BOARD OF TRUSTEES
West End Refugee Service is governed by a Board of Trustees who willingly give their time and skills to steer the charity, to ensure that it supports, empowers and delivers positive change in the lives of people seeking asylum and refugees living in our area, in accordance with the charitable objects set out in its constitution.
This group of trustees collectively possesses a wide range of skills, experience and characteristics which bring a welcome diversity of age, race, gender, training, profession and outlook to its decision making. Skills include HR, accountancy, business management, charity governance, pastoral experience, communications and, importantly, brings the voice of lived experience of the UK asylum system to the heart of WERS’ strategic governance. We celebrate diversity and look to increase it as the board membership evolves.
WERS trustees work together in a consultative way, considering and respecting all points of view as they work towards consensus in their decision-making. Their diversity of backgrounds and skills are brought together in a common commitment to the vision, mission and values of WERS. For further details, see our public information on the Charity Commission website.
Alice Mason - Chair of the Board of Trustees
Alice’s journey with WERS began with a deep-rooted passion for refugee advocacy and support. With nearly a decade of experience working in conflict zones and within the UK refugee sector, Alice's dedication to empowering refugee communities is unwavering. Her extensive background in development and community engagement has equipped her with the skills needed to drive positive change.
Prior to joining WERS, Alice held various leadership positions in the voluntary sector for over 30 years, including five Chief Executive roles in small to medium-sized charities. Her collaborative approach to leadership, as well as pragmatic outlook and strong strategic focus, has earned her recognition as a valuable charity leader. .
Chris Millman - Trustee Treasurer
Chris has lived in North-East of England and worked in and from Newcastle upon Tyne for over 30 years as an IT Project Manager. Overseeing large scale contracts, mainly in the UK public sector, he holds responsibility for the profit and loss of those contracts and presenting financial and management accounts.
Chris and his family have also been involved for over 20 years with the Deaf Education through Listening and Talking charity - DELTA. As a Trustee, he became Honorary Treasurer, and set up the financial management and accounting systems for the charity, working with trustees, charity commission and companies house. Chris joined the board in 2019.
Ghada Saaed - Trustee
Ghada Saaed is a journalist and a translator who had experience with charity work through a Sudanese charity organisation called "Start with Yourself".
She later had to flee Sudan hoping for a better and a safer life. She arrived in the UK as an Asylum seeker and immediately started working as a volunteer to help other refugees who were struggling to communicate and to get familiar with the life in the UK quickly. She utilised her skills in English and translation to help with English classes for asylum seekers who needed help with their English.
After a while, she became a member of WERS board of trustees to be able to offer more help to other refugees after having to go through the process herself.After getting a refugee status and is now able to officially pursue work in the UK, Ghada worked towards and earned qualifications in interpreting and is now working as a freelance community interpreter with a company called Language Empire. She took different courses in other fields to widen her skills and to work her way up in the interpreting and translation field.
Simon Elliott - Trustee
Simon has a significant history of governance experience over the last 30 years including Chairing North Tyneside Regeneration Partnership, Tyneside Cinema and Connected Voice. He is currently Chair of Northern Stage. Professionally, Simon spent his entire career with Procter & Gamble and retired in 2018 from his role as HR Leader for Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited.
Simon put his name forward as a Trustee for WERS following on from his experience at Connected Voice in supporting grass roots charities and he believes that the practical support WERS gives to build a more cohesive community is vital for the future of the city and the region.
The Reverend John Howard-Norman - Trustee
John spent 20 years in Public Service, before changing direction and training for ministry in the Methodist Church. In 2001, he left theological college in Manchester, and over the following 19 years, served as a minister in churches in and around Bolton and Blackburn in Lancashire. During that period he served as chair of numerous church boards and committees, which included taking a leading role in two separate church refugee and asylum projects. Outside the church he served as trustee and chair of Senior Solutions (2012-15), a charity addressing the needs of older people.
John moved to the North East in 2020. In 2022 he was appointed as a trustee with WERS, giving him the opportunity to build upon his previous experience in the sector. He currently serves as a minister in Middlesbrough.
Nadia Igsiz - Trustee
Nadia has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years in a variety of roles from business development to fundraising. She has worked both nationally and internationally and currently works at the Living Wage Foundation, part of Citizens UK, and is passionate about fighting social injustice.
Although Nadia was born and raised in the North-East of England, she has a mixed background and has witnessed first-hand the challenges of being an immigrant in the UK. This has led her to want to support the work of WERS. Nadia is passionate about the North-East and wants it to continue to be a place where everyone is welcome no matter where they are from.