Honorary Leadership
Eva Schloss MBE – Honorary President (1929 – 2026)
Eva was one of the world’s most prominent survivors of the Holocaust. Born in Austria, her family escaped from the Nazis by moving to Amsterdam, where they were neighbours of the Franks. Both families had to go into hiding on the same day in 1942. Like the Franks, Eva’s family were betrayed and sent to concentration camps in 1944. Eva and her mother survived Auschwitz, but she lost her father and brother. After the War, Eva settled in London, and her mother married Anne Frank’s father Otto.
In 1986, Eva was invited to speak at the first exhibition that the Anne Frank House sent to the UK. Since then she dedicated her life to talking about her experiences, especially to tell the story of her beloved brother Heinz and to call for an end to all forms of racism. She wrote three books: Eva’s Story, After Auschwitz, and The Promise, which is aimed especially at children.
Eva was one of the co-founders of the Anne Frank Trust UK in 1990, and continued to support and guide our work her whole life.
Gillian Walnes Perry MBE – Honorary Vice President
Gillian was a co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust in 1990 and our Executive Director for 26 years. She led the staging of nearly 200 public exhibitions, and created many national campaigns and projects, including the Anne Frank Tree planting programme and much of the schools programme that we continue to run.
Gillian’s book The Legacy of Anne Frank (2018) tells the story of Anne Frank’s exceptional impact on education, politics and culture.
Gillian continues to speak about Anne Frank to many audiences and we are delighted to remain in close contact with her.
Daniel Mendoza OBE – Honorary Vice President
Professionally Daniel advises a spectrum of clients on their commercial property investment aspirations. He joined the industry in 1986 at the age of 17 and is a Founder of Ereira Mendoza – established in 1990. He has been a guest columnist for the leading trade journal Property Week since 2004 providing insight and analysis into unfolding market dynamics. Daniel’s journey to The Anne Frank Trust started in his youth – as an avid listener and observer with a fascination in what shapes and drives peoples’ attitudes and behaviours towards each other and the world around them and the impact this may inform on their life trajectory. In his desire to answer these questions and believing that people are on the whole products of their environments and experiences, Daniel wanted to be involved in an organisation that could bring about long-term attitudinal and behavioural shifts on a significant scale.
Trustees
Nicola Cobbold – Chair
Nicola has spent the past 16 years in the not-for-profit sector, having previously worked as a media and copyright lawyer. A Cambridge graduate, she chaired the PaJes School Wellbeing Project from 2018 – 2022, is a founding shareholder of Social Finance Israel and is currently a Trustee of The Portland Trust, The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe and Bridging Insights. Interspersed with her legal career, Nicola worked in reconciliation and coexistence, compiling a report for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and acting as a Trustee for the Jewish Council for Racial Equality. She also spent eight years as the CEO of The Portland Trust, a British non-profit ‘action tank’, working with a range of partners to help develop the Palestinian private sector and relieve poverty in Israel through entrepreneurship and social impact investment.
Bernard Howard – Vice Chair
While working at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Bernard became ACA qualified. He went on to set up totallylegal.com, a website that became the number 1 legal recruitment company in the UK, and later totallyfinancial.com – a leading financial recruitment website. He is now the director and owner of Portman Scott which is a Sales and Marketing recruitment agency focused on SME’s.
Nicky Wade – Treasurer
Nicky is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for the last ten years, most recently as Director of Finance & Resources at Starlight Children’s Foundation and prior to that at elderly residential care provider Nightingale Hammerson. Having graduated from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne with a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical & Process Engineering, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant with London firm FW, Smith Riches & Co, where she worked in auditing for many years, managing clients ranging from schools and entrepreneurs to subsidiaries of global companies. She then built in-depth business experience as Finance Director and business partner to the Managing Director of nation-wide outdoor fitness company British Military Fitness and now draws on this experience to drive business focus, effectiveness and strong governance in the charity sector. Nicky brings to the Board 30+ years of experience in finance, strategic business planning, risk management, systems, IT & data, governance and HR in fast moving small and medium sized organisations.
Børge Andreassen
Børge is Managing Director of Prospectus, a leading executive search and recruitment business based in London, where he is also a shareholder and Board Director. He advises organisations globally on board appointments, board effectiveness, founder transitions, CEO and leadership recruitment.
