Maureen Forrest
Founding President
Maureen Forrest, Cork woman, mother, grandmother and founder of The Hope Foundation, has spent her life working to make life better for people across the world and is guided by a vision for ‘a world where it should never hurt to be a child’. The Hope Foundation (HOPE), an Irish charity, was established by Maureen in 1999 to help the street-connected children of Kolkata. Today, under Maureen’s strategic vision and leadership, HOPE has provided shelter, education, healthcare and drug rehabilitation to nearly 3 million children and adults in India.
Maureen was a Trustee of HOPE UK for 15 years from incorporation to 2022.
Shiuli Davis
Trustee Director
Shiuli Davis worked for DMB&B advertising and ran a conference and event organising group in London before a 20 year career in interior design and property development. She has interior designed private homes for HNW clients in the UK, Europe and Asia culminating in her most fulfilling commission, a senior residential living facility, Aumorto in Kolkata, an initiative by SAIOC supported by TATA Trusts.
Bengali by birth, raised and primary school educated in Kolkata, Shiuli is all too aware of the plight of vulnerable street children in Kolkata and has been actively involved in HOPE’s child sponsorship scheme for the past seven years.
Keen to give back to the city she loves, Shiuli is delighted to become a HOPE Trustee Director. She brings her passion and creative fund raising ideas to further HOPE’s efforts in providing much needed education, medical care and shelter in a safe environment for the poorest and most needy of street children in Kolkata and above all give them hope.
Seema Grantham
Trustee Director
I’ve been involved with The Hope Foundation as a volunteer, fundraiser, and child sponsor for nearly six years. I was also fortunate enough to visit Kolkata in 2019 and met many of the children and Kolkata team we fundraise for. Here I realised how our efforts impacted the children’s lives, leaving no doubt that every £ we raise makes a big difference. I have twenty-five years experience in the Housewares & SDA industry with multiple achievements and since 2019 I’ve been working to support the industry at BHETA (British Home Enhancement Trade Association) as the Sector Manager for Housewares & Small Electrical, and Director of Sales for Exclusively Show. I’m also involved in several community and charity efforts; the key ones being a committee member of Bandhan, a group of women of Indian origin working in the community, and volunteering for DKMS Bedford who enrol people onto the international stem cell register. The experience I have gained in my career has resulted in my strengths being in organising events, supporting and managing teams and generally making things happen! I am a high energy and passionate individual with excellent communication and networking abilities which I hope will allow me to contribute to the charity’s work.
Katy Harper
Trustee Director
Katy’s career has been in the design industry, initially in fashion, where she worked for 25 years at leading international prediction agencies as both General Manager and at Director level, managing divisions, overseeing cost control, running the administrative functions and a global network of sales agents. She was also a Visiting Lecturer and External Examiner on various BA Hons fashion courses. Latterly her skills were utilised at a London branding agency where she was Studio Manager.
Katy gained a love of India after visiting the country and was delighted when she was invited to become a trustee of HOPE UK in 2018, having attended various fundraising events and after editing Bill Lethorn’s heritage book of family recipes for the charity. Having witnessed first-hand HOPE’s programmes in Kolkata, she is proud and privileged to be involved in a charity that has made such a difference to the lives of so many of the city’s most vulnerable children and families.
Neil Holden
Trustee Director
Neil Holden brings over 25 years of senior leadership experience to The HOPE Foundation for Street Children (HOPE), having held executive roles such as CTO, CIO, and CDO in leading retail businesses. He is now the co-founder of Ignite AI Partners, an organisation dedicated to helping businesses unlock the potential of AI and data. Neil is also a passionate advocate for innovation, entrepreneurship, and business transformation.
Neil’s connection to HOPE’s mission is deeply personal. His travels to India, and particularly to Kolkata, gave him firsthand insight into the challenges faced by street-connected children and the transformative impact of HOPE’s work. Witnessing the dedication of HOPE’s teams and the resilience of the children they support left a profound impression on him. Neil believes that no child should have to endure life on the streets and is committed to using his expertise and networks to amplify HOPE’s reach and impact.
