Palace For Life Foundation Trustees & Staff
The Foundation is governed by a board of ten trustees, each with a wealth of experience from a range of professions and backgrounds.
Mike Summers
Chief Executive
Mike joined the Foundation in 2016, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his time as CEO at England Athletics, as well as Project Manager at charities such as Save the Children and Prostate Cancer UK.
During his time at Prostate Cancer UK, Mike led the strategic partnership with the EFL and LMA, including project managing Jeff Stelling’s ‘10 marathons in 10 days’ walk.
A keen runner himself, Mike has completed various marathons over the years and ensures he keeps his fitness levels up by completing our annual Marathon March – an initiative he spearheaded upon his arrival at Palace for Life.
Mike has revolutionised the Foundation during his time at the helm, combining his strategic knowledge with a progressive and empathetic approach to leadership.
Tash Stephens
Head of Fundraising and Communications
She might play her football for Oxford United WFC but Tash is very much Palace for Life! Balancing her time between her glittering playing career and overseeing the Fundraising and Communications functions of the Foundation, Tash has gone from strength-to-strength after joining as Fundraising Officer in 2019.
Both departments have continued to grow under her stewardship and her passion for both areas shines through on a daily basis, with her beaming smile always sure to keep morale high in the team!
Charity Madzorera
Head of Accounting
Charity’s no-nonsense approach to finance and everything else in life is always a crowd-pleaser! She joined us in 2017 having worked for a few local organisations, including a long stint at Croydon Voluntary Action, and is always on hand to guide the team through any financial challenges.
Charity has played an integral role in building the Foundation’s finances over her tenure and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude for the healthy position the Foundation is in today. All this despite the need for her to calculate 2 budgets every year due to the threat of relegation! Having finished her ACCA qualifications, Charity enjoys spending her extra free time with her high-achieving family.
Susan Patterson-Smith
Head of Pathways and Learning
One of the longest-serving members of staff at the Foundation, Susan has seen it all! With a background in education, safeguarding, first aid and a wide variety of other things, Susan is certainly not afraid to try her hand at new things (ask her about her ‘girl group’ days in the 90s…).
Susan has overseen real growth in the Pathways & Learning area since taking on the role of Head of Department in 2018 and is ever-popular with colleagues and partners alike. Always happy to help and quick to volunteer, Susan really leads her team by example, regularly putting her DTLLS and PTLLS qualifications to good use.
Duncan Robinson
Head of Operations
Joining in 2015 as Office & Compliance Executive, Duncan has risen through the ranks to his current position as Head of Operations, overseeing HR, Safeguarding, EDI, Impact, Systems, IT and Health and Safety, amongst other areas.
Duncan prides himself on building relationships with his colleagues and has been a key driver of the organisational culture and structure. He was added to the Kindness in Leadership list in 2021, after being nominated by colleagues and is CIPD Level 5 qualified in Human Resources. Born within a stone’s throw of Selhurst Park, Duncan is passionate about helping his local community.
Beth Parker
Head of Community Sports Engagement and Inclusion
Having joined us at the start of 2023 from England & Wales Cricket Board, Beth has brought with her some key strategic insight from both her time at the prestigious establishment and her recently-completed MBA.
Beth has also spent time as a music teacher and orchestral manager, demonstrating her passion for music. A Grade 8 French Horn player, Beth has got her team playing all the right notes…
Luke Hirst
Head of Football Development and Primary Education
Manchester-born and raised, currently residing in Essex, Crystal Palace was the natural choice for Luke! Having joined us from West Ham in early-2023, Luke has taken both the Football Development and Primary Education teams from strength-to-strength, building on the success they were already enjoying.
As well as West Ham, Luke has worked for an array of other clubs, including Chelsea and Southampton. With all that experience, as well as a degree in Football Studies and a UEFA B coaching qualification, it is clear to see the value that Luke brings to the Foundation.
Michael Harrington
Disability Manager
The stalwart of the Foundation, Michael is very much part of the furniture at Selhurst Park. Having originally joined in 2004 as a Community Coach, Michael has grown the Disability department to the thriving enterprise it is today. He’s overseen pretty much every area of the organisation during his time and the place wouldn’t be the same without him. Amongst a number of accolades, Michael won the Disability Champion Award in 2021 – a thoroughly deserved achievement to reflect all his hard work and passion for supporting the community he works with.
