Trustees

Stepney City Farm is a registered charity and is governed by a Board of Trustees, selected and appointed to represent a diversity of skills and experience.

Alice Thornton – Chair

Alice ThorntonAlice is an Evaluation and Learning Lead for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation, a large health funder based in south London. She previously worked as a consultant, specialising in supporting charitable funders to evaluate, learn from and improve their funding programmes. Alice lives locally to the Farm and has been a regular and enthusiastic visitor since 2013. In addition to her Trustee responsibilities, she can often be found at the weekly Saturday farmer’s market, enjoying fresh produce at the Farm’s cafe, and spending time visiting our lovely animals and green spaces.

Read 10 Questions with Alice.

Neil Lambert – Vice-Chair

Neil moved to Stepney in 2010 and lives close enough to the Farm to be woken daily by the cockerels. A solicitor working in the banking industry, Neil’s legal background is put to use in providing support on the company secretarial responsibilities here at the Farm. Neil visits the cafe almost daily and rates the goats as the most fun animals in the farm.

Read 10 Questions with Neil.

Ed Gaze – Treasurer 

Ed lives and works a few miles from the farm, but grew up in Herefordshire surrounded by farmland. He joined the farm in 2020, keen to make a positive contribution to the community while getting a bit closer to growing and green space. Ed works in the insurance industry with a focus on innovation and technology.

Jo Pertwee

1235010_10151819690176705_500429723_n (1)Jo is an HR and retail professional and mother of young children. Originally from Norfolk, the farm provides her and her family with the opportunity to give something back to the local community whilst enabling her to reconnect with her rural roots. With over 15 years HR and charity, CIC and commercial experience, Jo takes the lead on HR policy on the farm and provides additional commercial and strategic support.

Read 10 Questions with Jo.

Thuy Ho Preuveneers

T_20150910_185608huy spent many years working in IT Consulting and Finance before taking a career break to raise her two children, which is when she joined the team at the Farm as a Trustee. Since returning to full-time employment in Banking in 2013, she has concentrated on organising children’s parties at the Farm and assisting with governance and finance matters. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening which has led her to a slight case of tennis elbow.

Tor Park 

FullSizeRender (1)A Tower Hamlets resident since 2007, Tor first visited the Farm in August 2011, loved it, and became a trustee later that year. Tor previously served on the boards of a local housing association and a global software company based in the City. She brings over 20 years of marketing and communications experience to the Farm and works closely with the Communications team.

Tor is a yoga teacher and runs a community yoga practice on-site at 6pm every Thursday for the Farm.

Bessie Venables

bessieBessie is originally Australian but has been a Londoner for over 20 years. She is a mother of two and a local community psychiatrist, with an additional specialisation in psychotherapy. She has interests in forging useful links between the statutory, voluntary and private sectors as well as in fundraising. Bessie has worked with rough sleepers in central London with severe mental illness and has extensive training in management and leadership, including at the Kings’ Fund. She has been a Trustee since the charity was established in 2009.

Subhendu Maji

Subhendu Maji

Subhendu is an IT professional, with a track record of problem-solving and strategic thinking to improve organisational efficiency. He’s been involved with various charitable projects since his youth, and currently volunteers for the NHS and British Computer Society, as well as being a mentor at the University of Greenwich.
 
As a trustee, he is excited to leverage his skills and experience to further social causes.

Find out more about Subhendu and the METs programme.

Sapna Ajwani

Sapna Ajwani

Find out more about Sapna and the METs programme.

Read 10 Questions with Sapna

Jeba Malique 

Find out more about Jeba and the METs programme.

Annabel Shipway 

Annabel grew up on a working farm in Gloucestershire and as a child enjoyed helping to milk her family’s dairy herd. After university, she moved to London to work in finance. Following the birth of her first child, she enjoyed visiting city farms, and noticed the benefits people took from seeing the animals and getting a glimpse of rural life. Annabel now runs her own Financial Planning company, and assists the farm on financial issues.