National Youth Homelessness Conference - Speakers

Speakers at the National Youth Homelessness Conference 2026

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Adam

Adam (He/Him)

Lived Experience Advisory Board Member
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Adam

Adam is a driven and accomplished individual with a passion for using his diverse skills to make a positive impact. Having successfully transitioned to independent living, he draws on his personal journey to advocate for others as a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board.

He brings valuable experience in analytics, marketing, and sales, which he has successfully applied to the charity sector, notably through his work with Media Trust.

Beyond his professional and advisory roles, Adam is committed to his health. A passionate gym goer and runner, he recently completed the Brighton marathon, fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

A true team player, Adam is enthusiastic about contributing to the LEAB program and helping to shape Centrepoint’s future.
 

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Adam Pemberton Wickham

Adam Pemberton Wickham (He/Him)

CEO, akt (formerly the Albert Kennedy Trust)
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Adam Pemberton Wickham

Adam Pemberton Wickham is CEO of akt (formerly the Albert Kennedy Trust), the only national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity supporting young LGBTQ+ people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living in a hostile environment.

Prior to joining akt in October 2024, Adam was Director of Strategy at Centrepoint and Barnardo’s and Assistant Chief Executive at Victim Support and previously worked in the centre of government at the Cabinet Office.

akt is founded on the simple but powerful idea that no young person should have to choose between a safe home and being who they are.

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Alex Duffy

Alex Duffy (She/Her)

Training Lead, Stonewall Housing
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Alex Duffy

“Supporting trans and non binary young people out of homelessness and into secure, thriving homes - while navigating the implications of the Supreme Court ruling”

Alex is the Training Lead at Stonewall Housing – one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ homelessness charities. Stonewall Housing supports LGBTQ+ people of all ages facing and experiencing homelessness or living in an unsafe environment. 

Alex has experience as a trainer and facilitator in LGBTQ+ inclusion, gender-based violence, and youth participation work. In her role at Stonewall Housing, Alex supports organisations to develop their approach to LGBTQ+-inclusive practice, and has worked in partnership with akt and Gendered Intelligence to develop the resource: 'Trans Inclusion Beyond the Supreme Court Ruling - A Facilitated Reflection for Housing and Homelessness Organisations."

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Alicia (Lily) Walker

Alicia Walker (She/Her)

Assistant Director of Advocacy and Activism at Shelter
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Alicia (Lily) Walker

Alicia Walker is Assistant Director of Advocacy and Activism at Shelter, where she leads work to influence housing and homelessness policy and to build public and political support for lasting solutions to end the housing emergency.

Previously, Alicia was Head of Policy, Research and Campaigns at Centrepoint, and has held roles at HM Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, giving her a deep understanding of homelessness policy, housing funding, planning and delivery.

She is also Chair of the Board of Directors at the Routes Collective, a social enterprise supporting refugee women to thrive in the UK.

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Amy Tindale

Amy Tindale (She/Her)

Consultant Housing & Support, Centrepoint
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Amy Tindale

Amy is responsible for bringing innovation to Centrepoint Works, including developing digital solutions so more young people can access career support and building relationships with new employment partners. Amy has 20 years of experience in leadership development and recruitment.

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Andrew

Andrew (He/Him)

Lived Experience Advisory Board Member
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Andrew

Andrew is an award-winning electrician, youth advocate, and speaker whose journey from the care system to professional success inspires young people across the UK. 

Having entered care at the age of 10 after his father suffered a stroke, Andrew faced years of instability before finding his footing through education, resilience, and determination.

After leaving care at 18, Andrew balanced his electrical apprenticeship with housing uncertainty — often moving between hostels and temporary placements while striving to qualify. His perseverance paid off when he completed his electrical qualification in August 2024, proving his commitment to building a better future through hard work and skill.

Andrew’s achievements have been widely recognised. In October 2024, he received Centrepoint’s Independent Living Award, presented by Prince William, for his resilience while at risk of homelessness.

