Our team

Eva Schloss MBE - Honorary President

Eva is one of the world's most prominent survivors of the Holocaust. Born in Austria, her family escaped from the Nazis by moving to Amsterdam, where they were neighbours of the Franks. Both families had to go into hiding on the same day in 1942. Like the Franks, Eva's family were betrayed and sent to concentration camps in 1944. Eva and her mother survived Auschwitz, but she lost her father and brother. After the War, Eva settled in London, and her mother married Anne Frank's father Otto.

In 1986, Eva was invited to speak at the first exhibition that the Anne Frank House sent to the UK. Since then she has dedicated her life to talking about her experiences, especially to tell the story of her beloved brother Heinz and to call for an end to all forms of racism. She has written three books: Eva's Story, After Auschwitz, and The Promise, which is aimed especially at children. 

Eva was one of the co-founders of the Anne Frank Trust UK in 1990, and we are very proud that she continues to support and guide our work.

Gillian Walnes MBE - Honorary Vice President

Gillian was a co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust in 1990 and our Executive Director for 26 years. She led the staging of nearly 200 public exhibitions, and created many national campaigns and projects, including the Anne Frank Tree planting programme and much of the schools programme that we continue to run.

Gillian's book The Legacy of Anne Frank (2018) tells the story of Anne Frank's exceptional impact on education, politics and culture.

Gillian continues to speak about Anne Frank to many audiences and we are delighted to remain in close contact with her.

Daniel Mendoza OBE - Honorary Vice President

Professionally Daniel advises a spectrum of clients on their commercial property investment aspirations. He joined the industry in 1986 at the age of 17 and is a Founder of Ereira Mendoza – established in 1990. He has been a guest columnist for the leading trade journal Property Week since 2004 providing insight and analysis into unfolding market dynamics. Daniel’s journey to The Anne Frank Trust started in his youth – as an avid listener and observer with a fascination in what shapes and drives peoples’ attitudes and behaviours towards each other and the world around them and the impact this may inform on their life trajectory. In his desire to answer these questions and believing that people are on the whole products of their environments and experiences, Daniel wanted to be involved in an organisation that could bring about long-term attitudinal and behavioural shifts on a significant scale. 

Nicola Cobbold - Chair

Nicola has spent the past 16 years in the not-for-profit sector, having previously worked as a media and copyright lawyer. A Cambridge graduate, she chaired the PaJes School Wellbeing Project from 2018 – 2022, is a founding shareholder of Social Finance Israel and is currently a Trustee of The Portland Trust, The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe and Bridging Insights. Interspersed with her legal career, Nicola worked in reconciliation and coexistence, compiling a report for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and acting as a Trustee for the Jewish Council for Racial Equality. She also spent eight years as the CEO of The Portland Trust, a British non-profit ‘action tank’, working with a range of partners to help develop the Palestinian private sector and relieve poverty in Israel through entrepreneurship and social impact investment.

Bernard Howard - Vice Chair

While working at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Bernard became ACA qualified. He went on to set up totallylegal.com, a website that became the number 1 legal recruitment company in the UK, and later totallyfinancial.com – a leading financial recruitment website. He is now the director and owner of Portman Scott which is a Sales and Marketing recruitment agency focused on SME’s.

Jeffrey Kriek - Treasurer

Jeffrey is an experienced finance director in high growth companies in the Telecom sector. He began his career in investment banking at ABN AMRO and RBS, advising TMT companies on corporate finance and capital raising transactions. Jeffrey holds an MSc in Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Professor Dominic Abrams OBE

Dominic is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent. His research explores how group processes can increase or reduce prejudice and discrimination. His research covers all kinds of prejudices, from childhood to old age. He has designed and directed surveys of prejudice for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Age UK, Communities and Local Government and the European Social Survey. He also conducts experimental studies to evaluate the impact of strategies to deal with prejudice. He is Director of the Centre for the Study of Group Processes and co-editor of the journal Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. He received the British Psychological Society’s President’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychological Science and is past president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Fellow and former vice president of the British Academy for which he also leads programmes on Cohesive Societies and Covid & Society.

