Board of Trustees
Robert Spain
Robert Spain joined the board in February 2009 and was appointed ORG's Treasurer in November 2009. After some years spent working as an auditor, focusing on small charities, he currently works in product control at a bank. Previously he lived and worked as a journalist in Honduras, gaining particular interest in armed conflict and the effects that continue to be felt long after the fighting stops. He is a chartered accountant and professional risk manager.
Francesca Weinberg
Francesca Weinberg joined the board in February 2009 having spent her working life in the public and voluntary sectors. She recently retired after 18 years running the children's charity Friends United Network (FUN), which won the Queen's award for volunteering in 2007. Francesca continues to advise and support a range of charities on strategy, management and fundraising in both the UK and Africa. For the past 13 years she has also run a private counselling practice and has a passionate interest in mental health, mediation and conflict resolution. Francesca is strongly committed to fostering constructive dialogue as an alternative to violence.
Frank Boulton
Dr. Frank Boulton is Company Secretary. Frank is based in Southampton where he was a consultant physician and haematologist, specialising in haemophilia care and in blood transfusion. He is currently President of the British Blood Transfusion Society (until late 2007), was consultant advisor on blood transfusion to HM Armed Forces until 2006, and continues as consultant advisor to the World Health Organisation. He has been associated with ORG since its early days and became Company Secretary in 2000. He has long supported Medact and its predecessor bodies, and became Chair of Medact in June 2006. An active Quaker, he was briefly a member of the Quaker Peace and Social Witness Council and wants to promote active engagement between ORG and Quakers - and, increasingly, other faith groups.
Philippa Drew
Philippa Drew joined the Board in 2007. Philippa retired from the civil service in 2006. Most of her career was spent in the Home Office dealing with crime, criminal justice, prisons, probation and terrorism. She had two periods in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, latterly as Director of Global Issues with responsibility for climate change, sustainable development, human rights, democracy, conflict prevention, science and technology, the United Nations and the Commonwealth.
Professor Oliver Ramsbotham
Professor Oliver Ramsbotham has been Chair of the Board since April 2007. He moved to the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford in 1991, having worked several years previously as a consultant and writer with Oxford Research Group. At the Department of Peace Studies he was Professor of Peace Studies and Head of Department between 1999-2002. Since then he has been Professor of Conflict Resolution. He has published more than 60 articles and papers, mainly on humanitarian intervention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping, but also with an interest in Islam/Christian relations.
Sue Gillie
Sue Gillie joined the Board in 2007. Sue sold her small chain of estate agencies in 1988 and turned entirely to voluntary work in the not-for-profit sector. Past trusteeships include the Friends of Dulwich College (Chair), the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery (devising and organising events for them), the Nationwide Foundation, and the Association of Charitable Foundations. For seven years she ran, was a trustee, and then chaired the Ashoka UK branch of an international development charity. Currently she chairs the New Economics Foundation (nef). Membership since 1989 of the Network for Social Change, a very active private grant making group, led to her becoming a founding director of The Funding Network, a very successful new paradigm for collective giving for social change.