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Anna Cuskin

Anna Cuskin (She/Her)

Senior Manager – Social impact, Coventry Building Society
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Anna Cuskin

Anna has been working in the sustainability field for over 20 years, and currently leads the social impact programme for Coventry Building Society.  Working closely with partners from the public, private and third sectors, she has created innovative approaches for businesses to help address challenges facing local communities.

She is firm believer in the power of partnerships as key to improving social mobility in the most underserved communities – something which can break the cycle of generational poverty.

She is a member of BitC’s Place Taskforce, business representative on the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce, and Vice Chair of Feeding Coventry, a charity combatting food poverty.

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Ben Cohen

Ben Cohen (He/Him)

Director (AI Lead), Good Innovation
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Ben Cohen

Ben is the AI Lead at Good Innovation, a strategy & innovation consultancy helping charities transform their services and grow their income. He leads the practical implementation of AI across the charity sector, focusing on systematic pilots that build confidence through doing rather than abstract strategy.

Ben led the UK's largest charity AI collaboration with 15 organisations and has spent the past three years transforming Good Innovation into an AI powered consultancy.

With 10+ years of charity experience including roles at British Red Cross and Macmillan Cancer Support, Ben brings deep sector knowledge to AI implementation. His approach treats AI as a people challenge, not a tech challenge - helping teams understand where AI can genuinely help their work, then scaling what actually works.

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Bethan Wilkinson

Bethan Wilkinson (She/Her)

National Business Development & Innovation Manager, Centrepoint
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Bethan Wilkinson

Bethan currently works in Centrepoint’s Business Development team, leading on retaining and securing new service contracts, ensuring that we design services where young people can flourish and achieve a job and a home.

This role also involves leading internal cross-directorate projects including our Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) working group, bringing together learning from across our six HF4Y services which achieve a 99% tenancy sustainment rate, and building key partnerships with HF4Y experts across Europe.

Bethan has previously managed Centrepoint’s Lambeth HF4Y service, supporting a staff team of 12 Housing First Officers who support 60 young people with multiple and complex needs in one of the biggest HF4Y services in the country.

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Chris Whitehead

Chris Whitehead (He/Him)

Talent Acquisition Lead, PGL Travel
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Chris Whitehead

Chris is the Talent Acquisition Lead at PGL Travel. He works to recruit staff for PGL's various adventure camps, focusing on connecting with people and community organisations from diverse backgrounds to offer career opportunities.

Chris leads the Talent Acquisition team who are responsible for finding new employees for various roles at PGL, including activity instruction, catering, and housekeeping. He has developed partnerships with organisations like Movement to Work, Newcastle United and Liverpool Football Club Foundations, Seetec, Ingeus, to provide employment readiness programs and job opportunities for young people, from all backgrounds.

Having started his own career as an Activity Instructor with PGL in 2007, Chris often shares his personal journey to inspire potential recruits.

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Craig Corrigan

Dr Craig Corrigan (He/Him)

Social Value Solutions Manager, PeoplePlus UK
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Craig Corrigan

Dr Craig Corrigan is a Social Value Solutions Manager, currently working with PeoplePlus UK, where he leads on designing and delivering strategies that create measurable social impact across communities, employers, and large‑scale programmes. His background spans senior roles in social value, employability, education, and sports‑based youth development, drawing on over a decade of experience working with jobseekers, young people, and organisations striving to improve life chances.

Craig completed his PhD at the University of Wolverhampton, where his research investigated the impact of sport on NEET jobseekers, exploring how structured sport‑based interventions can build confidence, develop transferable skills, and improve employment outcomes.

Before progressing into social value leadership, Craig worked in roles including Training Projects Manager at Sport 4 Life UK, Lecturer, and Sports Development Officer, giving him hands‑on experience in community engagement and youth progression pathways. His long-standing commitment to social impact is further reflected in his volunteer leadership as Chairperson of Brereton Social Ladies FC, where he has supported coaching, management, and community development for over a decade. 

