Annette Andrews Chair of the Board - Annette is experienced as an Executive in the Corporate sector as a Chief People Officer Expand Chair of the Board Annette has extensive experience as an Executive in the Corporate sector as a Chief People Officer, with a cross sector career in Human Resources. An authentic leader and subject matter expert, with Change Management and Transformation experience. She is passionate about supporting individuals and organisations achieve their full potential. Annette has an MBA; she is also a certified Executive and Life Coach, a qualified Mediator and Mental Health First Aider. She has set up her own Coaching & Consulting business, combining this with Non-Executive & Advisory roles. In her personal life Annette is divorced with two sons who are now at University; she has personal and family experience of the challenges facing new parents, and knows how the right support at the right time can make all the difference. In her spare time she enjoys long walks with her dog Barkley.
Celia Suppiah Chief Executive Officer - Celia is a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse and founder of Parents 1st Expand Chief Executive Officer Celia’s commitment to early prevention volunteering began in Essex in 1990 when, working as a health visitor, she recognised that many parents feel fearful or wary of professionals. Celia established a 'Community Mums and Dads' volunteer peer support programme. Drawing on the strengths of local mothers she found them uniquely placed to offer a different kind of support to parents on her caseload. Celia is passionate about raising awareness of the unique contribution of volunteering to achieving outcomes for parents and children. The Essex programme became a national model of good practice and Celia began supporting other organisations to develop similar Community Parent programmes. In 2004 Celia gained a 'Leading Practice through Research' Award from the Health Foundation and spent two years working with and evaluating 10 Community Parent Programmes that she had helped to establish across the UK. Inspired by the findings, Celia resigned from a long career in the NHS and established Parents 1st as an independent social enterprise in 2008. As CEO of Parents 1st, Celia’s vision and commitment is to promote, support and develop autonomous Community Parent programmes across the UK of the highest quality. This means providing quality support, resources and learning networks to equip others to deliver effective early prevention volunteering that empowers parents to give their babies the best possible start in life. In 2010 Celia and her team established a new 'Pregnancy Pal and Birth Buddy' volunteer programme in South Essex. In 2013 Celia won the UnLtd Big Venture Challenge to scale the impact of this innovative new programme. In 2015 the NESTA and Cabinet Office Social Action Innovation Fund supported Celia further and two licensed affiliate programmes were established in Tower Hamlets and Derby. Other achievements include a Parents 1st National City & Guild Accreditation Centre providing unique opportunities for volunteers to gain national qualifications drawing on their experience of supporting parents in the natural volunteer setting. Celia has a background in midwifery and has over 30 years’ experience as a public health nurse. She has a master’s degree in Public Health (Health Visiting) and is an Honorary Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute.
Jenny McLeish Board Advisor - Jenny is a Specialist Researcher pregnancy, early years and peer support. Expand Board Advisor After many years working in the voluntary sector, Jenny is currently a Health Services Researcher at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit where she has been researching the impact on parents and volunteers of different models of pregnancy and postnatal peer support. As an Associate of the Institute for Voluntary Action Research she carried out an evidence review of the impact of volunteers on early childhood outcomes, to support the development of the A Better Start programmes. She is also studying for a PhD evaluating the effectiveness of peer support for mothers with perinatal mental illness and the process of setting up new volunteer projects.
Jo Robins Non-Executive Director - Jo is an Independent Public Health Consultant. Expand Non-Executive Director Jo has over twenty years’ experience of working in the NHS and local government at a strategic and operational level. She has worked as a practitioner in the community, as an NHS manager and at senior level as a public health consultant. She has extensive experience of collaborative work across the NHS, local government, police and voluntary sector services. Jo is on the voluntary register for public health and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. She is also a faculty member of the Sustainable Improvement Team (NHS England, previously NHS Improving Quality), and a Level One Trainer for the Skills Deployment Inventory. She currently has a dual role as Programme Director Transformation/Public Health Consultant across an NHS health economy and local authority. "I enjoy the challenge of partnership working and I’m passionate about improving services for children and young people especially around emotional health, wellbeing and resilience."
Melanie Eichhorn-Schurig Melanie Eichhorn-Schurig joined Parents 1st initially as NED Finance in early 2018. She was CEO from 2019 - 2021 and now continues to support the Board. Expand Melanie Eichhorn-Schurig joined Parents 1st initially as NED Finance in early 2018. She took up the position as CEO in June 2019 until late 2021 and is now supporting the Board, continuing to be a valued member of the Parents 1st Essex team. Melanie holds a Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from Said Business School (Oxford University), the FT NED Diploma, a LL.M. and a masters level degree in Business Administration. She has extensive experience within the Financial Services industry where she worked most recently as a Programme Manager. Prior to that, she worked as Head of Internal Audit for a brokerage firm and has held a number of positions within Internal Audit and Compliance. Melanie has a keen interest in social finance and during her time as CEO sought ways to ensure that Parents 1st Essex could enhance its financial sustainability. 'I am very proud to continue supporting the board following my return to a role as a project manager within the financial services industry.'