Our trustees
Our experienced, dedicated board provides advice and helps steer the strategic direction of Good Things Foundation. As well as our external trustees, we have three staff trustees, elected by the staff body.
Liz Williams MBE - Board Chair
CEO, FutureDotNow
Liz is a long-term campaigner on the importance of everyone benefitting from digital technology. She is CEO of FutureDotNow, a business to business coalition focused on accelerating the UK’s digital skills at scale. Prior to that, she was Director of Digital Society for BT Group responsible for their digital and social inclusion strategies and cross-sector collaborations with government, civil society and other leading businesses.
Liz is Chair of the Good Things Foundation, and a trustee of the London Transport Museum. She sits on the Board of the Government’s Digital Skills Partnership and was appointed a Social Mobility Commissioner in 2018.
Liz was awarded an MBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to digital literacy and social inclusion. In 2020 she was named by Computer Weekly in the top thirty most influential women in UK IT and Women in Telecoms 2020 finalist at the World Communications Awards.
David Bernard
Executive in the data and software industry
David started his career in strategy consulting and corporate finance, before entering the data and software industry 19 years ago with a number of global executive roles at Thomson Reuters and Experian. He is passionate about digital transformation and about building great digital experiences using data and software.
Helen Milner OBE
Group Chief Executive & staff trustee
Helen’s job is to keep all of the plates spinning! She’s both hands-off - planning for an ambitious future - and hands-on - motivating the team and our partners to do the best they possibly can. She’s passionate about helping people to get the most out of the web and all of the opportunities it brings. She loves talking to the people in local communities who make it all come together, and to the wonderful people who have taken the plunge to do something different and digital with their lives.
Hannah Whelan
Staff elected trustee
As well as being staff trustee, Hannah leads on Good Things Foundation's advocacy efforts. Hannah works across teams to shape creative campaigns that lobby political actors and move people to action to tackle the UK's digital divide.
Julie Hawker MBE
Joint CEO at Cosmic
Julie's core responsibilities include strategic leadership, overseeing delivery of business plan, supporting staff and working with partners and clients. Julie previously worked as CEO at the regional social enterprise network, and also as social enterprise ambassador for the SW region. She is also a Trustee of Devon Air Ambulance, and a non-executive director at South West Business Council.
Skilled in leadership and its development, strategic management, partnership development, project design and development, coaching and mentoring for leaders; Julie is passionate about both digital inclusion and social enterprise, as well as building and supporting people and teams.
Louise Branch
Staff elected trustee
Louise Branch is a staff-elected member, currently working as Community Engagement Manager at Good Things Foundation, responsible for gathering and sharing insights from the Digital Inclusion Network and designing and delivering our training and support offer. Louise has previous experience working in learning and inclusion with a focus on community. She first came into contact with Good Things Foundation through her voluntary work as an English language tutor at one of our network partner organisations.
Naureen Khan
Chief of Staff, Accenture
Naureen is Chief of Staff to the CEO of Accenture’s Government practice. Prior to joining Accenture, she held a number of senior roles, including Director of Government Relations at Computacenter and Director of Public Services at techUK which is the trade association for the UK tech industry. She started her career in the field of Equality and Human Rights, working for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the NSPCC leading their policy and public affairs work at EU and International level.
Naureen is Chair of techUK's Central Government Council - a group of senior industry leaders representing views of tech companies to government. She is also a Governor of Laycock Primary School in Islington.
Nicola Wallace Dean
Programme Lead, Starting Point Community Learning Partnership
Nicola is the Programme Lead for the Starting Point Community Learning Partnership in Stockport, a social enterprise focused on creating exceptional community learning spaces. She also has more than 10 years experience in developing and delivering IT training for organisations including IBM, Merseyside Police and the Ministry of Justice.
She describes herself as ‘passionate about increasing social and digital inclusion by listening to people, working out what drives them and encouraging them to take positive action to bring about change’.
Roy Clare CBE
Culture Sector Professional
Chair of Chelmsford Cultural Development Trust, Trustee of The Heritage Alliance and a Deputy Lieutenant and Parish Councillor in Essex, Roy is involved in various activities that nourish creativity and strengthen community life.
Formerly Director of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand, he was previously a rear admiral in the Royal Navy.
Roy has long prioritised digital investment for positive social outcomes. As an experienced board member, he is an advocate for empathetic leadership, based on respect for diversity and equality.
Tom Hillsdon
Staff elected trustee
Tom is a Project Manager at Good Things Foundation, responsible for digital inclusion and internal change projects, improving the lives of those facing digital exclusion. Prior to joining Good Things Foundation, Tom worked in the Higher Education sector enhancing students’ experiences and supporting students from under-represented backgrounds, whilst also volunteering for several years with a charity supporting people living with HIV across Greater Manchester.
Vinous Ali
Director and Head of the technology practice at Public First
Vinous brings a host of experience from the technology world, at techUK and Public First, and the political sphere, as former Deputy Director of Communications, and Senior Policy Adviser with the Liberal Democrats.