Today, Craig combines research expertise, practical programme delivery, and strategic insight to help organisations embed meaningful, evidence‑driven social value that transforms individual and community outcomes.

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Faye

Faye (She/Her)

Lived Experience Advisory Board Member
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Faye

Faye was born in England and she is half German. As a care experienced young adult her experiences with the care system has driven her passion to change and improve the lives and experiences of future young people and young adults that are in the care system.

Currently, she is part of the Centrepoint LEAB, Havering Youth Management Team and she also run a training course called Total Respect Training (TRT). TRT is a program developed and delivered by young people with experience of the care system to teach professionals how to better support children and young people in care.

As someone who has been through the care system she uses her experiences to guide the training so that people have a better understanding of what it’s like from our perspective, using interactive activities. For example, role play games using real life personal experiences. She also takes part in Havering corporate parenting panels where she help advocate for young adults who don’t feel heard.

She describes herself as a very creative person and she is very passionate about giving people the support that she didn’t get, and she is hoping to achieve her goal to help and change their future in the system. Outside of this she enjoys reading, photography, swimming and traveling to various places.  She also enjoys drawing, baking and movie nights.

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Funsho Ajayi

Funsho Ajayi (He/Him)

Operations Manager, Beam
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Funsho Ajayi

Funsho Ajayi is an Operations Manager with over five years experience at Beam, where he played a key role in building and scaling the company’s UK housing services. 

Specialising in property supply, he established strong, lasting partnerships with estate agents and portfolio landlords, directly enabling over 100 clients to secure private tenancies alone. 

Currently, Funsho leads the Refugee Education and Landlord Projects under the Refugee Rent Deposit Scheme. In this role, he spearheads member workshops and multi-channel partnership campaigns designed to successfully bridge the gap between private landlords and refugee households.

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Hannah Hutchings

Hannah Hutchings (She/Her)

Senior Employment Relationship Officer, Centrepoint
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Hannah Hutchings

Hannah is the Senior Employment Relationship Officer at Centrepoint. She works within CP Works, where she supporst young people into employment, education and training.

Within her role, she builds partnerships with employers to source and create meaningful opportunities for young people, which could include employment, apprenticeships or work placements. Hannah joined Centrepoint in 2023, and spent 2 years as a Jobs and Education Advisor working with young people in our services, before moving to this role last year. She previously worked within the recruitment sector.

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Holly Colman

Holly Colman (She/Her)

Head of Charity and Candidate Development, Only A Pavement Away
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Holly Colman

Only A Pavement Away is a charity dedicated to helping those facing barriers to employment find stable careers within hospitality – hotels, pubs, coffee shops and restaurants.

My role specifically is focused on looking after candidates who have been referred from our community partners, like Centrepoint, collaboratively working together to ensure wrap around support. This can come from employment opportunities, engaging with pre-employment courses to build soft skills, or aiding financial grants.

Additionally, I help to plan general strategy for the charity with the goal in mind to further develop the working relationship with our referral partners.  

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Jane Scott

Jane Scott (She/Her)

Corporate Parenting Transformation Lead, London Borough of Croydon
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Jane Scott

Jane is passionate about improving the diversity of opportunity for young people, and in particular care-experienced young people, in the homes, support and employment, education and training available to them.

She has worked in the public sector and charities for over 30 years and she is committed to a holistic improvement of services in partnership with leading community and charity organisations.

Integral to these partnerships are the voice and participation of young people who should always be front and centre in our thinking and focus. Jane looks forward to sharing our ideas and practice in their workshop at the Routes Out 2026 conference.

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James Muller

James Muller (He/Him)

Managing Director of Safe Haven - London
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James Muller

James is Managing Director of Safe Haven London, a charity focused on alleviating housing poverty and, in particular, homelessness.

