Our board

Judith Johnson (Chair)

Co-founder of Life Chance and the School for Inspiring Talents, award-winning trauma-specialist therapeutic education. 45 year career in teaching and school leadership and governance. An Ofsted Inspector and independent consultant, experienced at school improvement and change management, across many education trusts and local authorities, and has chaired several Boards.

Simon Almond (Finance lead)

Founder/MD of DCW, an award-winning family-run waste management business, pioneering ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ in the south-west. Consults UK-wide/DEFRA on the future of recycling. Trustee of Dartmoor Zoo (community mental health/international conservation), helped develop charities in Kenya and Uganda.

Mark Escott

Co-founder of Life Chance and the School for Inspiring Talents, award-winning trauma-specialist therapeutic education. Mark’s passion for transforming lives has since resulted in being awarded the British Empire Medal in the King’s New Year’s Honours list and becoming a best-selling author for his book ‘One More Life Chance’.

Vic Bekker

Leads a recruitment team across the regional construction industry with charity fundraising successes from extreme coast path challenges (100km in 24 hours!) to Golf Days. Originally from Zimbabwe, where he trained as a pastry chef. Brings lived family experience of the local foster care system, while raising a young family.

Hal Davidson

A charity sector specialist, as employee, trustee, consultant and volunteer with 25 different charities in seven years, across strategy/fundraising/communications/project management. Helps charities develop strategies for lasting change as Funding & Strategy Manager for YouPress, and delivers personal development talks to young people.

Paul Haigney

Passionate about education, mentoring & entrepreneurship, a keen Rotarian and networker, Paul’s led and consulted extensively in the food industry, winning UK SME of the Year with ‘Pasta King’. As VC Governor South Devon College, he championed special needs students and co-founded a charity to support students in need.

Hannah Moon

A business leader with a passion for creating social change. CEO of Life Chance Group and School for Inspiring Talents. Brings charity leadership expertise from Dame Hannah Rogers Trust, was instrumental in setting up the British Gas Energy Trust in 2004, and tackled fuel poverty as Head of Social Responsibility at British Gas.

Alison Nettleship

Began her career in business, finance and international banking before training as a teacher, then Primary Headteacher and now CEO / Executive Headteacher of Discovery Multi Academy Trust. A trained Ofsted Inspector, working to improve outcomes and opportunities, collaborating across Plymouth to help develop a city-wide nurture provision to support vulnerable and at-risk children.

Julie Scott-Bryant

A corporate leader – most recently as Group Chief Procurement officer of AXA insurance - bringing business and HR experience and a passion for coaching and mentoring which has its roots in her own dyslexia diagnosis at university and subsequent successful corporate career across telecoms, banking and insurance UK/US/ France. Now a company Chair and non-exec with time to help transform young lives.

Sophie Wakefield (Chair, Youth Advisory Board)

An early-career 16-18 specialist teacher in Taunton who is passionate about student voice initiatives and leading the progress of the school’s most vulnerable students. Has mentored students with personal trauma resulting from a range of adverse childhood experiences and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education.