David Sanderson
David SandersonChief Executive

David joined the Foundation in 2002, and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in 2011. Prior to this, David served as a soldier for 24 years, serving in Africa, Middle East, the Far East, the Caribbean, and various parts of Europe. David has helped to pioneer Rank’s place-based programmes, leading the new strategy and exploring new opportunities for the Foundation. He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, enjoys walking and wilderness trekking, and maintains a strong interest with several African charities. He is a member of the UK Foundation’s Forum,  and a member of the European Venture Philanthropy Association.

Caroline Broadhurst
Caroline BroadhurstDeputy Chief Executive

Caroline has worked at the Foundation since 2006, formerly as the Director of Community Care Projects and as Deputy CEO since 2014. Prior to joining the Foundation, Caroline worked across the non-profit and philanthropy sectors. Caroline is a collaborator, working with others to create change for the better, with a focus on investing in the next generation of social sector leaders. Caroline holds an Executive M.B.A. from Lancaster University and is a Practitioner in Executive Coaching. Through her role as a Clore Social Fellow (2012) Caroline participated in secondments to Candid in San Francisco and Oikocredit in the U.K, researching the key tenets of governance in philanthropy.

Kai Wooder
Kai WooderDirector of Programmes

Kai joined the Foundation in 2015 as a member of the executive team and has a remit of proactive engagement with projects, programmes and communities. Kai has a leadership role with RankNet including the annual conference and network wide planning group, the Rank Aspire programme, Time to Shine, Profit for Good and our Start Here programme in Northern Ireland. Kai has a long association with The Rank Foundation and the network. Kai’s previous roles have been in the youth and community sector and she has also established and led a social enterprise. Kai is a Churchill Fellow, a previous tutor with the YMCA George Williams College, an Action Learning Set Facilitator and founder of LGBT youth group ‘Work it Out’ in Merseyside.

Kai is inspired by the social sector; the passion and relentless dedication of those who want to see and experience a fairer and more inclusive world.

John Hind
John Hind Director of Education and Leadership

John joined the Rank Foundation in 2021 and is specifically responsible for overseeing the School Leadership Award and Fellowship.

Born in Mansfield he became a teacher on completion of his first degree and taught in schools across the UK, most recently as Principal of Dame Allan’s Schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for sixteen years.

His interests include local history (the role of churches in various North East communities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the subject of his PhD research), reading and watching sport. He is also a keen campanologist.

John has been very impressed by the work done by Ed Vainker and the team at Reach Academy, Feltham. Not only is the academy one of the most successful non selective schools in the country in terms of its examinations results, the team are also looking to inspire others to develop the cradle to career model of education through the work of the Reach Foundation. A long term Rank partner, the Foundation’s work in promoting values of an all through education (Nursery to Year 13) with high expectations, high aspirations and excellent teaching in schools across the country exemplifies the significant potential of a relatively small pebble thrown into the large pond of educational practice.

Sonia Talsi
Sonia TalsiAssistant Director of Operations

Sonia joined the Rank Foundation in October 2022 as the Assistant Director of Operations. Sonia is responsible for the operations of the Foundation with particular focus on creating a collaborative co-working space for our Rank Net members in our Shoreditch, London office.

Sonia has extensive experience in operations and project management. After working in the charity sector, Sonia moved into education sector management for over 18 years. Sonia also held positions as a charity treasurer and a trustee.

Sonia is motivated by her father, who was a Deputy Director at a Czech power plant. He was a multilingual professional who was truly inspirational. He had strong family values and has always been extremely supportive of everyone, especially his family.

Helen Stockdale
Helen StockdalePartnership and Events Manager

Helen has been with the Foundation since 2004 and manages the Penrith office, she is responsible for bringing together Rank events including the annual networking conference, Time to Shine, RAP and Profit for Good events. Helen is also involved in the delivery of many of the Foundation’s Flagship Programmes, working closely with the Director of Programmes. Also the point of contact for Rank Memorial Award applicants and the RankNet Leaders Action Group (RLAG). Helen is an Action Learning Facilitator and for the last three years has worked with groups of Time to Shine leaders.

