Management & Governance

The Bromley by Bow Centre is a registered charity, no. 1041653. Our Company Registration no. is 2942840 (England & Wales).

Click here for our listing on the Charity Commission website.

The Board

The Bromley by Bow Centre has a volunteer Board of Directors. These unpaid directors oversee the work of the Senior Management Team, offer advice on direction and strategy, ensure that the organisation is meeting its legal and reporting obligations, and carry ultimate responsibility for the Centre's financial wellbeing. Collectively, the Board has a wealth of experience and expertise across many different fields, helping the Centre to fulfil its full potential as an organisation. They are:

Michael Goold

Michael is Chairman of the Bromley by Bow Centre Board of Directors. He is also Director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre, and runs their Group Level Strategy programme. Previously, he was a Senior Fellow at the London Business School's Centre for Business Strategy, and a Vice President with the Boston Consulting Group. Michael has published numerous works on corporate strategy, and has contributed articles to the Harvard Business Review.

James Alexander

James Alexander joined the board in September 2008. James has spent most of his career in the private sector, principally in the fields of strategy development, finance and communications. In 2000 he became Managing Director of Community Action Network (co-founded by Andrew Mawson) and was more recently Chief Executive of "We Are What We Do", the social change movement which published "Change the World for a Fiver" and more recently the best selling "Teach Your Granny to Text and Other Ways to Change the World". He also co founded the social enterprise PrimeTimers, which provides highly experienced business executives to third sector organisations, and is on the board of several social enterprises and organisations.

Philip Alexander

Philip Alexander is a Partner in the Financial Services sector of BDO Stoy Hayward. His career spans over 25 years in the accountancy profession at various senior/partner levels. He first got involved with the Centre in May 2007 and officially appointed as Treasurer in February 2008. He brings invaluable financial expertise in his role as Treasurer responsible for all financial matters relating to the Centre.  

Babu Battercherjee

Babu Battercherjee is Director of Communities at Poplar HARCA, a housing association that runs around 8,000 tenanted properties in Bromley by Bow and the surrounding area. Poplar HARCA support the Bromley by Bow Centre as one of their local community centres, and operate a housing office on site.

Ursula Bennett

Ursula Bennett represents Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust on the Bromley by Bow Centre Board in recognition of the close working relationship between the two organisations. Ursula is Head of Dentistry for the PCT, and she has overseen the significant improvement in the dental health of the local population during her tenure, with a strong focus on improving access to services. A significant contribution to this has been the development of an innovative mobile dental unit which tours the borough and includes a weekly stop at the Bromley by Bow Centre. She was awarded an MBE for services to dentistry in the 2008 New Years Honours list.

Paul Brickell

Paul Brickell initially pursued a career in medicine, becoming Professor of Molecular Haematology of the Institute of Child Health at Great Ormond Street hospital, before joining the Bromley by Bow Centre in 1999 as its Director of Regeneration and then Chief Executive. During this period Paul secured significant statutory regeneration funding for East London, and in 2002 became Chief Executive of Leaside Regeneration. Paul also chairs two NHS LIFT companies, which are creating new health and social care facilities in London, and is the Mayor of Newham’s Advisor on the 2012 Olympics.

Deborah Clarke

Deborah Clarke represents Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust on the Board, ensuring a close relationship between the PCT and the Bromley by Bow Centre. The PCT has a proactive approach to improve the health of the people who live in Tower Hamlets, and challenging health inequalities in this urban and densely populated Borough.  

Patrick Diamond

Patrick Diamond is the Director of Policy and Strategy for the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. Before that, he was the director of the Policy Network, an international progressive politics thinktank and a senior visiting fellow at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the London School of Economics. He also served as a special advisor to then prime minister Tony Blair. Patrick previously worked in London as a fellow of the Institute for Public Policy Research and has written widely on contemporary politics.

Chris Elliott

Chris Elliott is Group Managing Director of G4S Integrated Services, and joined the board at the beginning of 2009. G4S are a key partner of the Centre, and Chris brings expertise in financial management, business development and growth to the Board of Directors. You can read more about our partnership with G4S here.

Shamim Hossain

Shamim Hossain has worked in Tower Hamlets for many years, and first became involved with the Centre through her work in community development for Tower Hamlets Council. Shamim has a particular interest in the empowerment of residents of social housing, enabling them to play an active role in the management of their homes and communities. Shamim completed the BA in Social Enterprise at the Centre, and has set up her own social enterprise, which has created new jobs and opportunities in the area, particularly for Bengali women. You can read more about this here.

Helen Matthews

Rev. Helen Matthews has been the minister of Bromley by Bow United Reformed Church, a key partner of the Bromley by Bow Centre, for the last ten years. Before becoming ordained into the Baptist Church in 1984, Helen was a primary school teacher. She has a vital pastoral role, being involved in rites of passage or celebration with local families, and also works very closely with the local Muslim community. Her position on the Board helps to provide continuity and perspective, and ensure that the rich culture of the Centre is maintained and strengthened as the organisation changes and develops.

Marcia Maximim

Marcia Maximim is the longest serving director on the current Board. Marcia grew up on the local Coventry Cross estate, and first got involved with the Centre through kids' activities that happened every summer in the Park. She is also involved in youth work through her church in Mile End. Marcia has worked for McDonald's for 22 years.

Savitha Pushparaja

Savitha Pushparaja is a GP at the Bromley by Bow Health Centre, and therefore has first hand knowledge of the health problems and wider challenges that face local people. As such she is well-placed to ensure the Centre remains focused on the needs of its community.    

