Our staff

Our Board

Nicky Davies - Executive Director (Company Secretary)

Nicky joined Child Hope as the new Executive Director in May 2022. She has over 25 years experience working international development with a main focus on health and rights and is passionate about the voice and protection of children and young people. Whether as staff or a consultant she has worked for the private sector, INGOs, donors, pooled funding mechanisms and UN agencies working on SRHR, malnutrition, malaria, gender inequality, and addressing stigma, discrimination and exclusion with those most affected.

Charlie Middleton (Chair)

Charlie was the Managing Director of Triodos Bank in the UK until 2016. He now has several non-executive roles with organisations that have an environmental and social purpose and also practices as a counsellor and coach working with individuals and leadership teams of charities and businesses.

Karen Kroger (Hon. Treasurer)

Karen is a finance professional who started her career in the private sector before going to Sudan with Irish NGO GOAL in 2005. From there she moved to East Timor with Oxfam. In 2010 Karen joined Save the Children International in London, latterly as Director of International Programmes Finance. In 2015 Karen moved into the Higher Education sector and is currently Chief Financial Officer at Queen Mary University of London. She retains a keen interest in international development, particularly relating to improving the lives of children.

David Harding (Director)

David Harding has worked with communities, social movements and the international development scene for over 30 years. He was a country director and programme manager with UK development organisations in Nicaragua and South Africa through the 1980s. He now works particularly with organisations and movements in the social field, to help them understand themselves and their work better, and to work effectively around strategy and change. His work has taken him to much of Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. He has designed and run, with South African colleagues, a range of experiential postgraduate programmes on reflective social practice.

Laverne Antrobus (Director)

Laverne Antrobus is a Consultant Child and Educational Psychologist. For the last 25 years Laverne has worked with children and families in the most need of help. Laverne is a professional and academic tutor on the Doctorate in Child Community and Educational Psychology at the Tavistock Clinic. Laverne appears on popular daytime broadcasts and is often asked to give a psychological perspective on issues that affect children and their families in both radio and print media. She has made programmes on childhood for the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Natalie Au (Director)

Natalie Au has built her expertise in gender and safeguarding over the past 15 years working in international development, with a particular focus on innovative programme and product design to empower disadvantaged groups. Through her consultancy business she drives impactful work that’s gender equitable, inclusive & empowering across the private and public sector. She has extensive experience working with partners ranging from international NGOs and governments to technology companies. Separately, Natalie is a Strategic Advisor for W.E. Can Lead (Women Everywhere Can Lead). She holds an M.A. in International Politics and Human Rights from City University in London and B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from Occidental College in Los Angeles.