Our staff
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Paula Harriott
Chief Executive
Paula has a vast experience in the criminal justice sector. As a nationally known lived experience leader her work has always been centred in principles of equity, inclusion, diversity and removal of stigma.
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Debbie Sadler
Head of Delivery and Programmes
Debbie is responsible for designing and delivering the core support Unlock provides to people with criminal records. This includes our online information and advice and online community, our peer-led helpline supporting people in the community and prisons and developing and supporting our community outreach programme. Debbie’s work also includes working with prison staff and other providers to deliver our ‘Moving on with Conviction’ workshops to people in prison.
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Sue Kent
Head of Operations and Finance
Sue supports Unlock in achieving its mission, values and objectives by ensuring robust systems and processes are in place. This includes financial management, systems oversight, data analysis and HR support.
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Doug Yarnton
Helpline coordinator
Doug is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the helpline, supporting our volunteers and maintaining the charity’s position as the go to place online for people with convictions.
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Chris Hoile
Helpline advisor
Chris deals with people who contact our helpline, assisting them to overcome the barriers of having a criminal record.
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Evan Davis
Community Network Coordinator
Evan in responsible for delivering Unlock’s “Better Advice for All” project which aims to connect with community organisations who are on the frontline in offering advice and support to under-represented or minority groups who have a criminal record.
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Mark Chamberlain
Communications and policy officer Mark oversees Unlock’s communications – through the organisation’s social channels as well as the website. This includes day-to-day posts as well as long-term communications planning.He join ...
Our President
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Judge John Samuels KC
Vice-president Judge John Samuels KC sat in the Crown Court for some 27 years, and was later a judicial member of the Parole Board for his maximum tenure of 10 years. In addition to his role at Unlock, he is Vice Pr ...
Our trustees
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Faye Goldman
Chair Faye is Head of Communications at The Health Foundation, where she works on an initiative to improve health and care in the UK. She has a background in charity communications, digital and campaigning, ...
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Leigh Hardy
Vice-Chair Leigh is a consultant specializing in Board assurance, compliance and governance. Before becoming self-employed Leigh worked for 25 years in the NHS in roles relating to governance, compliance and ris ...
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Peter Atherton
Trustee Peter has over a decade of experience developing and scaling up one of the leading lived experience recovery organisations in the UK. Utilising his own lived experience of addiction and the criminal j ...
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Carolyn Braby
Trustee Carolyn Braby has worked in arts and education charities for more than thirty years. She is currently Director of Finance and Operations at Central School of Ballet in London, a vocational dance schoo ...
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Trevor Dighton
Treasurer trustee Trevor is a qualified accountant with a 40 year career in various financial and general management positions both in business and the finance profession, in this country and overseas. For the 18 years ...
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Steve Lorber
Trustee Steve is a solicitor specialising in employment law and workplace data privacy together with advice on charity law and governance. He believes recent data protection law can be used both to limit and ...
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Hamish MacLellan
Trustee Hamish has had a long career in financial services, specialising in European Equities, and has held senior positions at several US investment banks. He is currently in a senior role at an alternative ...
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Rich McStraw
Trustee Rich has been working in the criminal justice space since 2017, and brings his experience in fundraising, impact, finance, and compliance to the Board. He is currently working at StandOut, a prison-ba ...
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Fionnuala Ratcliffe
Trustee Fionnuala is research and policy lead for Transform Justice where she advocates for change on a wide range of criminal justice issues, including court remand for children, the use of detention in poli ...
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Mindy Sanghera
Trustee Mindy is head of equity, diversity and inclusion at a social justice charity, where she combines strategic thinking with a practical approach to building an inclusive culture. As a skilled trainer, sh ...
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Kam Stevens
Trustee Kam Stevens is a filmmaker, prison reform advocate, and programme facilitator, dedicated to driving meaningful change within the criminal justice system. With a passion for storytelling and a deep und ...
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Tom Wheatley
Trustee
Tom started his career in the Prison Service in 1994 as a prison officer and became a prison governor in 2006. Since then, he has managed a range of different prisons in both the public and private sectors and has led the outsourcing of critical services in policing.
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Belinda Winder
Trustee Belinda is a Professor of Forensic Psychology and is Research Director of the Centre of Crime, Offending, Prevention and Engagement (COPE) in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent Universi ...
Our patrons
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Bob Turney
“As one of the founders of Unlock, I was delighted when I was asked to be a Patron of the Charity. It is doing splendid work in helping people to move beyond their pasts and create different lives.”
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Professor Nick Hardwick
“I am really pleased to have this opportunity to support Unlock whose work I have admired for a long time.
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Kate Adie CBE DL
“Unlock recognises that helping ex-prisoners lead normal and fulfilling lives, is beneficial for all. I’m particularly impressed by its practical and supportive approach.”
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Professor Andrew Coyle CMG
“Congratulations on the excellent work which you and your colleagues in Unlock continue to do. I have been a firm supporter since the early days when, what was then the National Association of Ex-offenders, was set up.
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Flo Krause LLB
“I wholly support Unlock’s aims and values. The work that Unlock has done so far in pushing for social rehabilitation of people coming out of prison is invaluable.
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Dr Silvia Casale CMG
“I am constantly impressed by the practical help a small but energetic organisation like Unlock has been able to provide to people in a wide variety of circumstances. Over the years it has been ...
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Dr Deborah Cheney
“What can I say? There is SO much to comment upon about those in prison and those who have been in prison and are trying to recover their lives. Prison, by the very nature of how it operates, both undermines and ‘reduces’ people.
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Dr Shadd Maruna
“It is an honour to be associated with Unlock — you are doing great work”
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Jill Stevens
“The real strength of Unlock is that it is not only run by people who understand the huge challenges faced by those with past convictions, but also that as an organisation it knows how to effectively bring those challenges to the attention of decision makers who can help.
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Matt Hyde FRSA
“People with convictions face so many obstacles to rebuild their lives – whether that be discrimination or lack of practical support. This does them a disservice and is damaging for wider ...
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The Rt Hon. the Lord Garnier KC
“Prisons are a secret world known only to those who work or are imprisoned within them. To the public on the outside it is far too often a matter of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Unlock is one of the vital metaphorical windows through which the public can see into the closed world of the prisoner and learn what is being done in their name,
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Baroness Helena Kennedy KC
“I am so proud to be associated with Unlock. It is a terrific organisation. It does such important work supporting prisoners rebuild their lives on release from prison.
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Dexter Dias KC
Dexter Dias KC is a human rights barrister (King’s Counsel) who played a pivotal role in public inquiries including the Zahid Mubarek Inquiry.