Meet the team

As Chair of RISE, I am proud to lead an organisation that stands with survivors and works tirelessly to end domestic abuse in all its forms. A consultant specialising in governance and leadership, Andy has substantial experience in the justice sector. Previous roles include leading West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) office and interim Chief Executive for the Leicestershire PCC; under his leadership, police forces significantly improved performance, whilst reducing resources. Andy specialises in organisational transformation and inter-agency collaboration, with a track record in groundbreaking initiatives, including road safety, victim support, and offender rehabilitation. He designs and delivers training to specialists and those with decision-making and governance responsibilities.

Andy is a Barrister, Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Anissa Pieterse has spent her 23 year working career (to date) building experience as a Tax Consultant, first qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, whilst working in the tax department of Arthur Andersen/Deloitte, and now in-house for an infrastructure investment company.

Anissa brings a wealth of financial expertise and experience of working across sectors and differing business areas. She has also advised on financial strategies and implications as companies have entered different stages of growth.

As a mum to three school age children, Anissa has developed extraordinary organisational capabilities and these allow her to continue with voluntary roles in local schools and sporting organisations outside of her, now part-time, work responsibilities.

Richard Hughes is a Partner at PA Consulting, where he leads PA’s work in Justice. He has spent the majority of his career working in the Criminal Justice System, delivering complex change and improving operational performance for the different agencies, initially as a Civil Servant, including a stint in the Prison Service, and for the last 25 years as a consultant.

His experience includes delivering youth justice reform; supporting the digital transformation of the courts; designing new business processes for the CPS; contributing to the Review of Civil Legal Aid; successive rounds of Probation Reform and the introduction of new Electronic Monitoring services. He also leads PA and the PA Foundation’s award-winning Second Chance Programme, working with a group of rehabilitation charities to enable innovative approaches to rehabilitation.

Richard first encountered RISE in the early days of its operation, following Transforming Rehabilitation, and joined the Board in 2025 as a Non-Executive Director. His previous board experience includes a stint as Non-Executive Director of the Money Advice Service.

Susan is an experienced Chair and Non-Executive Director in the sport, third and public sectors. She is a strategic leader in a FTSE100 combining customer experience in retail banking with strong skills in strategic finance. A Chartered Accountant, who is experienced in financial oversight, audit, risk and governance.

Susan is driven by a broad understanding of the eco-system of social impact and the connectivity of the private sector, public policy and society. She has extensive experience enabling inclusion through a deep understanding of leadership behaviour and purpose-led organisational change. She is an Executive coach with multi-cultural, international experience through leadership development building inclusive organisations.

Kuljit leads the organisation, driving RISE’s strategic direction, operational excellence and representing it’s mission and values. She is building a brave and innovative organisation, passionate about developing and delivering new approaches to assist racialised and disadvantaged people with complex, human problems.

Kuljit began her career as a Probation Officer in Lambeth in the mid-1990s, where she pioneered cognitive behavioural theory-based programmes. Her experience led to her establishing RISE as a spin-out from London Probation Trust. A strong believer that people can make positive changes in their lives with the right support; this ethos, along with a focus on compassion, courage, and co-creation, informs her leadership of RISE. Recently, she received a Humanitarian Services Award from the Universal Peace Federation, recognising her lifelong commitment to social justice and underserved communities.

Oversees growth and innovation, helping RISE reach more people and communities, and maintain sustainability.

Clare is a results-driven Business Development Director with over a decade of senior leadership experience. As a co-founder of RISE, she has combined commercial insight with social purpose to help grow a high-impact organisation. Clare specialises in guiding organisations through periods of growth and transformation, executive coaching and board-level planning, making her well-placed to partner with organisations to drive lasting, measurable change. Her collaborative, solution-focused leadership fosters inclusive, high-performing cultures.

Represents the voice of RISE’s staff at board level, supporting and promoting employee engagement and wellbeing.

Elaine has worked in the criminal justice system for 24 years, starting her career delivering behaviour change programmes in prisons. She has served in both probation and prison settings across the UK, delivering therapeutic group interventions and programmes, and has been with RISE since its inception in 2015. Elaine leads the Justice pillar, designing and overseeing early interventions and national contracts with police partners, including out of court resolution services.

Odile Slynn, Lady Slynn of Hadley is a French-born British humanitarian, philanthropist and peeress, involved in several organisations advocating children’s rights and wildlife preservation. She is the founder and chairman of the British branch of Child In Need India (CINI) and former chairman of the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA). She is the widow of Gordon Slynn, Baron Slynn of Hadley.

Born in Paris, she moved to London in 1959, where she trained as a nurse at Hammersmith Hospital. She taught French at the University of Buckingham from 1980 until 2000.

She has been a member of the Board of Visitors for HMP Grendon / Springhill; a member of the Parole Board (1988–1992) and chairman of its Awarding Committee from 1999. She has been Honorary Secretary to the British Moroccan Society since 1985.

Lorraine brings 29 years of experience in the social sector, with a track record of leading mental health, justice, homelessness, and domestic abuse services. A qualified counsellor and executive coach, she is passionate about supporting individuals to overcome challenges and unlock their potential. As a champion of Co-Production and Servant Leadership; Lorraine demonstrates that effective leadership can be compassionate and collaborative.

She has been recognised for successfully implementing service improvement strategies, and received accolades, including a “Women in Leadership” award. Since joining RISE in 2025, she has led systems development for sustainable growth and operational scaling, working closely with the CEO to drive impact while maintaining a values-led, people-focused culture.

With a long-standing commitment to supporting families, young people, and communities, Kelly brings over 20 years of experience across the charity and criminal justice sectors to her role as Head of Service Delivery. She works across our Children & Young People’s and Criminal Justice Pillars at Rise.

Kelly began her career as a probation officer in London, working within specialist areas including substance misuse and high-risk cohorts. She went on to lead operational teams and manage complex interventions across statutory and not for profit sectors, developing a wealth of experience in domestic abuse, high risk and high harm offending behaviour, gender-specific innovations, family interventions, young people involved in the criminal justice system, and both international and domestic prison systems.

Driven by a passion for collaboration and innovation, Kelly is committed to building strong partnerships and ensuring every intervention meets the highest standards. She believes that sustainable change happens when services are person-centred, inclusive, and rooted in understanding.