About Us

Governance and Trustees

The Charity has a Board of Trustees who are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of The Warrior Programme. The Board is comprised of five trustees from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity.

The Board of Trustees meets regularly to assess the progress of the charity, determine and review The Warrior Programme’s strategies and policies.

Jackie Newstead - Chair

Based in the Hogan Lovells London office, Jackie Newstead is a Partner and the firm’s former Global Head of Real Estate. For more than 30 years, she has been helping investors, developers, and occupiers with acquisitions and disposals of investments, some held directly, and some held through investment vehicles. She has worked with most asset classes, from office, retail, and logistics to hotels, residential, student housing, car auction sites, and bingo halls. She has also aided clients with the development of land sites across the asset classes—from land acquisition, to finance, letting, and ultimate sale.

Jackie has also built up particular knowledge in the hotel and leisure sector, guiding owners and operators through acquisitions and disposals, financings, and management arrangements.

Jackie is a member of the British Property Federation, the Investment Property Forum, the Association of Real Property and Infrastructure and the Urban Land Institute. She also chairs the City of London Law Society Land Law Committee and is a member of the Policy and Campaigns Committee of Real Estate Balance. She is recommended by The Legal 500, Chambers UK, and Who’s Who Legal for real estate. UK Super Lawyers puts her in their top 100 lawyers in the UK (and in the top 50 women.)

Chris Smith - Trustee

Chris is a solicitor and entrepreneur. He has founded and developed a number of diverse businesses operating in the UK and internationally, including Maratex Ltd (a CIS retailer sold in 2007), Inspecs PLC which he divested in 2012 and G-volution Ltd which he runs now.

Chris has experience in growing organisations with new and innovative products & services and has been a trustee of Warrior since its inception, assisting in guiding the commercial strategy of the organisation.

Professor Andy Bacon - Trustee

After a successful military career Andy Bacon has been a senior health director (executive and non-executive), leader and manager in England and overseas.  He has worked in and with the public, private and voluntary sectors.  He has also worked with primary care, community, and hospital-based services.  He has been involved in both the providing of clinical services and in the commissioning, planning and procurement of them.  His areas of interest are in armed forces healthcare, developing integrated care systems, mental health and improving health in low- and middle-income countries. 

He was also the CEO of a charitable children’s hospital in East Africa and holds and has held a number of Trusteeships of charities.  He was, until recently, responsible for the developing of strategy and policy for the interface between the UK armed forces and the NHS. He recently gained a postgraduate qualification in global mental health and was appointed a visiting professor at the University of Chester and since April 2022 has been undertaking (paid and unpaid) consultancy work.

Professor Paul Farrand - Trustee

Paul Farrand (PF) is Professor of Evidence Based Psychological Practice and Research, and Director of the Low-Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LICBT) portfolio within Clinical Education, Development and Research (CEDAR), Psychology University of Exeter. He holds several Expert Advisor positions, including for the NHS Talking Therapies: Anxiety and Depression programme, Psychological Practice in Physical Health Care and National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Medical Technology Advisory Group. At an international level he acts as a Scientific Advisor regarding worldwide developments in Low-Intensity CBT in countries such as the USA, Saudi Arabia and Sweden. He is an internationally renowned expert in LICBT (i.e., CBT self-help) with over 120 publications, investigator in many research grants, including two exceeding £2 million and is a regular keynote presenter at conferences and professional groups across the world. Paul has substantial expertise in the development, test, evaluation, and implementation of CBT self-help interventions, especially in a written and mobile phone app format and adapting the interventions to enhance acceptability for specific groups. Particular work focusses upon Armed Forces Veterans where Paul has developed several specific interventions, informed development of a LICBT mental health service and is currently working on an OVA funded research project adapting a mobile phone app (Iona) to ensure acceptability and effectiveness for ex-servicewomen.

Kauser Hussain - Trustee

Kauser Hussain is the Partnerships Lead at Flow Neuroscience, a pioneering health technology organisation transforming mental health care. With a strong background in science and healthcare, Kauser brings over 15 years of experience in biotechnology and health innovation.  Kauser spent 10 years in the stem cell field, where she held senior leadership roles driving strategic growth, enhancing market share across the NHS and private sectors, and expanding services into the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. At Flow Neuroscience, Kauser is at the forefront of international market expansion and strategic partnerships, introducing their innovative solutions to new regions worldwide. Kauser’s expertise lies in product optimisation, brand building, go-to-market strategies, and partnership development. She is deeply passionate about mental health innovation and dedicated to raising awareness and advancing access to effective care.  

Malcolm Lowe-Lauri - Trustee

Malcolm Lowe-Lauri is currently CEO of Academic Health Solutions, an expert health and life science advisory company. He has worked for over 45 years in health and life sciences. For 32 years he was an NHS manager and leader, including 17 years as a CEO. From 2012-16 and 2020-22 he was a health and life sciences leader for KPMG and Grant Thornton. From 2016-20 he was executive director of Cambridge University Health Partners, responsible for the development of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus as a leading centre for research, development, innovation and industry partnerships. In addition to his trustee role with Warrior he is a Non-Executive Director of the Life Sciences Hub Wales.

Angus Slater - Trustee

Bio to follow

Our Team

Charlotte Cole - CEO

Charlotte has a professional services background with over 15 years working for Deloitte in audit, corporate finance and consultancy.

Charlotte’s passion for working with those most in need in our society started on a two year secondment to Business in the Community, Prince Charles’ business to business charity, from Deloitte in 1994. In 2004 she started working with BiTC to explore how we can enable long term homeless individuals to deal with the causes of their situation, rather than simply addressing the symptoms. The driving goal was to enable lasting positive outcomes rather than short term fixes.

