Board of Trustees
CLAPA’s governing body is a Board of Trustees who are all volunteers. They share ultimate responsibility for governing CLAPA and directing how the charity is managed and run. They also use their varied skills and backgrounds to advise CLAPA staff and provide overall strategic direction to the charity.
The Board is a mix of people affected by cleft lip or palate (with a cleft or parent of a child with a cleft) and health professionals involved in the care of people born with cleft lip and palate.
Individual Trustees are selected on the basis of what skills they can bring to the running of the charity. Vacancies are advertised on the website and via e-newsletters.
For more information on individual Trustees, see their personal bios.
Oliver Hopkins – Interim Chair of Trustees, Management Consultant, and adult born with a cleft (outgoing)
Oliver Rendell – Chair of Trustees, Business Development Professional and adult born with a cleft.
Thom Millward – Finance Professional and Treasurer
David Drake – Consultant Cleft and Maxillofacial Surgeon with the National Cleft Surgical Service for Scotland
Siobhan Handley – CRM specialist with 11 years of prior fundraising experience and mother of a child born with a cleft
Louise Hughes – Solicitor and mother of a child born with a cleft
Jenny Williams – Retired Cleft Nurse Specialist and mother of a child born with a cleft
Mel Spencer – Communications and Marketing Director and adult born with a cleft
Jane Kerby – Consultant Cleft Surgeon
Isabel Williams – Cleft Clinical Nurse Specialist and adult born with a cleft
Samantha Bragg – HR Trustee and a mother of a child born with a cleft
Trustees keep in regular correspondence with CLAPA’s Senior Management Team (SMT). They meet regularly as a Board, as well as to take part in various sub-committees. Four formal Board Meetings are held each year to review CLAPA’s accounts and strategies, with the fourth meeting being an ‘Away Day’ where topics are discussed in more detail.
The Trustees
Oliver Hopkins
Interim Chair of Trustees (Outgoing)
Oliver joined the CLAPA Board in 2017 as the Board’s Marketing and Comms Trustee. He began his professional work in the non-profit sector working for the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation before moving across to the corporate sector, where he has worked as a strategy consultant for the past seven years.
As an adult born with Cleft, Oliver was keen to join CLAPA and help give back to such a wonderful, close-to-home charity and has recently moved into the post as Interim Chair of Trustees.
Oliver Rendell
Chair of Trustees
Oliver has worked in the Pharmaceutical industry for over 18 years, holding a wide range of roles within Production, Operations, Project Management, and more recently Business Development.
He is currently the Head of Technical Business Development for the UK sitting on the Senior Leadership Team, and working with third parties to form lasting collaborative relationships. Oliver has a keen interest in leadership and coaching and holds the position of Fellow with the Institute of Leadership along with being a member of the International Coaching Federation.
Oliver has held the role of Mentor for a Children’s Mental Health Charity, and having been born with a cleft was thrilled when he was appointed into the role of Chair of the Trustees with CLAPA, utilising his professional experience with his love for the charity sector.
Oliver is married and enjoys traveling with his wife and is a keen fitness enthusiast.
Thom Millward
Treasurer
Thom joined the Board of Trustees in August 2024 as CLAPA’s Treasurer. With a background in audit, Thom is a qualified accountant (ACA) and currently works in the financial services sector. After being involved with the CLAPA youth council at its inception, Thom was keen to work again with a charity that played such an important role in his early life and put his financial experience to good use. He works closely with our small Finance Team to ensure best practice and good governance at all levels. In his spare time, Thom enjoys playing badminton, travel and small theatre productions.
David Drake
Dave Drake is a consultant Cleft and Maxillofacial Surgeon with the National Cleft Surgical Service for Scotland at the Royal Hospital for Children and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Glasgow. He was a consultant in Morriston Hospital in Swansea for 13 years with the Welsh Cleft service. He has recently moved to Glasgow to join the Scottish Cleft Service. He has held multiple posts in medical training both at a local and national level. His research interests include early growth changes in cleft lip and palate and speech outcomes in cleft palate patients. His interest in surgical training led to his being the Chair of the Training Interface Group for cleft surgery in the UK. He travels to India and Nepal treating cleft patients and supports the development of local cleft surgeons and services. In his spare time Dave loves exploring on mountain bikes and motorbikes and travelling with his 3 sons.
