Our People

Victoria Winckler

Director

Dr Victoria Winckler has been the Director of the Bevan Foundation since 2002, establishing it as Wales’ most exciting and innovative think-tank. Victoria is also currently Wales adviser to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Victoria is a leading contributor to public policy in Wales. In the 1990s she developed the proposals that secured EU Objective 1 status for West Wales and the Valleys, in the early 2000s she galvanised the Welsh Government’s actions to tackle poverty and most recently generated robust proposals for new Welsh taxes which are now being taken forward by the Welsh Government.

Victoria frequently gives expert evidence to Assembly Committees, comments in online articles and speaks at a wide range of events. She is currently a member of the Ministerial Tax Advisory Group, and a board member of Traveline Cymru.

Victoria previously held roles at the Welsh Local Government Association, Mid Glamorgan County Council and Cardiff University and has served in public appointments and as a board member of several organisations.

Victoria holds a BA (Hons) in geography, MSc in Town Planning and a PhD.

Rachael Simmonds

Finance Officer

Rachael joined the Bevan Foundation in 2010 as Finance Officer, from a background in local government including in working in social services finance, rent and council tax.

Rachael now manages all aspects of the Foundation’s income and expenditure and is qualified to NVQ level 3 in business and administration.

Rachael took a career break in 2012, returning to the Bevan Foundation in 2014.

Dr Steffan Evans

Head of Policy (Poverty)

Steffan joined the Bevan Foundation in July 2018 after working as a participation officer at TPAS Cymru.

In 2018 Steffan graduated with a PhD from the Wales Governance Centre, at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University. His research examined the impact of devolution on social housing regulation in Wales and England, exploring how and why the law had diverged between both nations.

Steffan is leading on the Bevan Foundation’s work on poverty. During his time at the Foundation he has worked on a variety of policy areas including free school meals, the social security system and the response to the Covid 19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

Among the areas that Steffan is currently working on are access to housing for low income renters, and the need to establish a Welsh Benefits System.

Georgina Lewindon

Marketing Consultant

Georgina started working with the Bevan Foundation as an independent consultant in November 2017.

A Chartered Marketer and CIM Wales Board member, Georgina has a Masters in Language and Communication Research and over 15 years’ experience of marketing across the not-for-profit, public and private sectors.

Now owner of Glew Marketing, she works predominantly with smaller organisations to develop and implement strategic marketing plans and manages a number of the Foundation’s communications, campaigns and events.

Rob King

Housing Policy Officer

Rob joined the Bevan Foundation in November 2022 as a Housing Policy Officer.

Rob has an undergraduate degree in History and has recently graduated from Cardiff University with a Masters degree in the subject. Their MA thesis explored depictions of the Holocaust in popular video games.

Their work is currently focussing on support mechanisms surrounding housing and how they can be expanded to meet Welsh Government plans of ending homelessness by 2026.

Isata Kanneh

Project Lead, Access to Justice

Isata joined the Bevan Foundation in November 2022 as Project Lead for the Access to Justice project.

Isata has worked as a freelance project manager for over twenty years. She has worked on many and varied projects supporting and promoting the work of migrants and refugees and in the areas of children’s rights, equalities, and community participation. Isata currently sits as a Lay Member on the Welsh Language Tribunal. She has an MA in Race and Ethnic Studies.

Elinor Mattey

Project Officer, Access to Justice

Elinor joined the Bevan Foundation in October 2022 as an access to justice project officer for migration.  

Elinor has an undergraduate degree in Law, and has recently graduated from Swansea University with a Masters degree in Human Rights. Over the course of her most recent studies, she has focussed on asylum and migration, international human rights law, and her dissertation explored the protection of the cultural rights of Gypsy and Traveller Communities in the UK.  

Elinor is currently looking at how to increase access to advice on immigration matters in Wales.  

Alice Peters

Development Officer

Alice joined the Bevan Foundation in March 2022 as Development Officer.

Alice graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in History. Previously, Alice has completed work for the Jewish History Association of South Wales and the Firing Line Museum.

Alice’s work focuses on income generation and stewarding subscribers and supporters. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and is working towards her Certificate in Fundraising.

Marianne Hoare

Office Manager

Marianne joined the Bevan Foundation as office manager in September 2021. She has extensive experience in the charity and social landlord sector, having previously worked at Save the Children Cymru.

Marianne is responsible for all aspects of the smooth running of the Bevan Foundation, from premises to IT to managing our people.

Vivienne Sugar

Retiring Chair

Vivienne Sugar is now retired but until recently was Director of her own management consultancy, working for central and local government across the UK. She served eight years as Pro Chancellor of Swansea University, was chair of Consumer Focus Wales, seven years as a local authority Chief Executive at the City and County of Swansea and prior to that was Director of Housing in Cardiff and Newport Councils.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Housing and member of SOLACE, and has acted as a mentor for a number of people currently working in public services in Wales.

Viv joined the Bevan Foundation Board in 2014.

Tamsin Stirling

Acting Chair

Tamsin is an experienced housing researcher and policy adviser who works as an independent housing consultant. Her research interests include governance, social policy, poverty/inequality, regeneration and homelessness. She was ministerial adviser on housing, regeneration and planning issues in the Welsh Government between 2012 and 2014 during which time the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 was developed.

She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing, a regular contributor to Welsh Housing Quarterly, a board member of Crisis and Cardiff Community Housing Association, and a member of the Welsh Government’s Homelessness Action Group. Tamsin lives in Splott, Cardiff.

Tamsin joined the Bevan Foundation Board in 2018.

