
Jan Pickles OBE (interim chair)
Jan Pickles is an experienced social worker and has worked in the third sector, the probation service, the police, government and the NSPCC. Jan is a member of the National Independent Safeguarding Board of Wales and a non-executive Director for an NHS Trust.

Lisa cooper
Lisa initially qualified as a dietitian in Edinburgh and has worked in a number of executive director and board level NHS roles, where safeguarding has been a key part of her portfolio. She graduated from Chester University with an MBA (Distinction) and is also a Nye Bevan Leadership Graduate.

Prof Simon Hackett
Simon Hackett is Professor of Applied Social Sciences and Principal of St Mary’s College, Durham University. He has been involved in the field of safeguarding for 25 years as a practitioner, manager and researcher.

Prof Sarah Brown
Professor Brown has been conducting research related to sexual aggression for over 20 years. She has been working at Coventry University since 1999 and is currently the Deputy Executive Director of the Centre for Research in Psychology, Behaviour and Achievement.

Prof Julie Taylor
Julie Taylor [PhD; FRCN; RN; MSc; BSc (Hons)] is a nurse scientist specialising in child maltreatment. She is Professor of Child Protection in the School of Nursing at the University of Birmingham, in partnership with Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Prof Todd E Hogue
Professor Hogue is a registered Forensic and Clinical Psychologist. He started his career in the British Prison Service working mainly with sexual offenders.

Sharon Stratton
Sharon Stratton is the Policing Standards Manager for Vulnerability and Public Protection for the College of Policing, specialising in areas including rape, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation and abuse, stalking, trafficking, managing offenders, etc.

Mike Britton
Mike Britton is the staff officer of Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chief lead for Child Protection & Abuse Investigation.

Louise Smith
Louise Smith is the Senior Adviser on Children’s Social Care for the Local Government Association. Louise works closely with local authorities and their partners to support, promote and improve children’s services, while working with central government to ensure the voice of local government is heard in national policy making. Louise has more than ten years’ experience working for local government, including a range of roles across policy and communications at both local and national levels.

Zlakha Ahmed MBE
Zlakha Ahmed founded and is currently the CEO of Apna Haq, a survivor-led organisation that supports black and minority ethnic (BME) women and girls in Rotherham, South Yorkshire who are experiencing any form of violence. She has over 30 years of experience developing and overseeing violence against women support services at a local level, while influencing strategy, policy and procedure at a regional, national, European and global level.

Dianne Whitfield
Dianne Whitfield is the Co-Chair of Rape Crisis England and Wales (RCEW), and is the Chief Officer of Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC) which is one of the largest Rape Crisis centres in the country. She also sits as a Non-Executive Director on Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
We are developing governance arrangements in Wales with key stakeholders and will update this information once they are in place.