Our Board of Trustees

*Fun Fact - Our Board won in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion catergory at the UK Charity Governance Awards. 

Estifanos Habtesellasie, Chair of Trustees - Estifanos was recently co-opted by the board of trustees to replace Gina and Amanda as Chair of Merton CIL. Members will be asked to vote on this at our AGM later this year. Estifanos began volunteering angetting involved at Merton CIL in 2015 and build his leadership skills and confidence leading him to be elected to our board in 2017. He is Disabled and lives in Merton. Estifanos represents Merton CIL at a number of community engagement meeting and forums. Estifanos is keen to contribute to Merton CILs future direction, the development of our work and services and organisational growth. 

Amanda Edwards, Vice Chair - In 2016, Merton CIL had expanded quickly and needed to sustain that growth and a good reputation. Amanda joined our board, keen to use her experience of how organisations work gained from her time at SCIE & the Department of Health to give an independent view. Amanda enjoyed being on the board because she shared the organisations values of inclusion and equality.

Sarah Henley, Trustee - Sarah is Disabled living in Merton. She brings a sense of fun and adventure to every board meeting. Sarah has been very involved with developing our Craftivism & Chat project as she loves to paint and speak up about issues that affect Disabled people. Sarah enjoys being a trustee as she can use her lived experience to help others and feels that her learning impairment brings a unique perspective to the board

Raheema Hack, Trustee - Raheema is a Disabled Merton resident. She  joined Merton CIL to use her lived experience to fight for the rights of Disabled people and help make things better. Raheema spent years working as a Civil Servant and was on the Disability Advisory Group in her department. Raheema was a founding member of Merton CIL’s monitoring and evaluation steering group, which improved a number of processes and services.

Claire Benjamin, Trustee - Claire is a Visually Impaired mum of 2 Disabled children. She has lived in Merton for over 16 years and was a founding member of Merton CIL. Claire has worked passionately in the public sector for the past 20 years, promoting the involvement of Disabled people in decisions that affect our lives. Claire enjoys being a trustee as it gives her a sense of empowerment and achievement to work with other Disabled people in order to promote equality and independence.

Chris Bull, Trustee - Chris has been involved with Merton CIL since it was a steering group back in 2008. He is Disabled and lives in the east of Merton. Chris has a physical impiarment and uses an electronic wheelchair. He uses his lived experience to make Merton more accessible for all (he is an Access Champion too) and improve the lives of local Disabled people.Daniel Beglin, Trustee - Daniel is an autistic person and identifies as Disabled. He grew up in Merton with Disabled parents. Daniel cares for his mother whilst working as a Community Psychiatric Nurse having registered recently. Whilst at university, Daniel constantly pushed the profile of neurodiverse students and engaged with academic staff on the accessibility of university resources. Daniel first engaged with Merton CIL to work together on addressing the issue of pavement parking, contacting Merton Councillors on this pressing issue multiple times to no avail. Daniel is determined to use his lived experience and knowledge to push to make Merton a more accessible and inclusive borough for Disabled residents.

Kirsten Hellard, Trustee - Kirsten is a Disabled person, a Merton resident, and a mother. She has experienced firsthand the impact Merton CIL has on people's lives, including her own. Kirsten's career has been all about empowering Disabled people in various ways, from care services, to co-designing service spaces and employment projects. She also launched a pilot project for Morden NHS patients with learning disabilities, to ensure they were offered Social Prescribing pro-actively. As a former manager of a care service and staff team, she learned a lot about leadership and solving problems. Kirsten has a strong interest in making sure everyone gets a fair chance, which is where her special interest in human resources and equality law comes in. Kirsten is passionate about Merton CIL's work and uses her lived experience to support our mission. She is dedicated to working with the team to make sure Merton CIL keeps growing and making a difference to the lives of Disabled people in our community.

Eekeen Wong, Treasurer Trustee - Eekeen is driven by the desire to give back to the community and support initiatives that promote wellbeing, social inclusion and Independence for Disabled people. Eekeen has extensive experience in financial services and advisory roles. He brings a strategic and analytical perspective to the board, ensuring that Merton CIL's initiatives are both impactful and sustainable. Eekeen currently works within the European Office for Crestline and prior to this worked at EY within the Origination department, where he identified and advised a mix of corporate clients across Europe and private equity firms on potential investment targets across different sectors. He has an MSc in Taxation Law from Oxford University, a BSc in Accounting and Finance from Warwick University, and he is also Chartered Accountant.

