Board of Trustees

Helen Taylor Thompson, OBE
Co-Founder & BRDF Trustee, Chair

Helen was elected to the board of the Mildmay Mission Hospital in 1952 and afterwards sat on a number of Government NHS committee. She later fought the closure of the Mildmay hospital and became its chair when it reopened as the first hospice in Europe for people living with AIDS in 1988.  

In 1995 Helen, alongside with CAN co-founders Adele Blakebrough and Lord Andrew Mawson, organised the Great Banquet - which saw 33,000 people in London sit down with people from every background to a meal. This event saw the beginnings of CAN, the launch of a network of social entrepreneurs who shared a commitment to tackle social problems through business.

In 2000 Thare Machi Education (originally Starfish Initiative) began and today Helen is chair of the organisation. Thare Machi Education (TME) uses interactive DVDs in local languages to educate children and young people against the disease. TME works with local partners in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, India and Cambodia, and soon will be in DR Congo, Zambia and China. In 1990, Helen was awarded the MBE and in 2005 the OBE.  

Robin Pauley
BRDF Trustee & Mezzanine2 Trustee, Chair 

Robin Pauley was BT's President of European Affairs. Robin joined BT as Group Communications Director in November 1999 after a long career with the Financial Times. He was responsible for BT's external and internal communications, public affairs, media relations, brand, and social policy. He is BT's race champion and a member of the Group Equality and Diversity Forum.

He is a member of Business in the Community's Race for Opportunity Board in the UK and a Corporate Trustee of the Tate museums.

Previously, Robin worked for five years as Asia Editor for the Financial Times. He became deputy managing editor in 1990 and managing editor in 1994.
In 1998-99 he was instrumental in establi

hing a new newspaper in Germany, the Financial Times Deutschland, which launched successfully in January 2000.

Olu Olasode MSc BSc MBA IPSM FCCA
BRDF & Mezzanine2 Trustee 

Olu is an experienced turnaround and change agent and has delivered on major projects across the public, private and third sectors, and holds a number of ministerial and public appointments. He is a Commissioner and the Chairman of Audit & Risk Committee for the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and Chairman of the Audit Committee for Bromley NHS PCT.

He also serves as non-executive director for Bromley PCT and was previously Chairman of General Performance and Advisory Panel Member with DCLG’s Beacons Panel (formerly ODPM), and former Chair of SLFHA Housing Association.

He is an experienced accountant with a track record of achievement in a number of diverse roles including: chief executive of voluntary organisations and director of finance and performance management for a key independent healthcare provider.

Richard Wicks
Mezzanine2 Trustee

Richard Wicks is Head of Property, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for The Body Shop Ltd, London. Richard's extensive experience in property comes from his previous roles as Real Estate Director for Foot Locker (UK) Ltd for the UK, Scandinavia, Holland and Ireland; Property Director at the easyInternetCafe Ltd; Development Surveyor for Sears Property Developments and Acquisition Surveyor for Lidl UK Ltd.