It was this work that led Charlotte to co-found The Warrior Programme in 2007, and it is this founding principle to enable individuals to take back control of their lives and realise their potential, that drives the service and support that we provide. Charlotte has been instrumental in the design, development and success of the Charity since its inception, and as a Founder Trustee has  focussed on strategy, fundraising, finance, corporate governance and the development of the research led, evidence based delivery model of the programme. In June 2021 Charlotte was delighted to accept the Board’s request to become CEO to drive forward further innovation and development.

John Cummings - Director Operations

John served in the Light Infantry as a Regular for 20 years and on leaving joined the RIFLES Reserves and is still a serving Rifleman clocking up 34 years service!

As a ‘civvy’ he worked in the Gap Year industry then as a crisis management consultant in the nuclear, oil and gas sector.

In 2011 he joined The Warrior Programme as the Director of Operations. He is married and has two grown up daughters and lives in Devon. He is an avid Exeter Chief’s Rugby supporter and sails a Devon Drascombe Coaster.

Rebecca Gallimore - Regional Co-Ordinator South West & Business Development Manager, ThinkWarrior

With a wide and varied background in recruitment, HR strategy and business development in Professional Services, IT, Retail and the Third Sector, Rebecca joined the Warrior Programme in 2017 to deliver the Serving Families program – an area of particular interest, having been one.

Rebecca now takes the lead in developing the commercial arm of The Warrior Programme, ThinkWarrior, whilst continuing within the charity to focus on serving personnel, families and those who have experienced domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Colin Davidson - Regional Co-Ordinator North

Colin served in the Army for 32 years as a Queen’s Royal Hussar, deploying across many operational theatres, retiring from the Light Dragoons in 2022. He held several key Regimental positions while serving including Regimental Sergeant Major and Unit Welfare Officer, gaining valuable experience as an injury Recovery Manager and Trauma Management Co-Ordinator. He supported Homestart Richmondshire charity as a serving military trustee.

Married to a long-suffering superwoman for 28 years with two teenage children, Colin’s other passions include, loud motorcycles, music and walking up hills in North Yorkshire quietly!

 

Colin joined The Warrior Programme as a Regional Coordinator in 2022.

Tracy Herbert - Lead Co-Ordinator South

Tracy has worked within the Forces Community wearing various hats over the last 20 years including Welfare Support Officer, BFBS presenter and Outreach Officer for the Royal British Legion.

She has 2 teenage children and a husband to be who is a Veteran of the Royal Signals. Tracy’s interests include live music, singing in bands and motorbike rallies.

Tracy joined the Warrior Programme as Lead Co-ordinator/ NHS Account Manager in 2023.

Sam Robinson - Regional Co-Ordinator West

Sam has worked as a music teacher for many years having trained as a singer and pianist. The teaching fitted in well around her husband’s 30 year career in the army but finally settled down, 20 quarters later, in rural Worcestershire. Both Sam and her husband come from military families and their two sons also have military service; their youngest son is currently a reservist with the HAC.

Sam continues to sing and play whenever she can, preferably jazz but can also be found in the garden, keeping fit by running (slowly!), walking the dog and watching or listening to cricket on Test Match Special.

Sam joined The Warrior Programme in 2023 as a Programme Co-ordinator.

Marc Ireland - Regional Co-Ordinator South West

Marc served for 15 years in the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and deployed on numerous operations worldwide. For the last 10 years he has served with Humberside Police and has been involved in many community based projects focusing on early intervention for disaffected youths and more recently he has been the Op NOVA lead for The Force.

Keen on fitness he runs fitness sessions for Veterans and Boxercise for families and can often by seen cheering on Grimsby Town at the weekend. He is happily married to Samantha and they have 3 young children.

Rebecca Cole - Office Manager

While working for a marketing company in London Rebecca started volunteering with Warrior in 2008 and joined the team in 2009.

Over the years she has worn many hats during the development of Warrior from organising fundraising galas to ensuring everyone has what they need during a course and much in between.  She is based in our London office and visits the refresher and courses regularly.

Sara Waymont - Monitoring & Evaluation Co-ordinator

Sara previously served with the RAF Reserves and has worked in the military charity sector for a number of years.  Amongst other things, she is a trained life coach, TRiM practitioner and yoga teacher and has previously led trauma-focused yoga and art programmes.

 Sara joined TWP in 2020 as their Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator and is responsible for post-course support for the Warrior community.

Steve Caruana - Monitoring & Evaluation Co-ordinator

Steven served for 17 years in the Army as an Education Officer, working in Germany, Gibraltar and the UK as well as deploying to the Balkans and Afghanistan.  

Since leaving the Army in 2013 he has continued to work in the training and education field.  This has included teaching, course development for Help for Heroes and maths tutoring.  Steven joined The Warrior Programme in 2022 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator and is responsible for post-course support for the Warrior community.

Steven has been married to his incredibly understanding wife for over 20 years and has 2 teenage children.  His loves include Liverpool Football Club, walking his 2 yellow Labradors and playing the occasional cricket match.

Research

From the outset the Trustees have been focused on rigorous evaluation of The Warrior Programme and that the results be subjected to external academic scrutiny. In 2013 the charity conducted a Randomised Control Trial (RCT), funded by Forces in Mind Trust, and undertaken by Southampton University. The results have been analysed by the Kings Centre for Military Health Research. The positive findings further evidence the unique value and importance of the Programme. Our evidence base and the quality of our evidence is widely recognised and the RCT report can be viewed here

Our Funders

We are extremely grateful to all our funders who contribute to the funding of The Warrior Programme