years' involvement in charity finance at Director and Trustee level, including 14 years lecturing on Charity Finance and Management MSc Courses. Currently, Consultant to Moorfields Eye Hospital Charities and a Trustee of the British Dragonfly Society.
Denise Matthams
Clinical Governance and Safeguarding (Committee Chair); Educational Governance and Remuneration Committees
Independent Nurse Member for a Clinical Commissioning Group in East Sussex, with Chairing responsibilities for the Quality and Safety Committee. Also, a Specialist Advisor (children, safeguarding, clinical leadership) for the Care Quality Commission. Former Senior Nurse and Director level roles at Western Sussex NHS Trust, included responsibility for the provision of safe, effective services, most specifically for the Women and Child Health Division.
Toby Mullins
Educational Governance Committee (Committee Chair)
Principal and proprietor at Mount House School, Barnet. Toby's career history in Education spans 32 years, including a former position as Headmaster of Seaford College, a nationally recognised college for SEN education. Toby is a keen sportsman, coaching cricket and more notably hockey.
Christine Brookes
Whistleblowing Champion and EDI Steering Group
Christine Brookes is Head of Client Engagement and Marketing at Laing O’Rourke. For nearly a decade, Brookes has spearheaded client engagement initiatives to inform and transform organisational decision-making, continuous improvement practices and influence.
Tim Davies
Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes; Audit and Risk; Investment and Educational Governance Committees
Chairman of BlueSpark Foundation, a charity supporting the education and development of children and young people. He was formerly a corporate lawyer with multinational law firm Fieldfisher LLP where he was a partner, head of the corporate department and board member.
Rory Litherland
Finance, Fundraising and General Purposes; Remuneration and Appointments Committees; Whistleblowing Champion
Rory Litherland is Co-Founder and Human Resources Consultant at Noble Mackay, with more than 20 years’ experience in the HR sector including roles at RBS, Aviva, NBC Universal and 21st Century Fox. Litherland’s career has focused on restructuring, mergers and turnarounds on a national and global scale
Marian Ridley
Clinical Governance and Safeguarding Committee
Marian Ridley is an experienced healthcare leader, consultant and strategic adviser. The first CEO of Evelina London Women's and Children's Healthcare for over a decade, and a former Strategy Director of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, she combines consultancy work with a number of trustee and non-executive roles focused upon children and young people.