Our trustees
Jack O'Sullivan
Jack is a father and stepfather for three young people. A co-founder of the Fatherhood Institute, he wrote ‘He’s Having a Baby – the BBC Guide to Fatherhood’ and launch-edited ‘Dad’, Britain’s first consumer magazine for fathers, created by FI.
He currently develops thinktanks in research institutions.
Andrew Baud
Andrew, father of five, is founder and CEO of TALA, a fast-growing public relations agency.
He is also a trustee of a young people's mental health charity and chair of a project to create a memorial to frontline journalists.
Dr Nina Maxwell
Nina is a Principal Research Fellow based in CASCADE: Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre at Cardiff University. Her research interests include youth, risk and community, private law and workforce development.
Yusuf Chadun
Yusuf is a father and co-parents his three children. To help new working parents, he started a flexible nursery with a co-working space.
Our team
CEO​
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Kathy Jones
Kathy leads the organisation and has strategic oversight of numerous FI projects, focused on research, systems change processes; professional development; and testing of interventions for fathers and/or families in health, education, and social care across the UK.
Kathy joined FI in 2004 - before that, she worked in community development. She is a qualified art psychotherapist and was awarded an MA in psychoanalytic approaches to consultation and the organisation (Tavistock) in 2005.
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Deputy CEO
Dr Jeremy Davies
Jeremy oversees our research, policy influencing and communications, bringing the best quality evidence about fathers and fatherhood to bear on national, regional and local policymaking, the commissioning and design of family services, and public debate.
He has created fatherhood-focused resources, managed programme evaluations, led campaigns and developed impact partnerships with universities, for over 20 years. A former journalist, Jeremy has a Masters in Research and studied gay fathers for his PhD
Head of Training
Jeszemma Howl
Jeszemma develops, designs, and coordinates our nationwide fatherhood training offer, including workforce development and parenting programmes, and consultancy services.
Jeszemma is a Churchill Fellow, completing her travelling fellowship in Trinidad and the USA on engaging fathers in breastfeeding support. Prior to joining the FI in 2007, Jeszemma supported fathers and families in early years and safeguarding services.
Head of Finance
Carole McEwan
AAT-qualified and with many years of experience in finance and administration, Carole joined the Fatherhood Institute in 2017. Working part-time, she supports all aspects of the organisation's finances, from paying suppliers to preparing year-end accounts for the annual audit.
Outside work, Carole is a mum of two who loves spending time outdoors, particularly walking and gardening. She also loves animals and children.
Head of Transformation
Alison Clare
Alison leads on developing new initiatives, partnerships, and ways of working that deliver our strategy, extend our reach, and increase impact. She has worked in senior leadership roles in national charities with a focus on building and using evidence in strategy, service design, and frontline practice; and shifting resources upstream to prevention and early intervention.
Alison began her career as a mental health practitioner and holds Masters degrees in Adult Learning, Continuing Education & Workforce Development, and in Social Work.​
Knowledge Manager
Adrienne Burgess
Adrienne contributes to our research projects and manages our magnificent digital library of research on fathers, fatherhood and couple relationships in the UK.
Adrienne was a co-founder of the FI (formerly known as Fathers Direct) in 1999.
Prior to that, she worked as a journalist specialising in interpreting academic research for popular audiences. Adrienne was also an actress working in theatre, television, film, and on radio.
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Research Associate
Rebecca Goldman
Rebecca has worked with the Fatherhood Institute as a Research Associate since 2014. She leads its ‘Dad-Data’ work, ensuring fathers are included in research datasets and analysis to inform policy and decision-making.
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She also advises on research reviews, methodologies and literature searches to keep the Institute's research library up to date.
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Rebecca holds a Master's degree in Social Psychology and previously worked in central government, commissioning research and using evidence to inform policymaking.
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Policy and Communications Manager
Ben Curran
Ben supports the Fatherhood Institute's communications and public affairs work, helping to share its research, influence policy and engage wider audiences. He also leads engagement with MPs and other political stakeholders.
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An experienced communications and public affairs professional, Ben has worked across the charity, public and political sectors. His background includes strategic communications, campaigning and making complex research and policy accessible to wider audiences.
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Ben is a father of four and a keen runner, with a particular enthusiasm for longer distances and trail running.
Programme Development Support
Lora Couzens
Lora supports the development and coordination of the Fatherhood Institute's growing portfolio of training programmes.
An experienced project coordinator with a background in education, business and professional services, she brings together people, programmes and processes to keep projects running smoothly.
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Having run her own business and worked for a leading UK university, Lora brings a practical, people-focused approach to supporting training that helps professionals strengthen father-inclusive practice and improve outcomes for fathers and families.
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WORK FOR US
We currently have no vacancies.
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