Tommy Macarthur
Marketing and Communications Manager
The King of Dulwich, Tommy Mac swaggered into Selhurst Park in 2022 and brought the hipster vibes with him. After 3 years at Chivas Brothers, promoting some of the world’s best-loved Scotch whisky brands, Tommy decided to take a slightly different path and has been instrumental in helping us to spread the message of our aim to help young south Londoners grow through sport. Just don’t ask him which team he supports…
Thea Allum
Safeguarding Manager
Thea took over the newly-created role of Safeguarding Manager at the start of 2020 and quickly made us wonder how we had ever existed without her! Always diligent and professional, Thea has very much made the role her own and built strong relationships with her counterparts not only at CPFC but also other clubs. Always buzzing around the office, happy to help, Thea has brought extensive experience with her from her time working in prisons previously and her Masters degree in Social Work.
Zaynab Osman
Insight and Impact Manager
Zaynab originally joined the Foundation back in 2017 as a Business Support Officer and we instantly knew we had a gem on our hands! She became an expert in all things Monitoring & Evaluation and shaped her role to become Business Support & Insight Coordinator. Sure enough, she then left us for greener pastures as she was offered a role as Insight Officer at the FA, working on the UEFA Women’s Euro Legacy.
However, she couldn’t keep away… after an incredibly successful 2 years away from the organisation, Zaynab returned in a blaze of glory as our Insight & Impact Manager at the start of 2023 and is currently engaging in a fruitful year-long partnership with Arsenal in the Community, where she is splitting her time across the 2 clubs.
Jake Foster
Football Development Manager
Jake has done the rounds on the CCO circuit, with stints at both Albion in the Community and Crawley Town Community Foundation. This experience has proved very handy as he has brought his calm, assuring presence to Palace for Life! Overseeing our work on Soccer Schools and Player Development Centres amongst other things, Jake joined the Foundation at an exciting time for the Football Development department and has risen to the task of increasing participation.
Sarah Hoddy
Targeted Intervention Manager
Sarah’s background in education has held her in good stead in her role as Targeted Intervention Manager at the Foundation, and anyone who has ever been in trouble at school will quickly identify her past as a teacher! Ask any of the team about Sarah and you’re guaranteed to hear the same phrases repeated: hard-working, organised, direct, structured. A popular member of the team, Sarah has become an invaluable part of Palace for Life in a relatively short period of time and her passion for helping young people shines through in everything she does. And just wait until you see her calligraphy skills…
James Odagi
Social Action and Pathways Manager
James does a fantastic job of running our NCS programme and has recently expanded his role to include building partnerships and creating pathways for young people. He has trips to France and Kenya lined up for groups of excited young people this year, as well as juggling many other initiatives. So although this Arsenal fan’s 2023 didn’t get off to a great start, things can only get better!
James is also the Foundation’s Race Equality Lead, a position he takes much pride in. He constantly strives to further the inclusivity of the Foundation and the industry more generally, and plays an invaluable role in ensuring his insight is recognised and people of all backgrounds are celebrated.
Vanya Bromfield
Trustee
Vanya Bromfield is the General Counsel for Business Information Services and Vice President for Legal Operations at FTSE 100 company Smiths Group PLC.
Alisa Flemming
Trustee
A proud Croydonian, Councillor Alisa Flemming worked in national government for over 12 years supporting two members of Parliament including one in their role as cabinet minister across various portfolio areas. She has been an elected official to local government for the past 10 years as a Croydon councillor. Councillor Flemming has also been the lead member responsible for children, young people and learning in Croydon Council’s cabinet for the past six years.
Amanda Fulker
Trustee
Amanda is an experienced Human Resources-Business Partner with 27 years’ experience in Local Authorities , across a range of portfolios including Corporate and Commercial Directorates and also Environment, Housing and Regeneration Directorate. A passion for Crystal Palace FC runs very deep in her family . Amanda is a season ticket holder, has been a fan for over 30 years and supports the Foundation across all areas of its work, with a specific focus on using her high level experience and expertise to ensure our approach to employment meets with Human Resources best practice.