Dr Uzma Zahid

Uzma was among the very first cohort of Anne Frank Ambassadors, having completed her training in Bradford in 2008. She completed a BSc in Psychology at Royal Holloway University of London, and an MSc at King’s College London. She is now conducting research in psychiatric imaging for a PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and in collaboration with Imperial College London. Her research interests lie in the neurobiology of psychosis and early intervention in psychosis. 

Mike Bettles

Mike worked as an English teacher and Head of Department in various schools before becoming deputy at Heathfield Community School in Taunton in 2001. The school has been designated Outstanding since 2003. Mike has also undertaken considerable work for the Taunton Teaching Alliance – including a key role in two successful SSIF bids. Mike was one of the authors of the SSAT Vision 2040 pamphlet, an advisor on the development of the SSATs Framework for Exceptional Education, a contributor to the London Leadership Strategy’s book Gathering Greatness and a regular contributor on International Education to a variety of forums. He has a particular interest in international education, the arts in education and the development of elite sports people. Mike has worked on Erasmus and Comenius projects with schools across Europe and he has advised organisations such as the Fulbright, the LTA and the MCC. In addition to working as a facilitator for Growing the Top, he has worked for Bristol University, the International Baccalaureate Organisation, Erasmus+ and The British Council.

Aretha Banton 

Aretha is an experienced senior leader in education, with over 15 years specialising in SEND, Safeguarding and Inclusion. She has worked in a range of diverse schools/ academies and sectors all focused on improving outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged students. She has worked in the charity sector as youth services coordinator, and as part of School Improvement Teams identifying and sharing best practice in education and Inclusion. Aretha recently started a social enterprise which supports Black and Asian female educators to navigate their professional journeys from Early Career Teaching into Leadership. She has two wonderful children who are about to embark on their own adventures into adulthood -  so is a keen advocate for meaningful change, perhaps more so now than ever before.

Miranda Wayland

Miranda currently works as Head of international Strategy and content for Amazon Studios and Prime Video. In this role she has launched the Prime Video Pathway aimed at diversifying the entertainment workforce and making on-and-off screen roles more accessible — and multiple programs dedicated to increasing gender representation in key crew roles. Miranda is also in the process of expanding a film apprenticeship program at Feltham Young Offenders Institution.Miranda was awarded as an inspirational leader by the Precious Awards, and received a 'Special Recognition Award’ at the Asian Media Awards for her contribution and dedication to diversity and inclusion within the media industry.

Ruth Barnett

Ruth is an experienced communications leader and advisor. She runs her own consultancy that specialises in working with leaders of innovative businesses. She's held senior communications roles at startups and technology companies, including Sequoia Capital, Google Al lab DeepMind and Snapchat, and her first career was in news journalism.

Ruth brings a decade of trustee experience, including serving on the board of the UK cancer bereavement charity, The Loss Foundation. 

Tim Robertson - CEO

Tim has been our Chief Executive since June 2018. He is passionate about Anne Frank’s Diary as both a literary masterpiece and a springboard for education, and this builds on the two main strands of his career – arts and social change. Tim studied literature at university in London and New York and was Director of the Royal Society of Literature from 2015 to 2018. Previously, he spent 9 years as Chief Executive of the Koestler Trust, Britain’s national charity for arts by prisoners.  Tim began his career as a social worker and manager of children's services in the London Borough of Camden. He is an Elder in the Quaker Meeting at Friends House Euston, a trustee of the Wordsworth Trust, which runs the Cumbrian home of the poet William Wordsworth, and chair of Friendly Welcome, a community sponsorship project bringing a refugee family to London. Tim and his husband Neil divide their time between Bloomsbury and a second home in the Lake District.

