Meet the team
A brief history
Following a redundancy in mid-life, Room for Work was created by Robin McKay Bell, based on his experience at a series of job clubs run by The Foundation for Jobseekers in the Thames Valley. Together with Liam Mifsud, Robin co-wrote Finding Work After 40, had it published by Bloomsbury, then moved on to develop the course. With the support of St John’s Hampton Wick, the programme started delivery in the London Borough of Richmond in October 2012. Since then, Room for Work has helped hundreds of people find a new role or start in self-employment. The course is now taught in four locations, serving residents in three London Boroughs.
In 2017, Room for Work was named Winner, Best Charity or Social Enterprise at Richmond Business Awards.
The team
Robin McKay Bell
Founder & Programme Leader
Robin McKay Bell is an author and social entrepreneur with a background in music, media and publishing. He has been an interim manager, a consultant and a business owner with start-up experience. In addition to managing operations for the charity, Robin delivers courses in Wandsworth. Working with Cranfield Trust, he is currently developing plans to expand Room for Work to make the programme more widely available in the UK.
Dr Lindsey Waine PhD
Learning Development Manager/Presenter
Lindsey Waine is a teacher and trainer with over 20 years’ experience in further, higher, adult and business education. Until 2010, she was Head of Professional and Learning Development in a large college of over 600 employees. As well as supporting and developing Room for Work, Lindsey recently completed her PhD in Comparative Education.
Tony Munday
Course Leader/Presenter
Tony Munday joined the Room for Work team in September 2017, bringing skills in HR, recruiting and social media. He has previously worked for Marie Curie Cancer Care as Head of HR & Payroll Services and at the London Borough of Merton as their Recruitment Manager and Sector Contracts IT recruiter. Tony runs the Richmond Town Centre and Greenwich courses He also assists with leading sessions in our other locations.
Heather Baker
Career Coach/ Presenter
Heather Baker is a coach with a special interest in supporting professionals who are managing a mid-career transition. Working one-to-one, she helps Room for Work participants recognise their strengths and reset their direction to create future career success. Heather is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). She has recently made Room for Work part of the BITC coaching programme, making free personal coaching available for all our course participants.
Marisca Ribeiro
Course Leader
Marisca Ribeiro is a training professional with decades of experience as a workshop leader, having spent 29 years managing volunteers and health services within the charity sector. She joined the team in January 2023 and currently runs the Hampton Wick course. Marisca also delivers training for the mental health charity, Mind.
Caroline Egar
Presenter
Caroline is a trained teacher and experienced trainer. She has taught overseas, and worked in educational publishing before taking on, expanding and selling a family business. She then worked for 20 years in the non-profit sector, developing a range of programmes to promote children’s emotional wellbeing, and training partner agencies to implement the programmes in over 30 countries across the world. She currently runs the Richmond course, and is assisting with Room for Work’s business development.
Alastair Procter
Presenter
Alastair Procter SVP Strategic HR Operations at Interpublic Group (IPG). Alastair is a senior HR professional with decades of experience across four sectors. Alastair delivers a top-notch session on interview preparation and delivery.
Sharon Shingler
Administrator
Sharon Shingler has over 20 years of experience in organising and marketing training courses. She has developed extensive administrative skills along the way. Working in the background as a strong supporter of the team, Sharon brings a business background in operations, sales, marketing and finance. She also assists Marisca at our Hampton Wick course.
Frances Soiza
Host/Administrator
Frances Soiza has had extensive experience working in local government for Hammersmith & Fulham in finance and administration, within various departments for 12 years. She has a heart for the charity sector, having served as a volunteer for several local and international charities over the years. Frances currently assists Robin and Tony in our Wandsworth and Greenwich courses.
Our trustees
Garth Watkins
Chairman
Chartered Engineer, BSc Eng, MBA
Garth Watkins retired after a career in the fire safety industry where he held many senior positions, with responsibility for developing export business throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He held a corporate role in Investor Relations during the IPO of the company. Garth is an active member of the Church of England, the local church, deanery and Church Commissioners. He has been a Trustee and our Chairman since 2015.
Donna Williams
Trustee
Revd Donna Williams
Following a long and successful business career in the IT sector, Donna is now a priest in the Church of England based at All Saints, Hampton. She has been a Trustee for the charity since 2015.
Matthew Harris
Trustee
Matthew Harris brings over fifteen years’ experience in the Civil Service and Charity Sector, working on services for vulnerable or excluded people. His previous roles include Head of Finance, People and Change for the Department of Work and Pensions Policy Group. Matt joined Room for Work as a Trustee in 2019.
Rob Waddelow CA
Company Secretary and Accountant
Rob Waddelow qualified as a Chartered Accountant at PwC, after acquiring a BA in Management Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London. After several years as CFO at Formula E, Rob has recently been promoted to the role of Chief Operations Officer. Rob joined Room for Work as Company Secretary in 2014.
Our sponsors
We are very grateful for all our funders that have supported us over the years.
Room for Work is a UK Company limited by guarantee, Company No. 9183037 and a
Registered Charity No. 1160957. Room for Work® is a registered trademark in the UK
