Board Members
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Christine has worked successfully in the corporate environment for over 30 years. She uses her experience and leadership skills to make an impact and bring about positive change.
Christine is the past Chair of the Board of Trustees for Waltham Forest YMCA. She served as Chair from 2014-2016. She also served as Chair of the Services Committee from 2013-2016. With over 20 years’ experience working in the legal profession she currently works as the Director of Finance & Administration in a leading set of barristers’ chambers. Christine is a member of the Advisory Board for Richard Branson’s Centre of Entrepreneurship in Jamaica supporting and advising young entrepreneurs in their business development journey.
Christine is an experienced mentor and coach and has supported many young people in transitioning from a negative place to a positive place, enabling them to face their challenges, address their fears and embrace and celebrate who they are! Christine is passionate about empowering and motivating young people and providing them with the right tools which results in healthy lifestyle choices and positive mind-set changes. She believes that everyone has a talent, gift or skill that can add value and make a difference to someone else.
Fitzroy’s 40-year career encompasses a diversity of roles and interests taking in leadership of local and national charities and social enterprises, organisational consulting, and developing people at all ages and stages of life. He currently works as an independent career coach; as an associate director for a number of consultancy practices; and with the Office for Institutional Equity at the University of East London.
As a native east Londoner, Fitzroy has a longstanding commitment to youth leadership and development, and he continues to assist the growth of a number of agencies in the field. His combined experience and knowledge and his passion for learning and growth give him a wealth of resources to draw upon and a natural affinity with serving Spark2Life, where he has occupied the role of Treasurer since 2018.
Adé Solarin is a senior safeguarding and public policy leader with extensive experience across child protection, law enforcement and community safety. He currently serves in the UK Civil Service leading on government-level policy reform and capability development.
Adé has experience as an Inspection Lead for Child Protection at His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), where he led national inspections of police child protection services, including the Home Secretary’s review into police responses to group-based child sexual exploitation. His work has influenced national safeguarding standards and multi-agency practice.
Adé has held senior roles across local government, including leading statutory safeguarding board functions and commissioning Violence Against Women & Girls services. He is also a serving Special Constable with the City of London Police.
As Safeguarding Trustee, Adé provides strategic oversight to ensure Spark2Life’s safeguarding policies and practice remain robust, trauma-informed and aligned with best practice.
Patrons
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Lord Dr Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE is an Independent Peer in the House of Lords and has had a fulfilling career across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, working within education, philanthropy, and business to support and develop communities around the world. He is the Chairman of SOAS, University of London and the recent Chancellor of Regent's University London; he is the Professor of Leadership at the Stephen R Covey Institute at the Huntsman Business School, University of Utah, USA; a Non-Executive Director at Saxton Bampfylde, the Executive Search firm and is Chair of the London Chamber of Commerce Black Business Association & an NED on Cornerstone VC Fund & Chairman - Adrian Group in Kenya ( operating in 9 African countries & Germany & UK )
He is also a Vice President at UNICEF UK, an Ambassador for Tear Fund and Chair of the Council of ZANE (Zimbabwe Aid) and a former trustee for the Africa Philanthropy Foundation. Lord Hastings was formerly Head of Public Affairs at the BBC and their first head of Corporate Social Responsibility 1996-2006 having done live political presenting for two years previously. He then moved to KPMG as the Global Head of Citizenship for KPMG International 2006 – 2019 and was a Trustee of the Vodafone Group Foundation 2008-2019 and subsequently remains a Governor of the Vodafone/Safaricom M-PESA Academy in Nairobi for 600+ of Kenya’s poorest children. He is an enthusiastic advocate for the SDG’s – the 17 Sustainable Development Goals the world must reach by 2030 to give dignity to all. He also served on BT’s Responsible Business Board 2007-2016.
Lord Hastings began his career as a teacher in 1980 having graduated in Theology from the London School of Theology in 1979 and then from Westminster College Oxford in Education in 1980 & then from 1986 worked across government agencies on policies to build racial equality, workforce development, and safer and more effective crime prevention strategies. He was the founder and Chairman of Crime Concern from 1988 to 2009 and then founded CATCH22 as a merger and remains Vice President and was the longest serving Commissioner for Racial Equality from 1990 to 1999 and the first Black member of the Metropolitan Police Committee from 1994. He is the co-founder of My Brothers Keeper – a voluntary direct engagement work started in HMP Swaleside 9 years ago (now on our 41th visit) and serving seven prisons from YOI to Cat A,B &C prisons.
He was conferred with a CBE for his services to crime reduction in 2003; a Peerage in 2005; The UNICEF Global Award in 2005 for his tireless work effective positive solutions for Africa’s children; a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Kent, Canterbury in 2014 in recognition for his leadership at KPMG, the BBC and for his work in international development and corporate responsibility and in 2019 was the first ever recipient of the Stephen R Covey Leadership Award for a life built on principles, values and pragmatic delivery.
Ambassadors
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Stephen was born in Bristol in 1967 to a Nigerian Father and Trinidadian mother and later moved to Croydon. By the age of 12 Stephen already knew he wanted to become a barrister after being inspired by watching a weekly television court drama called ‘Crown Court’. The Thornton Heath boy was inspired by his parents to pursue his dreams despite the limitations placed on him by his teachers and racism from peers.
Stephen fulfilled his childhood aspiration and has been in private practice as a criminal barrister for 32 years and is a member of 15 New Bridge Street Chambers in London.
His youth work began over 20 years ago when he became a Sunday school teacher at Croydon Community Church. His passion for empowering the overlooked young people in the group enabled him to build dialogue, trust and mutual respect.
Stephen’s passion has deepened through his work as a defence barrister, representing young people, many aged 12 to 21 who have been charged with serious crimes, including murder and drug offences. The drama and intensity of the court room coupled with the unspoken fear of a murder trial is a message he is keen for all young people to hear. His belief in the principle that, ‘Every young person has a gift waiting to be unearthed’, was the driving force for his passion to mentor and inspire all those years ago at Sunday school and he remains as passionate today in his career and beyond. Choosing to carry a knife can have life-altering consequences with opportunities lost and futures derailed. It's a decision that can impact not just one life, but many.