Sarah Nuzum – Director of Education

Sarah joined the Trust in April 2019 and has responsibility for the leadership and management of all our educational services. She has over 17 years’ experience working within both the education and charity sectors. Before joining us, Sarah worked at The National Citizenship Service, All We Can, and the Methodist Independent Schools Trust. She has a background in teaching at secondary level and brings to bear considerable leadership and management experience gained within the education sector. Sarah recently completed an MA in Global Ethics and Human Rights. She is a former Board Member for Amazing Minds, a not-for-profit positive wellbeing education organisation. In her spare-time, she enjoys performing with her local amateur dramatic society, where she has previously served as a dedicated Committee Member.

Ruth Berenblut – Director of Development

Ruth joined the Anne Frank Trust in October 2023 and heads up all our fundraising. She has a passion for developing donor relationships and a track record of building philanthropy programmes. She has held senior fundraising roles at established charities and helped establish small start-up charities’ fundraising from scratch. Employed most recently in senior health fundraising roles, Ruth's voluntary sector experience also includes education, community and environmental causes. This follows a career in communications and marketing in the private and public sectors

Grace Nelson - Assistant Education Director

Grace joined the Trust in May 2012 managing and delivering programmes throughout Yorkshire before becoming Assistant Director for Schools and Communities in January 2021.  Grace works very closely with the Director of Education and the front-line Education Team to help sustain and develop the Trust’s programmes in schools and communities.  Grace’s role focuses on maintaining the quality and reach of our education programmes helping to enhance and evaluate the impact of our work.  Based in York, Grace is a former experienced secondary school RE teacher with a degree in Theology and Religious Studies. 

Naomi Griffiths-Littlechild - Assistant Education Director

Naomi joined the Anne Frank Trust in 2021. Originally from Sheffield, she went on to study Religious Studies and Theology in York. She qualified as an RE teacher in 2012 and has worked in schools across West Yorkshire. Naomi has a passion for young people and was a Teenage Foster Carer where she enjoyed helping young people to develop and reach their full potential. She enjoys working and building relationships with schools and local groups and is passionate about using her skills to empower young people. Prior to joining the trust Naomi was working in the charitable sector as a fundraiser and supporting vulnerable women with complex needs. Naomi lives in Leeds with her husband and daughter. In her spare time Naomi enjoys being a trustee for a local schools charity and cooking for friends and family.

Eilidh Lean – Anne Frank Worker, Anne Frank Scotland

Eilidh joined the Trust in January 2016 and since then has worked with young people to empower them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination. Eilidh grew up in the Northeast of Scotland and went onto to study Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. Prior to joining the Trust, Eilidh worked for politicians as a constituency caseworker. Eilidh enjoys working and building relationships with schools and local councils and is passionate about using her skills as an educator to change attitudes and empower communities. Eilidh lives in Dundee, sadly with no pets just a sister! In her spare time, she enjoys road trips, reading and is often seen at the crack of dawn at her local gym.

Samantha Winnard - Anne Frank Worker, North East

Samantha joined the trust in 2021. She grew up in a mining village in the North East of England. While at university studying Fine Art, she worked with young people as part of an outreach programme to assist in making higher education accessible to all. In her previous role, she delivered tours and workshops to young people, in order to encourage learning and expression through creative means. During this time, she was also an LGBTQIA+ Union Representative and grew very passionate about challenging prejudice and discrimination in all forms. In her free time, she runs TTRPG events for both adults and young people in her community and is also a freelance illustrator.

Billy Clout - Anne Frank Worker, South Yorkshire

Billy joined the trust in 2022. Based in Sheffield, he studied Business & Management at the University of Portsmouth before working as a counsellor in California for Canyon Creek Summer Camp, as well as working for several charitable organisations with ties to the camp over a span of three years. During his time in America he discovered a passion for empowering young people, working as a program facilitator for the non-profit organisation All It Takes. He volunteered for The Harold Robinson Foundation, Kern Bridges youth homes, and the Grossman Burn Centre. He is passionate about using his experience in youth development programs to help young people confidently challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination. In his spare time he enjoys reading, watching football and going for long walks.