Safe Haven London is in a partnership with Centrepoint aimed at developing the Independent Living Programme in order to tackle youth homelessness.

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Jane Caldwell

Jane Caldwell (She/Her)

Senior Partnerships Manager, Settle
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Jane Caldwell

Settle is a charity tackling a leading cause of homelessness by supporting care-experienced young people through the key transition of moving into their first home. Jane currently manages relationships with Settle’s referral partners – a range of Local Authorities, housing associations and charities – and is responsible for building new partnerships in line with Settle’s strategy to double it’s impact in the next 3 years.

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Jean Templeton

Jean Templeton (She/Her)

Chief Executive, St Basils
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Jean Templeton

Jean has been Chief Executive of St Basils since 2000 and prior to that has over 20 years’ experience of managing housing and neighbourhood services in a number of Local Authorities in the North East and Midlands.

St Basils is a registered Housing Association and Charity providing a range of accommodation and support for young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk in Birmingham and West Midlands.

Jean is Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Homelessness Taskforce and Chair of West Midlands Homelessness and Health Network and is a member of the Government’s Advisory Panel on Rough Sleeping and Homelessness.

She was Chair of the national Youth Homelessness Parliament from 2013-2022. She is a member of Birmingham’s Strategic Partnership Board and Birmingham Social Housing Partnership Executive.

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John

John (He/Him)

Lived Experience Advisory Board Member
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John

John is a dedicated member of the Living Experience Advisory Board and a former Centrepoint resident from 2016 to 2019. During his time with Centrepoint, John received vital support and opportunities that left a lasting impact and inspired his passion to give back. He now channels that experience into helping others access the same life-changing support in areas such as psychotherapy, employment through Centrepoint Works, and overall wellbeing.

Beyond his advocacy work, John is an avid explorer of ideas and the natural world. He enjoys delving into topics like ancient civilisations, philosophy, and animal life, with a lifelong dream of seeing every animal species in the world — and perhaps even discovering a new one.

Through his role on the advisory board, John aims to offer fresh perspectives, spark meaningful discussions, and address the root causes of homelessness. He believes that community is at the heart of real change — that in times of struggle, people should be able to turn to one another for support. For John, the sense of unity he found at Centrepoint, among a diverse and determined community, represents the true strength of collective hope.

John lives by two guiding principles: to live fully in the present and to leave the world better than it was yesterday. His personal motto, “How you do anything is how you do everything,” reflects his belief in living with intention and integrity — what he calls the art of life.

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John Raynham

John Raynham (He/Him)

Independent Living Development Lead, Centrepoint
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John Raynham

John has over 25 years’ experience working in the charity sector. He leads Centrepoint’s Independent Living development programme working to increase the volume of good quality affordable housing available to young people aged 18-25.

Collaborating with local authorities, housing associations, and other charities, John is responsible for establishing Centrepoint’s Independent Living homes as a recognised affordable housing product that can help young people into work and out of homelessness.

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Kelvin Anderson

Kelvin Anderson (He/Him)

Head of Talent and Regional Development, Movement to Work
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Kelvin Anderson

Kelvin joined the Movement to Work team in October 2025 on secondment from Tesco, where he has worked for over 18 years across a variety of roles in both stores and the office.

His experience spans operational, commercial, and audit functions. Kelvin is also Chair of Tesco’s LGBTQ+ Network, leading a team of dedicated colleagues that work tirelessly for LGBTQ+ inclusion across the UK. He is passionate about supporting people from diverse backgrounds – helping to create a workplace culture where everyone feels like they not only belong, but can thrive, at work.

Outside of work, Kelvin lives in Flitwick with his partner Robert, their two cats April and Peaches, and their dog Willow. He enjoys attending gigs and festivals with friends, taking long dog walks through the countryside, and watching football, rugby, and Formula 1.

