Who We Are
At Prospex, we believe that being rooted in our community enhances our work and improves our chances of making an impact. That’s why local residents make up 80% of our staff and trustee teams.
Our team support the young people with whom we come into contact, regardless of whether they’re young people involved in gangs, or kids looking for somewhere to play a board game. In all aspects of work we approach the young people in a non-judgemental manner regardless of culture, gender or creed.
Staff
100+
years of youth work experience
5
staff who have been at Prospex for 8+ years
40+
youth work qualifications between staff
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Richard Frankland (Beef)
CEO
Richard Frankland, known as Beef, has been involved in Prospex since 2001 and was appointed as CEO in 2008. He has been qualified as a Youth Worker since 1996 and is a level 6 supervisor. He also has 14 years of voluntary experience as a youth worker in various youth organisations.
Cathy Norris
Business Development Manager
Cathy has a post-graduate qualification in Community and Youth Work and over 15 years experience of working in the voluntary sector. Cathy has provided consultancy support for a number of voluntary organisations, including freelance grants assessment for The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
Alan Hopson
Senior Youth Worker
Alan is, responsible for the day to day running of the Community Programme. Having joined Prospex in 2010 as a volunteer, Alan soon progressed to part time and then full-time youth worker. He has a BA in Youth Work, Community Development and Social Pedagogy.
Carole Ward
Girls Development Worker
Carole is the Girls Development Worker at Prospex responsible for all aspects of the girls power project. Carole has a level 4 in Youth Work, Community Development and Social Pedagogy. And enjoys keeping up to date with training opportunities, C-Card training, Mental health, first aid training.
Eveltos Pagdades
Payroll/Administrator
Eveltos joined Prospex in 2016 as a volunteer and became part of the staff team in 2017. His role has developed over the years and now includes, processing payroll, accounts
management, Invoice payments, venue hire and assisting with annual Audit inspection.
“I feel Prospex staff have gone over and above for my son, believed in him and given him the tools he needs in life. I am truly thankful.”
A Prospex mum
Trustees and special advisors
Mike Hickes
Chair of Trustees
Mike’s involvement with Prospex began in 2005 when, as a volunteer, he helped the team research and develop a new strategic plan for the charity. He has many years prior business experience within the hi-tech industry where he held senior posts based in Europe, Japan and the USA.
Robin Vos
Trustee - Legal
Robin is a Solicitor with Macfarlanes. He helped to establish Prospex as an independent charitywhen it was still only a community project, in order to widen its reach. He believes that all young people have potential and all of us have a responsibility in helping to unlock that potential.
Marjorie Waymouth
Trustee - Community
Marjorie has been a Trustee of Prospex since the organisation was founded in 2001. Marjorie also serves on the committee of the Friends of Thomas Coram.
Frances Middleton
Trustee - Human Resources
Fran lives in Islington and became a Trustee in 2017 with a particular focus on HR matters, drawing on over 25 years’ business and commercial experience. She first became involved with Prospex in 2000 when she supported them to implement their Business plan.
Monique Ferdinand
Trustee - Mental Health and Wellbeing
Monique brings insight to our health and well-being projects at Prospex, in particularour work to support the mental health of our young people. She is originally from Canada, where she co-founded an organisation to tackle youth violence and gun crime in Toronto. She currently works in senior management for the NHS and supports transformation initiatives across health and care in London. Monique joined us in 2020.
Danielle Cohen
Trustee - Child Protection
Danielle is a Child Protection Social Worker in Tower Hamlets. She has an MA in PPS with a focus on Psychology and is BPS accredited. She has also worked as a caseworker at an Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) Service and has taught World History at the Asian University for Women. Danielle became a Prospex trustee in June 2020.
Vlad Levitsky
Trustee - Marketing, Communications and Projects
Vlad is an Internal Communication Manager helping top organisations tell their stories to increase employee engagement. He has extensive private sector experience in writing, marketing, strategy and project management. Vlad immigrated from Ukraine to Canada as a child, relocated to the UK as an adult and has lived in Islington since 2013. He joined Prospex in 2020 to give back to the local community.
Ian Middleton
Special Advisor - Financial Accounting
Ian is a local resident who, as a qualified Chartered Accountant, supports preparing both our statutory accounts as well as with regular updates on our financial position
Isabelle Geretson
Special Advisor - Media and PR
Isabelle is a journalist who writes about climate change and the environment for Climate Home News, CNN and the BBC. She also works as a mentor for children and teenagers, helping them with schoolwork, personal development and confidence. She joined Prospex in 2020.