Sharon Hattersley - Anne Frank Worker, West Yorkshire

Sharon joined the trust in 2022. She grew up in Yorkshire and studied Applied Computing at the University of East Anglia. Building on her experiences as a Girlguiding leader and time spent overseas working at summer camps in the USA she went on to spend 20 years working in primary schools across West Yorkshire. Sharon is passionate about education, inspiring young people and helping them to make a difference. Outside of work she runs an active Brownie group and with their help does a huge amount of work to support the children of Katiyo Primary School in Zimbabwe. She loves being a Brownie leader as it allows her to show girls they can make a difference and be the change. She loves travel, crafting, musical theatre and spending time with her mischievous cat.

Bethany Odd - Anne Frank Worker, London and Home Counties

Bethany joined the Trust in August 2022. She studied Primary Education at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, becoming a member of the BAME committee and Secretary of the Murder Mystery society. Instead of going into teaching she turned to working for museums, charities and now the Anne Frank Trust. As a young Jewish person with a passion for showcasing Judaism, she has developed an enthusiasm for inspiring young people to use their voices though leadership opportunities and programmes and becoming upstanders in society. Bethany is a crime junkie, enjoys gaming and trying new experiences

Nicky Salt - Anne Frank Worker, West Midlands

Nicky moved to the West Midlands for University and fell in love with it. She was previously a Youth Engagement Officer with the Police Cadets, where she supported and expanded the Cadet programme in Birmingham; and before that a Higher Level Teaching assistant in a Primary school. Nicky is passionate about inspiring young people to find their confidence, engage with communities to make a difference and be the best versions of themselves. Outside of work she enjoys watching Rugby, and live music, as well as enjoying the outdoors; walking, and camping with her family and dogs.

Ellie Veale - Anne Frank Worker, London & Home Counties

Having grown up in South East London and having a passion for playing and coaching sports Ellie went to the University of Birmingham to study Sports, Physical Education and Coaching Science. Once graduated Ellie decided to take a few years out and backpack in various countries. Once back from her travels Ellie worked in various mainstream and SEN schools in Southeast London and volunteered for a short time for Educate and Celebrate. In these roles she realised that she has a passion for educating about diversity, inclusion and challenging prejudice. In her free time Ellie enjoys gaming (all varieties), checking out local craft food and drink venues and, a newly discovered enjoyment of escape rooms.

Amber Allcock - Anne Frank Worker, North West

Amber graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in English Language and Literature before pursuing a career in teaching at secondary school level. There, she took on an additional responsibility as Literacy Lead, where a huge motivation for her role was ensuring that all young people had the literacy skills they needed in order to succeed in their academic and social pursuits. From this, Amber realised the importance of providing young people with the tools and opportunities they need to articulate their ideas confidently. This led Amber to the Anne Frank Trust, where she passionately believes all young people should feel supported and empowered to use their voices for good. In her spare time, Amber enjoys reading and running. 

Lucy Allan - Anne Frank Worker, Cumbria

Lucy has lived and worked in Cumbria for the last 8 years. She qualified as a Secondary PE Teacher in 2021, having received a First-class degree in Outdoor Education at the University of Cumbria, in Ambleside. Her passion for educating young people stemmed from the outdoor sector, as she is a qualified mountain bike guide and competed at national and international level in the sport, from a young age. Her career originated from wanting everyone to have access the outdoor spaces around them (unlike Anne and many others during the war, who were not allowed this freedom). Thus, she is a passionate promoter of equality for the children in Cumbria and further afield

Alistair Falk - Advisory Member to the Education Committee 

Alastair has been a Headteacher of three schools, one Jewish primary,one Jewish secondary and one all-through mainstream Academy. He has also worked for a number of education charities and was the first CEO of the Birmingham Education Partnership, a city wide education organisation. He was the first Director of Education for the Careers and Enterprise Company and he was the founding Director of Partnerships for Jewish Schools . In 2019 he established Tsitsit, the world’s first  Jewish themed Fringe Festival. He passionately believes that only through meeting and listening to the other, can we understand ourselves sufficiently to avoid repeating the errors and horrors of the past. 