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Laura Rutter

Laura Rutter (She/Her)

Service Manager Rent Deposit Scheme, Centrepoint
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Laura Rutter

Laura Rutter has been working 12 years with Centrepoint on the Rent Deposit Scheme, 4 years as Development Worker for the North East and 8 years as manager.

Including expanding the service across the North to include Bradford, Manchester with upcoming expansion in Barnsley and Lambeth. 

Also managing our newer pilot scheme as part of the Rent Deposit Scheme- Bridging the Gap, supporting young people working while living in Centrepoint Supported Accommodation to support higher rent costs and supporting their move on into independent tenancies.

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Liz Laurence

Liz Laurence

Director for Strategic Initiatives for Homewards
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Liz Laurence

Liz Laurence is Director for Strategic Initiatives for Homewards at The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. Homewards launch in 2023 and is a transformational five year programme working with six locations to demonstrate that it’s possible to prevent and end homelessness. She has led on leveraging major commitments from the private sector, from Lloyds £50 million of new financing to expansion of quality employment opportunities.

Before joining the Foundation, Liz worked at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government where she ran some of the department's major housing and regeneration programme and led a social enterprise, backed by research funding to unlock access to the property ladder by improving financial literacy. She also sits on the Board of Evolve Housing and Support.

Malik (He/Him)

Centrepoint Resident

Malik came to the UK as an unaccompanied minor at 16 years old. Since arriving in the UK four years ago Malik has attended college to learn English, Maths, Plumbing and Construction Skill and held voluntary roles. 

Malik lives in supported housing and has taken part in several employability programmes, including one delivered by Centrepoint that led to his first paid job in hospitality, where he is excelling. 

Malik was recently shortlisted for the 2026 Breakthrough Star Award by Movement to Work.

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Mark Fox

Mark Fox (He/Him)

Modern Methods of Construction Specialist, Portakabin
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Mark Fox

Mark Fox is a specialist in Modern Methods of Construction with more than two decades of experience spanning operational delivery, programme development, and cross sector collaboration. Working within Portakabin—one of the UK’s most established and widely recognised MMC organisations—Mark brings extensive practical and strategic knowledge of modular construction and its application across a range of social, public, and community based needs.

His career has focused on leading multidisciplinary teams, strengthening partnerships with public sector bodies and charities, and helping organisations understand the capabilities, limitations, and opportunities that MMC can offer. Mark has worked closely with local authorities, housing providers, and support organisations to explore how modern construction techniques can complement wider efforts to create safer, more stable accommodation pathways.

He is committed to sharing evidence based insights, promoting high standards of quality and safety, and supporting the sector to make informed decisions that prioritise dignity, resilience, and long term impact for vulnerable people.

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Matt Bawden

Matt Bawden (He/Him)

Head of Support and Housing - London/South, Centrepoint
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Matt Bawden

Matt joined Centrepoint in June 2023 as Head of Support and Housing for London having previously worked for St Mungo's for 12 years. Matt has always worked in care and support services in homelessness leading a diverse portfolio of services including specialist registered care for people with experience of rough sleeping, street outreach, supported housing and housing first. 

At Centrepoint Matt oversees services across London, which mainly comprise supported housing for young people. This also includes five Housing First for Youth contracts, including one in South London supporting 60 young people and one in Bournemouth supporting 20 across both dispersed properties and blocks. 

Matt is passionate about housing first and is keen to see it embedded across the UK as an approach for young people. He has been working closely with FEANSTA and other European partners on a project seeking to consolidate work around the HF4Y principles, fidelity, design and delivery toolkits and existing and new evaluation.

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Michael Glenn

Michael Glenn (He/Him)

Amplification Lead ILP, Centrepoint
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Michael Glenn

Michael Glenn leads on the amplification activities for Centrepoint's Independent Living Programme, sharing the key outputs from current and planned developments and encouraging other partners to find out more about stepping stone homes.

He is passionate about the opportunities this form of accommodation offers for young people as they begin their working lives.

