Our trustees

Helen is a Chartered Accountant and charity finance specialist, with over twenty years of experience in financial leadership roles in the charity sector. After qualifying at Deloitte, Helen has worked with charities in the international development, refugee, and veterans’ sectors and is currently Director of Finance at The Royal British Legion.

Having previously worked in the refugee sector, I am passionate about helping refugees to build a new life in the UK. I am excited to be joining the Board of Breaking Barriers to support financial decision-making at a key point in the charity’s history, as we grow our services to support more people across the UK.

Alba is a non-profit leader with 22 years of executive experience in global, award-winning think tanks, and comes with a wealth of experience serving as a Trustee on several charitable Boards, including Accountability Lab, Women in International Security (WIIS) Italy, and the PM Sports Foundation in Ghana. Alba also has a strong track record in scaling organisations for impact and spearheading change management.

Kelly is a fundraising specialist with over 20 years’ experience. Kelly’s experience across the non-profit sector has helped grow mass fundraising programmes for environmental charities, heart research and most recently mental health.

Kelly’s passion is social justice and she is looking forward to using her skills to expand Breaking Barriers reach and influence, enabling more refugees to gain access to meaningful employment.

Katie Rickard is the director of country programmes and operations at IMPACT initiatives. Katie currently oversees over 20 country teams and in previous roles with IMPACT initiatives, worked in South Sudan, Iraq and Jordan. Katie holds a MPhil in Development studies from the University of Oxford.

Having worked in conflict and emergency settings over the past 6 years, I am deeply aware of the injustice that push communities to seek asylum. While I am proud that the UK continues to welcome asylum seekers, there are critical gaps in service provision for meaningful integration, gaps which I see Breaking Barriers in a unique position to fill.

Award-winning journalist, writer and broadcaster with more than 20 years’ experience presenting and reporting for leading news organisations Al Jazeera English, Sky News and the BBC. A dual Italian/British national, Barbara has focused on the issues of migration, identity and the rise of the Far Right. Barbara is particularly interested in supporting us to media train refugees so they are equipped with the necessary skills to speak publicly. 

After decades spent reporting on migration and refugees, I wanted to collaborate with an organisation which helps those forced to leave their homes with the challenges they face settling into a new environment. 
 
The great thing about Breaking Barriers is the practical help and effective solutions they provide to their clients. Together, they highlight what a great asset refugees can be to a society, and provide examples of success and integration that can counteract what is often a toxic debate around the issue.

Andrew Waidhofer is a Vice President at Apax Partners and has been involved in a number of key deals in the services space. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Andrew worked at HSBC. Andrew holds a Masters in Pharmacy from the University of Nottingham.

As a son of immigrants myself, I understand first-hand the difficulties of starting a new life in a country which is unfamiliar in so many aspects. Breaking Barriers’ focus on helping support immigrants through every step towards employment, whilst cultivating direct partnerships with businesses, is both impressive and unique; and one that I am incredibly privileged to be associated with.