Kirsty Robson - Advisory Member to the Communications Committee 

Passionate about Holocaust education and genocide prevention, Kirsty Robson has held various positions within the third sector including leading and supporting international campaigns for human rights. She serves as the External Engagement Manager for the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, working with key stakeholders in civic, faith and political spheres, and as the Outreach Officer for Scotland for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, leading engagement across the region. Kirsty has a degree in Politics and Policy from the University of the West of Scotland where she completed her dissertation on legislation around digital antisemitism

Joel Davis - Advisory Member to the Communications Committee

Joel Davis boasts over two decades of experience in performance marketing., beginning his journey began at Virgin Media, then moving onto British Airways, where he played a pivotal role in bolstering online sales. Following this, Joel joined MRM Worldwide (McCann) as a senior digital planner. In 2007, Joel established Mighty Social, Europe's first Social Media Agency, now an award-winning powerhouse that has attracted a diverse clientele including Mattel, Microsoft, BUPA, Sony, Spurs, and Mercedes. Today, Mighty Social  is in the coveted top 20% of the Inc. 5000 List of Europe's Fastest-Growing Companies and Joel has been a four-time recipient of the prestigious FT and Deloitte fast growth awards.

Joel is a founding member of the DMA's Social Media  and serves as a judge for DMA awards. He is a proud member of the 2022 Forbes Business Councili and is a regular speaker at universities and marketing events.

In 2023, Joel founded Supportweneed.com, an innovative platform dedicated to assisting individuals in their pursuit of quality and affordable therapists and coaches to support their mental health and overall well-being. 
Joel’s work in the non-profit world includes assisting in the expansion of JNetics, encouraging people to attend screenings and helping with the website. He has also assisted BICOM drive up their supporter subscriptions. 

David Holmes - Salesforce and Data Manager

David joined the Trust in 2022. He has worked as a Developer and Data Manager for more than 20 years. Reading Anne Frank's Diary helped forge his world view when he was a teenager, and she has been an inspiration ever since. David enjoys playing and watching football, listening to music, reading and cinema.

Judy Silkoff - Assistant Operations Director, Special Projects  

Judy is a Charity Consultant who has been working with the AFT since February 2023. She has over 15 years' senior operations experience in several communal organisations from across the spectrum of the UK Jewish community. In her capacity as Assistant Operations Director, Judy is working closely with the AFT operations team to develop and implement a range of special projects, from HR and Compliance to Communications and Events. Judy is a published writer and regularly contributes to the Jewish Chronicle newspaper. She has written and spoken extensively about mental health and neurodiversity in young people and is passionate about Interfaith work.

Lauren Keiles - Special Projects Manager

Lauren joined the Anne Frank Trust in October 2023 and works within the Operations Team, primarily on the organisation of the Annual Lunch and to communicate the AFT's important work to stakeholders and supporters. Previously, she was the Communities Manager for The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the representative body of the UK Jewish Community. Lauren has also worked with the United Nations on a social media campaign - ‘Swipe Left On Hate’, creating content to highlight the impact of the rise of online hate on minorities. She is a volunteer for ‘Our Second Home’, the UK’s youth movement for refugees and people seeking asylum. 

Austen Garth – Jewish Community Engagement Manager

Austen joined the Anne Frank Trust in 2023.  His first degree was in Mathematics, and he also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, for which he wrote extended pieces on teaching the Holocaust, the underperformance of girls in mathematics, and homophobia in schools.  Austen has spent much of his career working with Jewish charities and campaigning against racism and antisemitism, and still does consultancy work, mostly with Jewish charities.

He is a governor at a Jewish school, sits on the Executive Committee of the British Indian Jewish Association and volunteers for a food bank when time permits.