Meet the Team

Senior Management Team

Bridget Symonds

Interim CEO

Bridget (she/her) is currently overseeing the operational and strategic management of the organisation as well as supporting with the implementation of the fundraising strategy.

"I am so thrilled to be joining Opening Doors as your Interim CEO. I have over five years of senior management experience working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, homeless people, older women fleeing domestic abuse and women in prison.

I began volunteering with rape survivors in 2006 and then worked as a frontline support worker with people in recovery, men convicted of domestic abuse, women selling sex and women in prison before moving into management. My most recent role has been as Head of Women's Centres and Safeguarding at Women in Prison.

As an LGBTQ+ person myself I feel passionately about the work Opening Doors does for our community and having run a service for older people I am acutely aware of the needs of this group and how, so often, 'older' people are forgotten in service delivery.  Not to mention the additional intersectionality of older people and LGBTQ+ identities and how older people’s identities get removed and their queerness erased: it is this that drives my passion for the work and I can't wait to get started at Opening Doors".

Adrian Beaumont

Head of Operations

Adrian (he/they) is currently leading the day-to-day operations of the charity alongside Jonathan Buckerfield (Head of Fundraising and Communications, working closely with Julia Shelley (Chair of Trustees) and Annie Southerst (Vice-Chair of Trustees).

In addition to this, Adrian has responsibility for the operational wellbeing of Opening Doors. Responsibilities include oversight of HR, D & I, IT, policy development and the delivery of client services and volunteering.

Their background is in LGBTQ+ campaigning, as director of national and regional operational service delivery programmes within sexual health and HIV and wellbeing services and MSM research projects. They are a qualified counsellor, have run their own businesses and have worked extensively in the public and third sector.

Jonathan Buckerfield

Head of Fundraising and Communications

Jonathan (he/him) is currently leading the day-to-day management of Opening Doors with Adrian Beaumont (Head of Operations), working closely with Julia Shelley (Chair of Trustees) and Annie Southerst (Vice-Chair of Trustees). 

In addition to this, Jonathan is also leads the fundraising and communications for the organisation, overseeing income from a wide range of sources including trusts and foundations, individual supporters, corporate partnerships, community and events.  Jonathan will develop increased and sustainable income to meet the growing ambitions of Opening Doors.

Jonathan has worked and volunteered in the charity sector for over ten years at both large and small organisations, including Big Lottery Fund, Crisis, Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre, King’s College London and Spitalfields Crypt Trust. 

Operations Team

Bernadette Latour

Operations Officer 

info@openingdoors.lgbt

Bernadette ensures our members, volunteers and staff are kept informed and supported and is responsible for data reporting, liaising with various stakeholders and supporting the operational delivery of services across member engagement and volunteer services. Bernadette is also implementing a new CRM system for ODL.

Dr Chryssy Hunter

Volunteer Coordinator

Chryssy coordinates our extensive volunteering activities – everything from supporting the team identify new opportunities to recruiting and inducting new volunteers into the organisation.

Chryssy is a published author in the LGBTQ+ field and holds a PhD on the Equality Act. She has managed teacher trainings projects in North Korea and Libya, and is a board member Gendered Intelligence, and is a member of the Bent Bars Collective.

Sadia Ahmad

Ambassador Development Officer 

Sadia (she/her) brings a wealth of experience from across the voluntary and private sectors, working in mental health, volunteer engagement, training, and communications.

She is motivated to work with under-served demographics and has volunteered with vulnerable people across London.

Sadia will be heading up and developing our Ambassador Programme, helping shape it to the ongoing demands of organisational development.

Community Engagement Team

Ian McGeough

Community Engagement Coordinator

[email protected]

Ian (he/him) leads the coordination and delivery of all our community engagement activities and events - providing regular social opportunities to help develop networks, communities and create friendships, including a range of specialist services for under-represented groups.

Ian’s background is stakeholder engagement and is passionate about improving social inequality, social mobility and sustainability. He’s also a huge music and film fan and enjoys dog walks and gardening.

Stephen Quashie 

[email protected]

Stephen (he/him) brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously worked for many voluntary and community organisations.

He has also volunteered and participated with a range of LGBTQ+ groups and is looking forward to working with the diverse range of people in Opening Doors and beyond. 

Mike Phillips 

[email protected]

Mike is a freelance trainer, facilitator, consultant and coach who is passionate about releasing potential through learning and development.

Mike has delivered training across London, the UK and
internationally using a range of interactive training techniques which build upon adult learning, brain-friendly and accelerated learning principles.

Befriending Team

Fabricio Catroppa

Befriending Support Officer

[email protected]

Fabricio is a Befriending Support Officer supporting the LGBTQ+ communities. He has more than 10 years' experience working on a variety of community projects recruiting, supervising, training and managing volunteers working on befriending, mentoring and advice & guidance projects.

Fabricio loves gardening and walking his dog in the countryside.

Mark Reeves

Befriending Support Officer 

[email protected]

Mark is a Befriending Support Officer supporting the LGBTQ+ communities. With a background in training and coaching, Mark works in the Befriending team supporting clients and volunteers. Outside of work Mark enjoys watching movies, going to see drag/queer performers and volunteering with Switchboard.

Mike Goldberg

Befriending Support Officer 

[email protected]

Training, Research and Policy Team

Professor Ben Thomas

Research and Policy Coordinator

Ben Thomas is a researcher and policy expert with an employment history of advising governments, managing, and developing health services and working in academia.

He is the research and policy coordinator and leads a programme of research aimed at improving the lives of older LGBTQ+ people, including improving health and wellbeing and reducing loneliness and isolation.

Ben also supports colleagues by training and carrying out policy reviews as part of the Pride in Care quality standard process.

Martha Margetson 

Training & Policy Administrator 

training@openingdoors.lgbt

From a background in events administration and film exhibition, Martha retrained during the pandemic to join our team as the Training Administrator. They will be supporting the Training and Policy team and the delivery of the Pride in Care standard, as well as promoting our national and citywide activity. When not working at Opening Doors they are part of the programming and festival team for Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest.

Mark Sladen

Research & Policy Officer

Mark is a researcher and writer with experience in the arts as well as the voluntary sector. For over twenty years his principal activity was as a curator in the museum and gallery world, after which he took a career break to write a PhD — which explored queer art and activism in the shadow of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, Mark has been working with LGBTQ+ organisations in the voluntary sector, and his main role at Opening Doors is to research poverty among LGBTQ+ over-50s, a three-year project funded by Trust for London.

Fundraising and Communications Team

Aroona Shaukat
Corporate and Community Fundraising Officer

[email protected]  

Since graduating from university in 2017, Aroona has worked for a range of charities within the youth and voluntary sector such as Pro-Action Hertfordshire, OnSide Youth Zones, and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to name just a few. She is passionate about working with different groups, businesses, and individuals to make a difference within communities and she looks forward to working with Opening Doors to deliver exciting fundraising initiatives that will continue to support our members across the UK. When Aroona is not working, she enjoys going to the theatre, listening to music and kickboxing.

Rob Hamilton

Business Strategy and Fundraising consultant

Rob is a Business Strategy and Fundraising consultant with over twenty five years executive experience in the third sector. A fully qualified Body Psychotherapist and Executive Coach and with post-graduate studies in Education, Finance and Management he has a wealth of knowledge of the issues affecting third sector organisations and the behavioural science of organisational development. Having raised in excess of £40m from charitable trusts, foundations and statutory bodies he has an in-depth understanding of voluntary sector funding, supporting ODL to maximise our potential to secure the funding required to deliver our objectives.