Helal Rahman

Helal Rahman is an elected member for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. He is a qualified youth and community worker, and respected and active member of the local community.  

Roberta Rominger

Roberta Rominger is the General Secretary of the United Reformed Church. As an ordained minister she has served churches in Woking and Newcastle upon Tyne and from 1998 - 2008 she was Moderator of the Thames North Synod. She brings a particular interest in the ethos of the Centre and its relationship to the United Reformed Church, which was one of its founding bodies.

Graham Rowbotham

Graham Rowbotham is company secretary and charity secretary for the Bromley by Bow Centre. Graham works for Linklaters LLP, a leading international law firm with its headquarters in the City of London, where he manages the firm's partnership secretariat. Graham has had many years experience in a variety of management roles both with Linklaters and before that with the British Council.

Abdul Aziz Sardar

Abdul Aziz Sardar is a councillor for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Cllr Sardar has vast community experience and has lived in Bromley by Bow since 1985. He has held advice surgeries for many years helping hundreds of Bromley residents with their difficulties, many of them housing. As a member to the Poplar HARCA board, he believes in the community working to determine its own destiny. He believes that the Council must be responsive to the needs of local people, and treat the community's views with respect.

Christine Searle

Christine Searle MBE has been an actively involved in the tenant movement for over 15 years. Christine is the Chairperson of Poplar HARCA and has actively ensured that resident empowerment is central to all areas of Poplar HARCA’s work. Christine championed the need for the Poplar HARCA company board to consist of a resident majority, this was achieved in 2006. Christine is employed as a resident consultant by New Mill, a resident to resident consultancy organisation, within this role Christine is able to continue to empower local residents to take a lead role within decisions that effect both their homes and neighbourhoods.

Chris Wilson

Chris Wilson has lived and worked in East London for 25 years, and been involved with the Bromley by Bow Centre since the late 1990's. Chris is a qualified solicitor and is Managing Partner of Hereward & Foster Solicitors based in Canning Town, East London. The firm is committed to providing high quality legal services to communities who may otherwise lack access to such legal advice. As part of this commitment, Chris runs a weekly Legal Advice Session at the Centre every Thursday. Chris is recognised by his profession for his expertise in personal injury law in particular.

President

Lord Mawson of Bromley by Bow

The story of the Bromley by Bow Centre started with Andrew Mawson in 1984. Awarded an OBE in the Millenium Honours List for his work in Bromley by Bow, and then a Life Peerage in 2007, Lord Mawson sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords and is an active member of the House. But he will always remain Andrew to the many people who worked with him as he founded and then developed the Centre. Andrew is also president of Community Action Network and a founder board member of Poplar HARCA, the registered social landlord. He is currently devoting much of his time towards campaigning for a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympics, alongside his involvement in Water City.

Senior Management Team

The Senior Management Team is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Centre, and delivering the strategy. They are:

Rob Trimble

Rob Trimble is the Chief Executive of the Bromley by Bow Centre. He has held this position since 2002, but he was a volunteer long before that, and his association with the Centre goes back almost 20 years. He and his family even lived at the Centre for a time, and one of his daughters was born in what is now the finance office! His leadership role is to hold tight to the original vision and inspiration that created the Centre, while developing a long-term sustainable strategy for an organisation that now has a turnover of around £3.5m a year and employs more than 100 people.

Rob is also on the board of the GP partners practice which runs the Health Centre at the Centre, and is active in a number of other community organisations in East London.

Julia Davis

Julia Davis is Deputy Chief Executive of the Bromley by Bow Centre, and a partner in the GP partners. A qualified GP, Julia practices at the Health Centre several days a week, keeping her in direct contact with the community that the Centre serves. Julia has worked in East London for many years, and strongly advocates the Centre's integrated approach towards improving health and wellbeing.

Angelos Athanassiades

Angelos Athanassiades is the Director of Finance and Resources at the Centre. He joined the Centre from the private sector, and has been instrumental in introducing a rigorous financial structure to help the Centre run more efficiently and effectively. Angelos understands that the Centre's continued success relies on a strong financial position, and has worked with Rob and the Senior Management Team to develop a sustainable business strategy.

Dan Hopewell

Dan Hopewell is the Director of Services, overseeing the vast and diverse range of activities and projects that the Centre runs. He was previously Director of Learning, and is passionate about the importance of education in helping to create a cohesive and prosperous society. Under his leadership, the old learning directorate expanded year on year, and now the Centre is the third largest provider of adult education in Tower Hamlets.

Jane Mackelworth

Jane Mackelworth is the Centre's Director of Development. She has overall responsibility for the Centre's fundraising and marketing strategy, and also has a key input into the overall strategy for the Centre. Jane has been instrumental in developing a number of new strategic partnerships, particularly with the corporate sector. Jane has an extensive fundraising background, having worked in the charity sector for many years.

Helal Uddin 

Helal Uddin is Director of Local Partnerships at the Bromley by Bow Centre. Having achieved a Masters in Social Sciences, Helal began his career in Bangladesh before moving to London. He first became involved with the Centre as a volunteer in 1994, before taking an active role in starting the Employment and Welfare service. Having served as Director of Employment, Helal moved to his current role in 2008. Responsible to developing and managing the Centre’s relationships with many local partners, in particular Poplar HARCA, Helal’s main focus is community and housing regeneration.

Bromley by Bow Centre, St Leonards St, Bromley by Bow, London E3 3BT The Bromley by Bow Centre is a registered charity, no. 1041653. Company Registration no. 2942840 (England and Wales).