John Chown

Treasurer

John is a qualified chartered accountant and has been a director of Williams Ross Limited in Cardiff for 16 years. He has had a professional involvement in providing assurance services,
advice, support and training in the not for profit sector covering charities, credit unions and other voluntary organisations for a number of years.

His voluntary activities have included being a management board member of the Wales Co-operative Centre for over 14
years and being a board member of Cynon Taf Housing Group since September 2018.

John joined the Bevan Foundation board in January 2020.

Duncan Forbes

Trustee

Duncan Forbes a housing consultant, and also a board member of Cardiff Community Housing Association. He was Chief Executive of Bron Afon Community Housing, a large mutual housing association, from 2008 – 2017. Duncan is also currently chair of the Centre for Regeneration Excellence Wales.

A qualified solicitor, Duncan has also been the county solicitor at a south Wales local authority and has co-authored several guides on charity law.

Duncan joined the Bevan Foundation Board in 2014.

Lynne Hughes

Trustee

Lynne is Assistant Director Community Engagement, Involvement and Development of Marie Curie Care, a role she took up in 2022.

She began her career as a nurse before becoming a Public Health Specialist. She held a number of roles in the health service, including the RCN, and has also been the Wales Programme Manager for Oxfam, Director (Wales) of MS Society as well as working for two Assembly Members.

She has previously represented St James ward on Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Lynne joined the Bevan Foundation Board in 2018.

Michael Imperato

Trustee

Michael Imperato is a Partner at South Wales solicitors Watkins and Gunn. He heads its Cardiff Office and the Public/Administrative law department undertaking a number of high profile judicial review challenges. These have been mainly in respect of service closures, devolved issues and human rights.

Michael is also recognised as a leader in the field of claimant personal injury work. He is the principle solicitor acting for the trade union, Community, in Wales and the West. Michael is a former president of the Cardiff & District Law Society, a member of the Law Society Civil Justice Committee, Wales co-ordinator and a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury lawyers, Vice Chair of the Legal Aid Agency Special Controls review Panel, committee member of Public Law Wales and a visiting scholar at Swansea University.

Michael is a longstanding school governor, trustee of a charity for children with brain injuries and a Newport County supporter.

Michael joined the Bevan Foundation Board in 2016.

Professor Sally Power

Trustee

Sally is Director of the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research Data and Methods (WISERD).  Her research explores the relationship between education, civil society and inequality in Wales and internationally.

Before joining Cardiff University, Sally was Head of the School of Educational Foundations and Policy Studies at at the Institute of Education, University of London. She has also worked at the Universities of Bristol, Warwick and West of England.

Sally is an elected fellow of the Learned Society for Wales and the Academy of Social Sciences.

Sally joined the Bevan Foundation Board in 2018.

Anthony Hunt

Trustee

Anthony is currently Leader of Torfaen County Borough Council, having been elected to represent Panteg Ward in 2012. He is also chair of the Torfaen Public Service Board, a member of the Cardiff Capital Region Cabinet and WLGA Spokesperson on finance and resources.

Before becoming a councillor, Anthony worked as a political researcher at the House of Commons. He holds a degree in Law from Cardiff University.

Anthony joined the Bevan Foundation board in July 2018.

Rt Rev’d John D E Davies

Trustee

Bishop John Davies graduated in law from the University of Southampton. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1977, specialising in criminal law and, after ordination, completed a master’s degree in Canon Law. Bishop John Davies left the law to enter the ministry and was ordained in 1984. He served in the Diocese of Monmouth and was appointed Dean of Brecon in 2000.  He was elected Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in 2008 and was elected as Archbishop of Wales in September 2017. Bishop John retired in May 2021.

Bishop John Davies is profoundly interested in matters of social justice and has spoken out on a range of issues, including homelessness and housing, rural problems, organ donation, assisted dying and poverty.  Having served as the chairman of the trustees of a large hospice in Newport, he also has a deep concern for the just provision of healthcare, not least for those in the final stages of life.

Bishop John joined the Bevan Foundation board in 2021

Shavanah Taj

Trustee

Shavanah Taj is General Secretary of the Wales Trades Union Congress (TUC). She joined Wales TUC from her role as Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) Secretary.  Prior to joining PCS, Shavanah worked in retail, call centres and the third sector. From 2018 to 2019, she served as the President of the Wales TUC.

Cardiff born and raised, Shavanah grew up steeped in the trade union movement. Her father was a Health and Safety representative in the steel works.  Shavanah is passionate about equality, social justice and human rights. She is a patron of Show Racism the Red Card Wales, trustee for the Henna Foundation which supports victims and survivors of domestic abuse and honour-based violence and also a trustee for Fio, a grassroots theatre group. Shavanah was recently appointed to the People’s Health Trust. Shavanah lives in Cardiff and is married with two young children, aged 6 and 8.

Shavanah joined the Bevan Foundation board in 2021

Richard Williams

Trustee

Richard is originally from Bethel, near Caernarfon and went to Liverpool University to study Communication Studies and Politics before starting his career in regional newspaper journalism. He went on to become deputy editor of the Daily Post in North Wales and then editor of the Wrexham Evening Leader and the South Wales Echo.

In 2008, Richard moved to the third sector becoming Wales Director for RNID (Royal National Institute of Deaf People). Since 2017, Richard has been Chief Executive of Community Foundation Wales, the independent charitable foundation that connects philanthropy with local communities in Wales. Richard is a father of two and a big football fan, supporting Wrexham Football Club and the Welsh national team.

Richard joined the Bevan Foundation board in 2021