Meet the team
Barnet Mencap Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors are our charity trustees and with the exception of our Chief Executive, they are all volunteers. Please click on the Director below for more information about them.
Sheila Oliver
I have lived in Finchley since 1981 and I’m married with three adult daughters. After 34 years working in social housing in Camden and Barnet, I retired in 2011 and took up a range of activities locally and in central London, which included working as a volunteer for Barnet Mencap. I became a trustee in 2012 and bring experience of people and organisational management, multi-agency working, service user consultation and, of course, social housing. I have provided support on various fundraising bids and activities such as the “Walk for Wendy”. In future I will be leading for the Board on User Consultation and provide ad hoc support as needed.
Mike Wiffen
I am a qualified accountant, and I took early retirement from Barnet Homes in December 2010, where I was its Chief Financial Officer. Previously I worked with Barnet Council for almost 30 years, becoming Head of Finance for both housing and social services. My education was undertaken at Christ’s College, Finchley where I am now a Governor, and I have an Economics degree from Essex University. I have two sons, and the eldest, Timothy has Downs Syndrome. This led me to experiencing Barnet Mencap’s services from the user-perspective through Open Door, which was so supportive in his early years. I live in Barnet and have been treasurer of the Old Finchleians FC for the last twenty years. Football is a passion of mine, and I regularly watch Barnet FC. One of my other passions is exploring Europe by train, and recently reached both Krakow and Prague.
Prithma Athwal-Shah
I bring 15 years management consultancy experience mainly in organisational change. My portfolio includes implementing cultural change and governance and risk management frameworks across banking and insurance clients. Through my consultancy experience I have built a range of organisational, technical and interpersonal capabilities. This allows me to skilfully ask questions which draw out viable options for an organisation to pursue in line with its purpose, vision, values and strategy. As a management consultant I have also contributed to business development, thought leadership, learning and development, recruitment and people management. This has provided me with a well-rounded view of how an organisation runs both strategically and operationally. I have most recently acted as a business advisor to two charities via my current company’s partnership with another organisation which brings together businesses and charities. This has shown me that my knowledge and experience is transferrable in the charity sector. Additionally, I mentor via my company’s mentoring programme to support women working in charities. Until recently I was also a co-chair of a diversity and inclusion network at work. By consolidating and applying my management consultancy, banking and recent charity sector experience I can bring an array of skills as a trustee. Having been a co-opt Trustee I feel very proud to be associated with Barnet Mencap and look forward to continuing my involvement and contribution.
Emmet Giltrap
I am a marketing professional by background and have more than 25 years experience across the public and charity sectors. I currently work for a charity that provides support to charity and social enterprise leaders, called Clore Social Leadership and am their Director of Marketing and Communications. I have three children, one of whom has a learning disability, and have a personal interest in the needs of children with learning disabilities and special educational needs. In my spare time I am a Chair of Governors at Oak Lodge Special School in Barnet. I was born in the borough and lived here for most of my life.
Papiya Chatterjee
I have worked in public policy at the national level over the last two decades spanning corporate governance, risk management and regulation. I am passionate about how organisations are run and how well they manage their risks. Much of my career has revolved around asking the right questions around strategic issues in order to identify the solutions required to move things forward. What attracted me to Barnet Mencap in particular was its hugely important mission to improve the lives of people with a learning disability and their families. Being a trustee means I can contribute to the governance of the charity and good governance is fundamental to driving its strategy. Improving the lives of those with learning disabilities is so important because of the everyday barriers they face ranging from household tasks to managing money. I have seen first-hand the benefits of getting the right support from organisations like Barnet Mencap which is why I was so keen to be part of it to help drive its success.
Meg Kirk
I have lived in Barnet for 37 years and I’m married with 2 adult children. Following my retirement, I became a volunteer with Barnet Mencap in 2010 and a trustee in 2011. I am qualified as both a social worker and a librarian and bring to the Board experience of service provision in a variety of scenarios and at both group and individual level. I also have experience of managing people, budgets and projects. As well as sitting on the Board, I often help out in the Barnet Mencap offices.
Faib Riley
I moved to London when I was 18 and worked with CVS (Community Service Volunteers) on a number of projects in the community and in a variety of settings. Working with all service user groups, individuals and families in a variety ways (group work and one to one). I later qualified as a Social Worker and have worked with a range of Adult Service User Groups, including Adults with Learning Disabilities, within a number of different Local Authority Social Services Settings. I have over 25 years experience in Social Work. During that time I have held a number of roles including Care Manager, Senior Practitioner, Senior Social Worker, Approved Social Worker, Social Care Contracts and Commissioning Officer, Social Work Team Manager and Hospital Social Work Team Manager. I took maternity leave after my daughter was born although I returned back to work for a short while I decided to leave my job as a Social Work Team Manager to dedicate my time to my daughter and other family commitments. During that time I have also been able to work on a occasional basis putting my Social Work experience to good use. I am a Foundation Trust Member for Imperial College Hospital Trust and work as an Expert by Experience for Hertfordshire University.
Kate Tokley
I have worked alongside people with learning disabilities since 2015. My current role involves creating paid and voluntary opportunities for adults with learning disabilities to speak up, influence services and the wider community. I am particularly interested in how to effectively involve people with learning disabilities in decision making. I wrote my masters dissertation about co-production with people with learning disabilities and family carers. One of the most rewarding projects I’ve been part of is Surviving Through Story - a website to collect and share the experiences of people with learning disabilities and autism through the Covid-19 Pandemic. I live in Hendon with my partner and my cat, and joined the Barnet Mencap Board in 2021. I am a bit of a charity sector all-rounder, bringing experience of marketing and communications, policy, campaigning, finance, HR, and governance. I am passionate about making charities and social movements more accessible for people who aren’t white, middle class, and neurotypical. Outside of work I enjoy craft, gardening, and reading, and can usually be found with a mug of coffee or knitting project in my hand.
Barnet Mencap Management Team
Ray Booth
I have been the Chief Executive of Barnet Mencap since 2002. I work with the project managers, staff and volunteers to make sure we are providing good support and services. I also work with the trustees of Barnet Mencap to make sure the organisation is going in the right direction and continues to respond to the needs of children and adults with learning disabilities and their families. I work with statutory and voluntary.
Samantha Bishop
I have been working for Barnet Mencap for many years and have taken over the manager role for Community Services Adults and Children since 2016. The Family Support project provides advice, information and support for parent carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with a learning disability and/or autism or ADHD as well as Triple P parenting programmes. The Community Opportunities project provides people aged 16 and over with the opportunity to take part in a wide range of community based day, evening and weekend leisure and learning activities.
Lucy Clifford
I have been working for the Equality Housing team at Barnet Mencap since 1999. I started out as a Community Link Worker, progressing to the full-time manager of the project, supporting people with learning disabilities to live full and independent lives, either in a shared house or a home of their own. I also manage the Working for You project, which is part of the Bright Futures service, and the Autism Service.
James Wheatley
I have been working for Barnet Mencap since 2011, starting as a Project Support Officer. In this role and then as Communications Coordinator, I have been one of the first people many of our clients speak to, whether that's at our office, on the telephone or by email. I helped create all of the flyers for activities, ran the social media accounts and website for Barnet Mencap. I have been the Business and Support Manager since December 2021.
Staff team
Our varied staff team work hard to support our service users and their parents and carers.
Volunteers
Volunteers play an integral role in the running of Barnet Mencap. Donating a couple hours of your time can make a big difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities and their families.