Michael has previously headed up the Skills Development function at the charity, held several frontline and management roles within formal and community education organisations, worked in the careers service and been a Director of a national training business.

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Michelle Donovan

Michelle Donovan (She/Her)

Head of Independent Living, Centrepoint
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Michelle Donovan

Michelle leads the delivery of our independent living programme at Centrepoint, overseeing operations and tenancy sustainment. Working in close collaboration with development teams, she ensures new services are strategically opened in areas of highest need. 

A certified member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Michelle’s current leadership is backed by 15 years of experience managing complex housing schemes and care-integrated services across London and the South East.

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Paul Morrish

Paul Morrish (He/Him)

Chief Executive, LandAid
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Paul Morrish

Paul joined LandAid as CEO in February 2015 and has overseen a transformation of the fundraising/grant-making organisation into a determined and dedicated funder of youth homelessness charities across the UK.

Supported with donations from the UK commercial real estate industry, LandAid plans to positively impact over 10,000 young people by 2029 through the provision of accommodation, support into employment (including within the property industry) and through smaller personal grants. In doing so, the charity aims to deliver £150m in social value.

Working with a great team, he’s keen to see funders work together better, to be informed by and generate evidence of what works, to be seen as challenging servants to our partner charities, and to focus on doing what needs to be done to end youth homelessness.

He lives in Cambridge, is a Brompton nut, loves whisky, and is an avid spy/thriller reader/listener!

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Poppy Noor

Poppy Noor (She/Her)

Journalist and editor, The Guardian
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Poppy Noor

Poppy Noor is a journalist and editor at The Guardian. She first began her writing career in 2014, when the coalition government began dismantling parts of the welfare state that she relied on having experienced homelessness as a teenager. 

Since then, she's been a senior staff writer in New York, appeared on Newsnight and Channel 4 News, and won a number of awards around her reporting, on everything from homelessness to US abortion rights. 

She has a keen interest in young people, the welfare state and homelessness, and writes Guardian View editorials on social policy.

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Rob Saggs

Rob Saggs (He/Him)

Chief Executive Office, CHESS Homeless
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Rob Saggs

Having been recruited into the current role as Operations Manager in 2010 where the charity was in a difficult position - the charity has grown and flourished in his tenure. The charity was a small local provider and is now a county wide provision.

Rob’s experience in leadership has developed over a number of years having been a chef who cooked for the now King, to leading logistics and Operations in a number of different arenas.

Rob completed a third sector leadership university course with the ARU as a part of his growth.
In 2016 Rob alongside the board led his team into the purchase and development of a grade 2 listed building which is now CHESS Homeless HQ.

In 2023 the charity began a journey of developing a 24 modular home development. This was given planning permission in September 2024 and met practical completion in March 2025 having been 93% funded.

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Robin McGrenary

Robin McGrenary (He/Him)

Development Lead ILP, Centrepoint
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Robin McGrenary

Robin McGrenary is the Development Lead ILP at Centrepoint, responsible for leading the delivery of new independent living homes across London and Manchester. His role includes overseeing the entire development pipeline and helping to secure new sites.

Robin successfully led the delivery of Centrepoint’s Independent Living development, Reuben House in Peckham—a 36-home modular scheme providing high-quality studio homes. With a further ten developments currently in the pipeline, he is directing the build of an additional 250 homes, managing projects from initial concept and planning through to construction and completion.

Alongside his work at Centrepoint, Robin brings extensive experience in delivering complex transformation programmes internationally. He has led the delivery of global manufacturing centres in the USA and Mexico and held senior leadership roles directing teams across multiple housing associations in the UK.

Outside of work, Robin is a keen CrossFitter and runner.

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Sally Orlopp (She/Her)

Sally Orlopp (She/Her)

Deputy CEO, Centrepoint
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Sally Orlopp (She/Her)

Sally Orlopp is the Deputy CEO and has been with Centrepoint for over 10 years. She has had corporate responsibility for People, Property and Independent Living, and has played a key role in strengthening the foundations that support both young people and staff. 

