People
Alex Jacobs
Director
Alex has been the executive Director of the Joffe Trust since 2018. He was previously a board member and worked closely with Joel Joffe for 20 years. He leads the Trust’s work, with a particular focus on illicit finance and supporting small non-profits.
Previously, Alex worked with international NGOs, including Oxfam and Plan International, where he was Director of Programme Quality. He led the Cash Learning Partnership for two years, and spent several years based in central & southern Africa. He founded and led the award winning charity Mango for 10 years, and has held visiting fellowships at Oxford and Duke Universities.
Abigail Prabhakar
Trust Manager
Abigail holds a master’s degree in Politics and Development. She most recently worked in local government in Manchester on public health & social care, working closely with local voluntary sector partners. Previously, she worked with international NGOs. Abigail has a special interest in global public health and recently completed a postgraduate qualification in Public Health. Abigail is also a founding board member of NW Hearts, a heart health charity based in Greater Manchester.
George Pope
Grants Manager
George is on maternity leave.
George has 15 years’ experience working with charities to raise income, build successful teams and create strategies for financial sustainability and growth. She has worked with charities and NGOs focusing on human rights campaigning, education and international development.
George holds a BSc in Anthropology and a MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development. She is a certified member of the Institute of Fundraising.
Lucy Malenczuk
Illicit Finance Policy Specialist
Lucy previously worked at Stop Scams UK, bringing diverse stakeholders together to reduce the impact of scams and fraud on consumers. She was formerly Senior Policy Manager at Age UK, leading the charity’s public policy work on financial services, utilities and scams.
Lucy previously worked in Rwanda and Ethiopia to combat rights abuses, and has a background in law, including providing legal representation and support for victims of sexual violence.
Michael Pitchford
Grants Manager
Michael worked for over a decade at the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, most recently as the Head of Grant Programmes. Michael’s background is in community development and organising within Gypsy Traveller and refugee communities. More recently, he has focused on philanthropic support for social movements. Michael is a volunteer with Just Treatment, a trustee with Global Green Grants UK, IVAR and Third Sector Leaders (Kirklees). He is also training as a coach with the Oasis School of Human Relations.
Abigail Deffee
Trustee
Abigail works for the Climate Bonds Initiative, an organisation at the intersection of climate change and green finance, working to mobilise global capital for climate action
Previously Abigail held roles in the not-for-profit sector working in the UK, Lesotho and South Africa. She holds a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town.
Barbara Frost
Trustee
Barbara mentors woman leaders and is a trustee of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. She was CEO of WaterAid from 2005 to 2017. Previously she led Action on Disability and Development and worked as a Country Director with international NGOs in Mozambique and Malawi. She started her career working with the Australian government.
Barbara holds honorary doctorates from Exeter, Cranfield, Bath and the Open University and was made a Dame in 2017.
Frances Longley
Trustee
Frances has over 25 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector. Frances is currently the CEO of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstectrics (FIGO), a federation of 139 national organisations. She has worked in the UK, Eswatini and Afghanistan.
Her career reflects a passion for the promotion of access and inclusion for marginalised and disadvantaged groups, especially women and girls. Frances was ActionAid UK’s first female CEO in its 50-year history. Prior to that she worked with CARE International UK as Executive Director for Programmes & Policy, following four years as Chief Executive of Amref Health Africa. Frances is a member of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee and sits on the University of Oxford Social Sciences and Humanities Research Ethics Committee.
Jameela Raymond
Trustee
Jameela is a Strategist at The B Team, where she drives new norms of integrity, responsibility & accountability in the private sector. Previously, she worked at Transparency International UK, with a particular focus on the UK’s 2016 Anti-Corruption Summit.
She holds a wealth of experience in global anti-corruption efforts, with a particular understanding of the challenges of reform implementation and the need for a multi-stakeholder approach.
David Nussbaum
Chair
Following an executive career in international organisations in the private and NGO sectors, David now has a portfolio of non-executive and trustee board roles.
David has previously been Chief Executive of The Elders, WWF-UK and Transparency International. His current roles include being Chair of the TI-UK Advisory Council, Senior Independent Director of Drax Group plc, a member of the Board (‘Council’) of Chatham House, and a member of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England. He is also an independent Councillor on his local parish Council. David has degrees in theology & finance and an honorary doctorate.
Nick Perks
Trustee
Nick is a freelance consultant, offering support to charities, social change organisations, foundations and philanthropists. He was formerly Trust Secretary (Chief Executive) at the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, where he led a programme promoting democratic, corporate and media accountability. He has previously been a trustee of the Friends Provident Charitable Foundation and holds post-graduate qualifications in management and consultancy. Nick lives and works in York.
Ruth Taylor
Trustee
Ruth is the Trust Funding Development Manager at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. She was previously CEO of Abortion Support Network, and worked at GoodGym. Before then, Ruth was a founding staff member of Orchid Project, where she worked closely with the founder to grow the organisation from 2010-2016. Ruth also supports individuals and organisations to effect change in the world, focusing on early-stage organisations and start-ups, and providing technical expertise in the fields of abortion, violence against women and girls, and sexual & reproductive health.
Vanetta Joffe
Trustee & Co-founder
Vanetta was born and educated in South Africa with a BA from Wits University. She has been a British citizen since 1970. Vanetta was awarded a diploma in Graphic Arts from Swindon Art College in 1982. She has three adult daughters, Deborah (who has also been a trustee of the Trust), Lisa and Abigail.