Gina Vettese, Trustee - Gina has been involved in the organisation since it was a steering group. She has been Disabled since she was 13 years old and is a mobility scooter user. Gina lives in Merton and is very passionate about speaking up about accessibility on transport. She is also a talented seamstress and enjoys creating wedding dresses in her spare time. She enjoys being on the board as it gives her a voice and she feels like she is being of service to Disabled people.

Our Staff Team

Charlet, CEO - Charlet was born, raised and lives in Merton. She has a Law degree and previous experience working in communications. Charlet is passionate about mobilising lived experience of barriers to strengthen social justice movements and pushing for more diverse, equitable and inclusive communities. She also has an interest in art and design and how it can be used to push for change. This has helped us to develop our Craftivism & Chat project. 

David, Deputy CEO - David joined Merton CIL in 2019. He has an Economics degree from University College Cardiff, as well as a diploma in Marketing, and has previously held senior positions in Nielsen Market Research, HJ Heinz and IMS Consumer Health. David works to support the development of our organisation and manages our Independence and Inclusion project. 

Stuart, Advice Quality Manager - Stuart joined Merton CIL in 2015. Stuart has an extensive background in advice and advocacy, joining us from Citizens Advice. He read Classics at King's College London and has a degree in Law from Birkbeck, as well as a postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law.

Pippa, Policy and Campaigns Manager - A state secondary school English teacher for thirteen years, and then a carer for her father and a media arts university tutor whilst undertaking a Ph.D., Pippa found herself at a crossroads and decided to become a trainee caseworker in late 2018. Motivated to help Deaf and Disabled people to have greater choice and control, through her casework she gained an understanding of the structural inequities faced by many. Determined to bring about systemic change, she is now our Policy and Campaigns Manager.

Rey, Advice Service Supervisor - Rey joined the Merton CIL team in January 2024. Rey has a degree in Law and Sociology degree from Warwick University and has experience in the charity sector and the civil service. In their spare time, Rey enjoys going to gigs, hiking and all things DIY. 

Maddie, Speaking Up Supervisior - Maddie re-joined Merton CIL in Sept 2024. Maddie previously worked at Merton CIL as a Caseworker after completing our advice trainee programme which she joined in 2020. She graduated with a Classics degree from the University of Warwick. Maddie has lots of paid and voluntary experience in the charity sector. Living with a long-term health condition, Maddie is passionate about raising awareness about living with an impairment, particularly as a young Disabled person. In her spare time Maddie loves going to gigs, outdoor swimming, and singing (usually to herself).

Paula Brown, Caseworker - Paula lives in Merton and joined Merton CIL in 2019. In her spare time Paula enjoys gardening. 

Sarah Jones-Nash, Caseworker - Sarah originally joined Merton CIL in July 2019 as a Casework Support Volunteer. She then progressed on to become our office administrator in October 2020 and in April 2021 joined our casework team as a Trainee. Sarah has a degree in Communications and 10 years experience in the charity sector, working to empower Deaf and Disabled people. In her spare time she enjoys creative writing, going to gigs and swimming.

Miral Shaheen, Caseworker - Miral has a Masters in International Human Rights Law and experience in the charity sector. She is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives. Miral is dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by Disabled people, aiming to create positive change and promote inclusivity.

Lauren Heanon, Project Supervisor - Lauren has experience working within the voluntary sector in Merton. She graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Primary Teaching with Science. In her spare time, Lauren likes to design and create jewellery.

Amelia Knipmeijer, Policy and Campaigns Trainee - Motivated by her lived experience of a long term health condition, Amelia is passionate about making things better for Disabled people. Amelia joined Merton CIL in October 2023 as a Trainee Caseworker after graduating from Roehampton University with a degree in Sociology.  

Philip Stapel, Caseworker - Philip joined Merton CIL in Dec 2023 as a Trainee Caseworker. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis.

Sam Clubb, Project Assistant - TBC

Nara Zaman, Volunteer and Engagement Co-ordinator - Nara has several years of experience working within a DDPO specialising in implementing inclusive and accessible sports and physical activities. Additionally, Nara is a qualified Early Years Educator and has worked across different educational settings in London. Currently, Nara specialises in supporting people to get online and is keen on minimising the digital exclusion amongst marginalised groups. Nara is supporting the Access Champion group in the development of leadership skills, as well as developing our membership and volunteering opportunities.