More recently, Sally has been spearheading the movement and amplification of the Independent Living programme, helping to embed it at the heart of Centrepoint’s approach. 

With more than 25 years’ experience in the skills and employability sector, across both the public and private sectors, Sally is passionate about building inclusive, high-performing organisations and creating the conditions in which both people and communities can thrive.

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Sam Dumitriu

Sam Dumitriu (He/Him)

Head of Policy, Britain Remade
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Sam Dumitriu

Sam Dumitriu is Head of Policy at Britain Remade, a group that campaigns to make it easier to build new homes and infrastructure. 

In his role, he is responsible for Britain Remade's policy output and has authored a number of papers on housing policy, including Getting London Building, which identified a number of planning reforms that could dramatically boost supply in the city with Britain's worst housing shortage. 

His work has been cited widely in the media, including the FT, Economist, Times, Telegraph, ITV and BBC.

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Samara Jones

Samara Jones (She/Her)

Lead, Housing First Europe Hub
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Samara Jones

Samara Jones has worked on homelessness, youth and social justice issues both in Europe and Canada for the past 20 years. She is based in Brussels and leads the Housing First Europe Hub.  

The Housing First Europe Hub is a partnership of organisations, initiated in 2016  by FEANTSA, the Y-Foundation (Finland) and several key partners including Rock Trust, Turning Point Scotland, Crisis, Focus Ireland, Housing First Netherlands, Stadsmissionen Sweden, the City of Lyon, the social affairs ministry of France, and Centrepoint.  

The Housing First Europe Hub now includes over 25 housing providers, governments, cities, researchers and foundations from across Europe and beyond. The Housing First Europe Hub promotes systems change to end and prevent homelessness based on the principles of Housing First, coordinates training on Housing First and Housing First for Youth, and supports its partners to build networks across Europe.

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Seyi Obakin

Seyi Obakin OBE (He/Him)

Centrepoint's CEO
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Seyi Obakin

Seyi has been the CEO of Centrepoint for some considerable time, working with others to end youth homelessness in the UK by making its occurrence rare, and any experience of it brief and unrepeated. 

This means preventing homelessness; alleviating it with rapid and holistic support of it occurs; improving access to skills, qualifications, employment, and health care for those affected; offering truly affordable homes; and influencing public policy and systems locally, regionally, and nationally.

He is also Chair of Youth Futures Foundation, the national What Works Centre for youth employment, with a specific focus on marginalised young people. Prior to Centrepoint, his professional life spanned the whole spectrum of social housing provision, professional accounting, and corporate banking.

 

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Simon Fowler

Simon Fowler (He/Him)

Director Planning, Iceni Projects
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Simon Fowler

Simon joined Iceni Projects in 2023 as a Director in the Planning team. With 18 years’ experience across development sectors and geographies, he specialises in securing complex and significant mixed-use planning permissions across London, Kent and the South East, with particular expertise in residential-led mixed-use schemes and hotel development, as well as smaller-scale commercial developments.

He has extensive experience leading private, public and third-sector organisations through challenging planning scenarios, ensuring that both strategic and non-strategic planning decisions deliver sustainable communities and high-quality development. His portfolio includes major regeneration projects, hotel schemes and small-site developments.

Throughout his career, he has remained a trusted advisor to clients, maintaining a hands-on and proactive approach, and is adept at driving projects forward with speed, clarity and precision while meeting commercial objectives of his clients and corporate priorities of local authorities.

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Simon Green

Simon Green (He/Him)

CEO, YMCA Milton Keynes & Northamptonshire
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Simon Green

Simon Green has led YMCA Milton Keynes & Northamptonshire since 2017, driving its mission to help young people find stability and independence to thrive, not just survive.