As a trustee, Neil is passionate about helping HOPE secure sustainable funding, navigate strategic opportunities, and continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of children in need.
"Seeing the incredible work done by HOPE in Kolkata reinforced to me how urgent and vital this mission is. I am honoured to play a part in helping The Hope Foundation give children the opportunity to thrive.”
Brendan Mackinney
Trustee Director and Treasurer
Brendan worked in the banking industry for 27 years most recently as a Chief Operating Officer in Wholesale, Private and Trade Finance banks. His roles involved considerable international experience offering services in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. After a short break, Brendan is now an independent consultant currently working for clients in telecoms and finance.
After many years supporting charities that predominantly focus on providing education and support for people that require assistance in both the UK and abroad, which included attending fund raising events for the Hope Foundation, Brendan was delighted to take the opportunity in 2018 to apply his experience and skills as Trustee and Treasurer of the Hope Foundation in the UK.
Phil Mumby
Chairperson and Trustee Director
I'm with The Hope Foundation for Street Children (HOPE) as a result of a chance meeting with its founder, Maureen Forrest, while I was visiting Kolkata with HSBC. Soon after, I started fundraising for HOPE with the HSBC teams I worked with in the UK and Kolkata, and on later trips I met numerous members of the Hope Kolkata Foundation team and visited many of the organisation's programmes and projects. It was an eye-opening experience for me, and it remains heartwarming to see the wonderful work being done and the joy with which the children participate and engage with HOPE's programmes. After my time with HSBC, I was invited to become a Trustee Director of HOPE in the UK. This was both a privilege and a pleasure as Kolkata and India now have a special place in my heart. In this role, I work with our staff and trustees to help build awareness and raise funds in effective and appropriate ways.
Rakhi Patel
Trustee Director
I’m a finance professional, having worked in the investment banking industry for almost 20 years, most recently as an Executive Director. After graduating from Queen Mary, University of London and obtaining a BSc in Economics, Finance and Management I started working for a leading Investment Bank specialising in product development and structuring of Funds and Special Purpose Vehicles with them being distributed globally for an array of client types.
Alongside my career in finance, I have always supported charities close to my heart and came across the Hope Foundation off the back of viewing the BBC documentary with Sue Perkins in 2015. It was amazing to see the tangible difference that HOPE was making daily in India, so once the documentary was over I took a look at their website. It was clear that HOPE was doing even more than what was depicted on TV and I immediately reached out to become a child sponsor. Initially, I was interested in contributing towards the education of a female street child, something I am a huge advocate for, but after receiving the many profiles of girls and boys who needed help I went from picking just one female to seven girls and boys! I value being a child sponsor to this day and after making a decision to want to contribute further, was offered the position of joining the board of HOPE UK as a Trustee. It’s a privilege and an honour to be part of such a loved charity and I’m hugely excited to see us develop and grow further as an organisation.
Tim Sennitt
Trustee Director
Tim has worked in the marketing and communications industry for 33 years on the agency side. Having started out as Graphic Designer, he has run major international client accounts across sectors including Financial Services, B2B Tech, Travel and the Public Sector. Having worked in London, New York and Hong Kong, Tim provides strategic planning, insight and guidance to businesses large and small.
Having become fascinated with India after a number of visits over the last 20 years, Tim has supported Hope Foundation events and was delighted to be invited to become a Trustee in 2022, bringing his experience and skills to help the development of HOPE UK’s social media and digital marketing presence.
Martin Venables
Trustee Director
Martin is a financial services professional, specialising in project management, strategy and product development. Martin works with Lloyds Banking Group in Wholesale Banking, at Executive and Board levels and his previous roles have been at RBS Private Banking, KPMG and Barclays. Martin’s focus is on improving business performance and he has a reputation for bringing new ideas and products to market. In his gap year Martin volunteered at a school and skills training centre for the physically handicapped in India, so is aware of the plight of street-connected children. Martin offered HOPE some pro-bono time to help develop the business plan and, impressed by what he saw, was delighted to become a trustee in 2010.