So many inspirational people in the network it is difficult to name one! An example of one such person is James Watts Rees, who participated in the Rank Aspire programme with People and Work, Wales. He then became line manager to two other RAP participants in subsequent years. James was also involved in the setting up of ‘Play it Again’ (a project which recycles sports equipment for young people, to encourage sports participation). James’s commitment to his community and work with boundless positive energy touch all who meet him. You can hear more about James’ work on Play it Again.

Natalie Humber
Natalie HumberDigital Hub Manager

Natalie coordinates the Foundation’s engagement with beneficiaries. She also manages The Rank Foundation’s online community platform, RankNet, and sees to the social media, website and branding. She is also involved in administering and coordinating the School Leadership Award and Community Action Placements. She joined the Foundation in 2015 as an administrator, having completed an English Literature degree and working with disadvantaged children and youth on the USA’s East Coast. She lives in London, and enjoys singing, cooking and a good cup of tea.

Kerry Whitehead-Dymond
Kerry Whitehead-DymondGrant Administration Manager

Kerry is responsible for the daily management of The Rank Foundation’s grant portfolio and joined the organisation in the summer of 2017. After graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in French and German, Kerry volunteered for various Bristol-based organisations, before moving to London in 2013 to work for homeless charity Centrepoint. Prior to working at The Rank Foundation, Kerry also administered the grants programme for craft scholarship charity QEST.

Marie Lecrinier
Marie LecrinierBusiness Support Manager

Marie joined the Foundation in 2020. During her MA studies, Marie researched government policies that lead to exclusion. This sparked a passion for projects supporting integration and community dialogue, driving her to pursue her career in the charity sector. Since then, Marie has worked in different charities coordinating various projects, such as establishing an Arts diploma, organising a one-day craft festival, and knitting retreats among other income-generating projects.

Edouardine Timmamo
Edouardine TimmamoFinance Officer

Edouardine joined the Foundation in 2016 and provides day to day support to the Finance Director. Edouardine is a Chartered Accountant, and holds a degree in Commercial and Distribution from the Catholic University of Central Africa in Cameroon. Edouardine worked for more than 5 years in a variety of sectors in Cameroon such as FMG and Oil and Gas as a Sales and Accounts executive/supervisor. She has lived in UK since 2009 and decided to redirect her career to the charity sector. Edouardine previously worked in a small charity organisation and then in the education sector.

Kristine Hill
Kristine Hill Programmes Manager NI

Kristine joined the Foundation in September 2022 and looks after the Start Here programme in Northern Ireland. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kristine worked for The National Lottery Community Fund in Cardiff and in Belfast and worked on the development of programmes to address homelessness and climate change.

Kristine is inspired by Nadia Bogdan, a former colleague at TNLCF, especially her ability to connect with people and communities, understand their strengths and challenges, her creativity, positive mindset and commitment to improving lives.

Janice Hodgson
Janice HodgsonSenior Programme Support Officer

Janice spent many years employed in the higher education sector working in a variety of customer facing areas such as student recruitment and widening participation. Janice joined Rank in 2019 and is the main point of contact for the Time to Shine Leadership Programme and co-ordinates Community Action Placements for the School Leadership Award. She has recently trained as an Action Learning Facilitator.

Janice is motivated by watching a new cohort of Time to Shine leaders complete their leadership journey each year. She is inspired by their enthusiasm and energy to work with organisations and make a difference. During the covid pandemic, T2S leaders played a crucial role in their organisations enabling many to reshape their provision and pivot services to support communities in lock down.