Dave has always been a keen supporter of CLAPA both locally in South Wales and nationally and is excited about being a trustee of CLAPA and continuing to help and support the charity.
Siobhan Handley
Siobhan joined the CLAPA Board in 2021 as the Board’s Fundraising Trustee. She has worked in the non-profit sector specialising in developing & leading teams to deliver supporter recruitment and retention strategies tailored across a range of audiences.
Her experience working in both large International fundraising organisations such as the British Red Cross and Amnesty and as well as in large and medium-sized domestic charities such as Barnardo’s and Blood Cancer UK has made her passionate about bringing the work of charities to life through storytelling and developing new and exciting products for supporters to connect with and raise income for a cause close to their hearts.
Louise Hughes
Louise is a solicitor with experience in Commercial and Intellectual Property law. Starting her legal career as a technology lawyer at Wragge & Co in Birmingham. After 2 years, Louise moved in-house to the legal team at Penguin Books Ltd where she combined her love of reading and books with practising law. Louise is now Group General Counsel and a member of the leadership team at The Blair Partnership, an entertainment and literary agency, where she heads up the legal and business affairs team.
Louise is married to Adrian and has 2 children; Lily and Ben, Lily was born with a cleft lip and palate. Louise said, “Adrian and I are hugely grateful for the support CLAPA provided to us when Lily’s cleft lip and palate was first diagnosed and all the ongoing help, information and support we’ve had since. Lily also now enjoys taking part in the various online activities for young people organised by CLAPA. I’m excited to give something back to this small but mighty charity.”
In her spare time, Louise likes to practice pilates, and run – running the London Asics 10k to raise money for CLAPA.
Jenny Williams
Jenny is a retired Lead Cleft Nurse Specialist who has worked within a number of NHS Cleft Teams. She also has an adult son who was born with a cleft.
Mel Spencer
Mel was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. She is the Director of Concert Pitch Digital, helping arts and cultural organisations better understand their digital audiences, set meaningful objectives, and create content with their brand values at its core. Mel is excited to combine my personal experience of cleft with my professional skill set to support CLAPA as a trustee.
Mel said, “I was told I would never talk properly as a result of being born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. But I’ve always been someone who enjoys challenging the status quo: having finished my surgeries, l trained as a classical singer and graduated with a first-class degree in music.”
“It’s this music education and the confidence I gained through singing that allowed me to become a successful journalist in the classical music industry before pursuing a career in marketing and audience development.”
Mel has used digital content and social media to bring arts and culture to millions of people on the platforms they use the most, having worked at BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM, the Royal Opera House, and most recently as Communications and Marketing Director at the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Jane Kerby
Jane is a Plastic Surgeon who completed her surgical training in the North East of England. She is the Consultant Cleft Surgeon in the Newcastle Cleft Service. She has a passion for providing great care to patients and families affected by cleft both in the UK and abroad. Jane has also worked as part of a collaborative team providing cleft care in the Philippines.
Jane has always been very grateful for CLAPA’s role in supporting the cleft community in the UK and is hugely excited about the opportunity to support CLAPA in her role as a trustee.
When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her two boys.
Isabel Williams
Izzie is a Registered Children’s Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. Her nursing background is primarily in Neonatal Intensive Care; however, she recently joined the Cleft Team as a Cleft Clinical Nurse Specialist. Izzy said, “I feel extremely privileged to work as a Cleft Nurse, doing a job that I love, and I am excited to take on a new challenge as a CLAPA Trustee. CLAPA is an invaluable resource for both patients and parents who are affected by Cleft – it is now my turn to give back.”
Samantha Bragg
Samantha is a mum to three children, Isabelle, Charlie, and Isaac. Charlie was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate in 2006 and was support by CLAPA’s services.
Samantha said, “The amount of support provided to us by CLAPA over the following years has been amazing and hugely appreciated. My husband has done various marathons and challenges over the years raising money to give something back to this wonderful charity. I am now in a great position, where I can give my time and knowledge to CLAPA as a HR Trustee.”
Samantha works in the charity sector as the Head of HR and will use this knowledge base and experience to support CLAPA.
When not busy with her children, two dogs, and two cats, Samantha enjoys doing a good jigsaw.