Paul Cleal
Trustee
A proud Palace fan and Croydonian, Paul acts as an advisor to the Premier League and is a non-executive board member at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Metropolitan Police.
Previously he was a partner at PwC, the global professional services firm, holding positions in the UK and Africa, providing consultancy and financial advice to public and private sector clients. Paul has also been a Board member of the Social Mobility Commission, the National Citizen Service Trust and a number of educational institutions, bringing a huge amount of experience relevant to Palace for Life projects to the Foundation Board.
Paul was awarded the OBE in the 2020 New Year honours list for his work in promoting diversity and inclusion in business.
Paul Clark
Trustee
Paul Clark is a Partner at top ten accounting and advisory network, Moore Stephens. Paul has 30 years’ experience auditing companies of all sizes, across many different business sectors. He has considerable listed company experience, including fully listed UK and US companies. Paul has attended Palace matches since 1969 and his sons are fourth generation season ticket holders.
Neil McIntosh
Trustee
Neil McIntosh is Managing Editor of BBC Online, and he and his family are all Palace season ticket holders. At work, he runs the BBC Homepage and is the senior editor looking across the BBC’s digital products and services. In the past, he’s worked as a reporter and editor for the Guardian, and the Wall Street Journal Europe. A Glaswegian by birth, he counts himself lucky to have moved to South Norwood more than a decade ago. He believes passionately in the positive impact sport, and Palace, can have on the young people of south London.
Stephanie Fuller
Trustee
Stephanie Fuller has a career that spans both football and the non-profit sector over a period of more than 20 years. Stephanie is the General Manager for the national LGBT+ Switchboard helpline, one of the longest-standing LGBT organisations in the UK. Stephanie is known for her innovative approach and has held leadership roles with national charities in the U.K that focus on the rights and opportunities of some of the most marginalised young people in our society. Prior to her career in the non-profit sector, Stephanie has also held commercial roles at Chelsea FC, Millwall FC, and of course Crystal Palace FC. In her own time Stephanie founded the voluntary group for LGBT supporters of Crystal Palace FC, Proud and Palace. Steph, as she prefers to be called, is a long time Palace fan with her first match being in 1980. These days she watches the match from her season tickets seats in the main stand with her son Luke.
Kevin Day
Trustee
Kevin Day is a writer, broadcaster and comedian who saw his first Palace game in either 1969 or 1972 depending on whether you believe his dad or the local grocer about who took him first (although either way, he was obviously very young).
Kevin has performed on many continents and written for people from Dave Allen to Kevin Spacey via Ronnie Corbett, as well as writing on many popular panel games, in particular, ‘Have I Got News For You’. He has also directed a play, well a ‘version’ of a play in the West End, and is currently directing ‘Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen’ which he co-wrote. However, you probably know him best as that bloke who bangs on about Palace on telly and radio as often as possible.
He is passionate about the role Palace can play in the community and won’t rest until Selhurst Park is open 7 days a week to serve the area in which it proudly belongs. Obviously, Kevin knows awards are not important but his dad would like you to know that he was part of 5Live’s Sony Gold Award winning team for coverage of the Cheltenham Festival and in 2016 he was BAFTA nominated for writing ‘A League of Their Own’. Kevin is currently the host of the successful ‘The Price of Football’ podcast; following the money to see what’s going on behind the scenes of the beautiful game.
Barry Webber
Trustee
Barry is currently working for Crystal Palace Football Club as Commercial Director. He has previously been Commercial Director for Both Newcastle United and West Ham United as well as Chief Executive of Stevenage Football Club. Once the youngest Commercial Director in the Premier League and second youngest CEO in the Football League. With over 10 year’s experience working as a Senior Executive in football and having served as a Trustee for a previous Club’s Foundation, Barry will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to support the invaluable work that Palace for Life Foundation delivers throughout the local community.
Ed Warner
Trustee
Ed is the Chair of the Trustees and currently serves as Chair of GB Wheelchair Rugby having chaired UK Athletics for more than a decade. He chaired the organising committee for the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London. He also has extensive experience in the financial services industry and many years of board experience, including currently as Chair of both Air Partner PLC and derivatives exchange LMAX. He was awarded the OBE for services to athletics in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List.