Since 1981, the charity has supported more than 10,000 young people aged 18–35, offering supported housing, employment support, youth and community programmes, and mental health services.

Born and raised in Milton Keynes, Simon brings deep local insight and a passion for creating meaningful opportunities. Before joining YMCA, he held roles at Aldwyck Housing Group and South Beds District Council, building strong expertise in housing and community development.

Under his leadership, YMCA Milton Keynes opened a modern campus in 2020, now home to over 240 young adults. Simon also champions social enterprise initiatives such as the HomeGround Café – which supports its wider mission by providing training and work experience for residents.

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Umar

Umar (He/Him)

Lived Experience Advisory Board Member
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Umar

Umar is a compassionate individual dedicated to serving his community. Growing up in different communities, having lived in both Bradford and Slough, exposed him to diverse cultures and environments, shaping his understanding and empathy for different communities. 

As a volunteer on a children’s ward, he has become a consistent source of joy and support, using play and creativity to uplift young patients and their families. His dedication to this role reflects his empathy and desire to make a positive impact within the NHS. 
In recognition of his efforts, Umar received the Volunteer of the Month award in April 2025 for Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust and has been praised by parents for his dedication and impact.

Umar also faced multiple life challenges while serving as an unpaid carer for someone, demonstrating remarkable perseverance. Despite these challenges, he continued to strive forward and is now flourishing.

In addition to his volunteer work, Umar is a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB). Drawing from his personal experiences of homelessness with Centrepoint, he is now advocating for systemic change to ensure others receive the support and opportunities he once longed for. Working collaboratively with others who have faced similar challenges, he aims to shape policies and procedures across areas such as financial support, training and employment, benefits, and life skills education.

Guided by faith, perseverance, and a strong sense of community, Umar continues to embody compassion and a desire to make a positive impact.

The Partnerships team at Centrepoint

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Lisa Waring

Lisa Waring (She/Her)

Head of Partnerships
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Lisa Waring

Lisa has worked for Centrepoint for over 20 years. Based in Birmingham, the Partnerships team works with like-minded organisations, across the country. Lisa managers the work Centrepoint does with external partners.

She started as a youth worker and spent many years involved in Nightstop, (manager, Director of NNN, Board of trustees and Independent Monitor Nightstop UK).

She enjoys pulling people together, finding the right organisation that can help to answer a query that someone else might be having.
Lisa lives in the Midlands with her family, a nutty Vizsla and three cheeky chucks!
 

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Mandy Collymore

Mandy Collymore (She/Her)

National Programme Co-ordinator
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Mandy Collymore

Mandy joined Centrepoint in 2014 and oversees the Centrepoint Partnering scheme. She really enjoys bringing organisations together and creating spaces for organisations to share their experiences and learning.  Mandy is the first port of call for any Partnering queries.

Prior to this, Mandy worked for Catch22 for 9 years co-ordinating the Home Office funded Positive Futures programme, delivering engagement programmes for young people. 

She is a Committee Member at her local primary school and provides admin support to her local grassroots football club. 
Mandy lives in Birmingham and will be found every weekend with muddy shoes after watching her kids play football or changing her Fantasy Football team last minute.

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Francesca Forestieri

Francesca Forestieri (She/Her)

Partnerships and Grant Giving Officer
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Francesca Forestieri

Francesca based in London she is working as Partnerships and Grant Giving Officer. Fransy is keen to help you with all the queries about the Partnering scheme and The More than a Roof Grant.

She is the editor of the monthly newsletter Partner Post and the AQA co-ordinator for the independent living programme Lifewise.

After working in different sectors in the past she has been excited to join Centrepoint and being part of a change for a better future.
When not in the office you might find her around the globe trying to get a new stamp on her passport.
 

A speaker talks passionately on stage at the conference

See the agenda

An incredible range of speakers and panelists join us for this year's National Youth Homelessness Conference 2026.

See the agenda