Previously she was the Global Director of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at Micro Focus based in Newbury, where she led the company’s social impact programme and has over 30 years of senior leadership experience in the technology sector.

Sarah also served on the board at techUK and worked closely with government and other non-government organisations (NGOs) on a variety of initiatives to inspire young people about the world of work.

Membership – Civic / Social Organisations

Armelle holds volunteer roles with local schools and clubs.

She is a keen participant and supporter of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) outreach programmes to students.

Educational Background

Armelle has a degree in Engineering.

Personal Information

A mother of two, Armelle strongly believes in the importance of developing young people through accessible programmes that fit in with their daily lives.

She looks forward to extending Berkshire Youth’s proud record of providing a variety of activities, training and support to local organisations.

Wendy worked in the Head Office environment of retail all her career. For the last 13 years, she was Head of Merchandising for Fashion in John Lewis, which involved the strategic planning of the Womenswear ranges both in house own brands and working closely with global brands. She loved working with her team and seeing them develop in their careers.

Membership – Civic/Social Organisations

Gap Complete Negotiator
Egon Zhender and Mobius Senior Leadership programme
Happiness Life Coach Certification
Volunteer for British Heart Foundation

Educational Background

Attended The Abbey School in Reading.
Attended Manchester Metropolitan University gaining a 2:1 degree in Clothing Design & Production Management.

Personal Information

Wendy has lived in Berkshire all of her life (apart from the four years at university) and currently lives in Maidenhead with her husband and two dogs (Ralph and Rufus). She has two sisters, one niece and three great nieces, and is lucky enough to still have both of her lovely parents.

Wendy loves walking her dogs and admiring the countryside that surrounds us. She also likes to try her hand at new crafts; recently she has learnt to make her own candles.

I am passionate about improving the life experience of today’s youth to be better and kinder, especially in these times of social media and the increased amount of mental health issues. I have seen the impact of the changing world on my younger employees and have become much more aware of the importance of wellbeing vs commerciality.

• The successful merger of two Further Education colleges and the creation of a new group which has four colleges, over 1,000 staff, 6,500 students and apprentices, and an annual turnover of £43m, working across three local authorities to provide regional education, skills and training for young people and adults of all ages
• The leadership and delivery of an eight-year period of sustained financial recovery at an FE college and HE provider, eliminating financial deficit and building a sustainable base for future growth and development. Gillian has I have led and overseen the financial restructuring of long-term debt and the receipt of grant funding resulting from a successful application to the DfE Restructuring Facility
• The leadership and oversight of a £11m campus investment, resulting in the development of a new sports centre, skills centre, creative technology centre and health sciences centre

Gillian will be focusing on our work in Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough, bringing into practice all of her experience with young people.

Beata is also passionate about travel to enrich her understanding of peoples and their cultures, and enjoys the beauty of both natural scenery and man-made cityscapes.

Beata hopes to use her experience to support Berkshire Youth as it goes through the challenges of the next few years.

In the latter part of his business career, Alan had a wide experience serving as both an executive and as a non-executive director on a number of technology-related company and public sector boards, advising on general business skills development primarily focusing on strategy, marketing and governance issues.

Alan also has experience in aspects of mergers and acquisitions, corporate trade sales, fund raising and MBOs.

During his time as a local councillor, Alan was a founding member of the Thames Valley LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) and also spent time as a partner governor of the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust. However, the majority of his time was as lead member or committee chairman for Planning, and also for a time lead member for Finance and Property. Latterly, he was chairman of Overview and Scrutiny and vice chairman of Council.

Alan has a Bsc Hons (Econ) from The Queen’s University, Belfast and a DBA from the American Electronics Association Business school at Stanford University, California.

Alan lives in the beautiful village of Streatley, Berkshire.

Past Experience

Martin is a qualified accountant who has held several positions at Director level. This has included three ex-pat assignments: Malawi, France, and Australia, and over 30 years of financial management experience in the electrical engineering sector.

About Martin

Martin is a strong believer in the need to support young people, who are now faced with a society that is ever more complex and demanding. With social pressures increasing, young people need support to ensure they reach their full potential and are able to make a positive contribution to society. He is passionate in his support of Berkshire Youth because the aims of the organisation are well aligned with his personal beliefs and the need to support the young people of Berkshire.