Kirsty Stephenson
Kirsty StephensonEvents and Programme Officer

Kirsty joined the Rank Foundation in October 2020 as a leader on the 2021 Time to Shine Programme. Kirsty overseas the digital event offerings which are promoted and provided to network members on RankNet and supports the delivery of Rank’s flagship programmes and events. She also provides the visual content to support most Rank events and meetings.

Kirsty has a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing with Northumbria University which included a year’s placement working in Amsterdam working with a market leading company. More recently, Kirsty completed a qualification in Events Management for Marketing and Communications.

Within her time with the Foundation, Kirsty has had the opportunity to meet many Time to Shiner leaders who participated on the programme. Kevin Holcroft participated in the 2018 Time to Shine programme with Credu and Kirsty had the opportunity to work alongside Kevin at a variety of events.

“Working alongside Kevin has been a great learning experience. His generosity in sharing his knowledge with myself is something I very appreciate.”

Tess de Souza
Tess de SouzaFront of House Officer

Tess joined the Foundation in July 2023. Her role focuses on assisting the Assistant Director of Operations with the management of the coworking space in Shoreditch as it continues to grow.

Prior to this, she graduated from The University of Southampton in International Relations (Bsc). Her dissertation was on the role taken by non-governmental in ensuring the protection of refugees and to what extent the British Government cooperated.

Tess always had a passion for helping the vulnerable, from working in homes for those with neurological conditions, to a pharmacy, and volunteering for charities that focus on providing aid for those who experience forced migration. she discovered a passion for the charitable sector after completing an internship with the Widening Support and Cooperation team at the university she attended, where the focus was on the process of achieving the Sanctuary Award. This award was vital as it provided financial support to those with a background of forced migration the opportunity to go to university without worrying about the financial burdens.

Outside of work, she loves reading and attending the theatre. Her all-time favourites are Hamilton and Dirty Dancing!

Nhung Phung
Nhung PhungCommunications and Impact Officer

Nhung is a young Vietnamese communications practitioner and holds an MA in Global Communication for Development & Social Change from Loughborough University London. She joined the Rank Foundation in January 2024 as a Communications and Impact Officer and Time to Shine Leader. Her role focuses on enhancing Rank’s external and internal communications, supporting its ever-thriving network.

Most recently, Nhung served as Communications and Marketing personnel at In2scienceUK, a social mobility charity supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to progress towards STEM higher education and careers. Prior to this, Nhung earned a BA in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and worked in various capacities within governmental, non-profit, and academic settings in Vietnam.

Hailing from a mountainous area in Northern Vietnam and being the first in her family to pursue high school and beyond, Nhung has been dedicated throughout her career journey to leveraging communication strategies for a long-lasting and tangible impact on the lives of marginalized groups and communities, mirroring her own experiences.

Saana Taussi
Saana TaussiEvents and Engagement Officer NI

Saana joined the Rank Foundation in January 2024. Her work focuses on increasing engagement with the network of voluntary and sports organisations in the Start Here Programme in Northern Ireland. This involves supporting the delivery of learning and networking opportunities, as well as sharing stories from the organisations and individuals involved in the programme. 

Saana is originally from Finland, but she moved to Scotland to do a BSc in Psychology at the University of Dundee. She is now based in Belfast, where she completed her MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice. 

Saana is passionate about social justice and believes in the strength in communities. In the past she has volunteered for a community mental health project and as a writer for a news outlet aimed for people who are neurodivergent. She currently volunteers to support victims of sexual violence. She also takes part in activism and community organising.  

Marco Martucci
Marco MartucciFacilities Officer

Marci joined the Rank Foundation in January 2024 and is responsible for supporting and ensuring smooth running of the Garden Walk coworking space, including direct assistance with facilities, IT, health and safety and administration.

Marco studied computer science and electronics in Italy. For several years, he coached water polo teams of different ages, from kids to adults. These experiences were important to him and have helped him in his work. Marco enjoys helping people, especially with IT problems. When he’s not working, Marco loves listening to music, cooking vegan recipes, reading books and comics, and watching movies and TV shows.