Prior to his career in executive search, Børge worked as a journalist and in politics in Norway, where he is from. He read Politics at Norway’s Arctic University in Tromsø and has an MSc in International Relations from Bristol University. He has also lived and studied in the United States.
Børge is also a Governor of the Scandinavian School in London and has previously served as a Trustee of a Citizens Advice Bureau.
Mike Bettles
Mike worked as an English teacher and Head of Department in various schools before becoming deputy at Heathfield Community School in Taunton in 2001. The school has been designated Outstanding since 2003. Mike has also undertaken considerable work for the Taunton Teaching Alliance – including a key role in two successful SSIF bids. Mike was one of the authors of the SSAT Vision 2040 pamphlet, an advisor on the development of the SSATs Framework for Exceptional Education, a contributor to the London Leadership Strategy’s book Gathering Greatness and a regular contributor on International Education to a variety of forums. He has a particular interest in international education, the arts in education and the development of elite sports people. Mike has worked on Erasmus and Comenius projects with schools across Europe and he has advised organisations such as the Fulbright, the LTA and the MCC. In addition to working as a facilitator for Growing the Top, he has worked for Bristol University, the International Baccalaureate Organisation, Erasmus+ and The British Council.
Ruth Fenton
Ruth is an experienced educator and school leader with a deep-rooted commitment to challenging prejudice and fostering inclusion. A Teach First alumna, she has spent many years in the classroom and in senior leadership roles, where she has consistently championed research based practice and the wellbeing of all pupils. She holds a Master’s in Leadership in Education from the UCL Institute of Education, as well as an MSc in War and Psychiatry from King’s College London, where her research focused on the psychological impact of trauma. This academic foundation has significantly shaped her approach to curriculum development and pastoral strategy—bringing a nuanced understanding of how trauma influences learning and behaviour.
Now working as a consultant at the Harris Federation, Ruth supports system-wide school improvement, driven by a belief in educational equity and the transformative power of learning. She is particularly focused on ensuring all students—regardless of background—have the opportunity to succeed and thrive. As a trustee—and proud supporter—of the Anne Frank Trust, Ruth is dedicated to advancing the charity’s vital mission: educating young people about the dangers of antisemitism and all forms of prejudice, and empowering them to build a more compassionate, inclusive society.
Emma Hayman
Emma is an experienced educator and expert in curriculum. She works at Oak National Academy, developing curricula and products used in schools nationally. Her work spans a range of subjects and key stages, with a focus on quality, coherence and communication.
Prior to this, Emma spent over a decade in secondary school leadership, where she was responsible for sixth form provision and teaching and learning, as well as leadership of the history curriculum. Emma has also worked as a teacher-in-residence at the Department for Education.
Emma holds a First-Class Honours degree in History and a Master’s in Educational Leadership. She brings to the Anne Frank Trust a deep belief in the power of education to challenge antisemitism and all forms of prejudice.
Stacey Langham
Alongside her professional work, Stacey previously served as Global Co-Chair of the American Express Leadership Academy Alumni Taskforce and is a weekly volunteer with the Association of Jewish Refugees. She has a degree in French and Latin from the University of Birmingham.
Fayga Brisman Taylor
Fayga is a Senior Philanthropy Relationship Manager at The Michael J. Fox Foundation. As a senior fundraiser, Fayga develops and implements strategies to engage the broader community in a mission to speed a cure for Parkinson’s, helping ensure that the Foundation raises sufficient dollars to fund its ambitious research agenda.
She speaks about the Foundation’s activities at support groups and conferences, as well as meeting one-on-one with patients, caregivers, donors and other MJFF constituents and stakeholders.
Fayga graduated from Thomas Edison University with a Bachelors in Education. She earned a Masters in Library and Information Sciences from Pratt Institute and a certificate in Philanthropy from Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Prior to joining MJFF, she worked at Amud Aish Memorial Museum and Yeshiva University where she was responsible for fundraising and event planning.
Fayga is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but currently splits her time between Brooklyn, New York and London, England.
Miranda Wayland
Miranda currently works as Head of international Strategy and content for Amazon Studios and Prime Video. In this role she has launched the Prime Video Pathway aimed at diversifying the entertainment workforce and making on-and-off screen roles more accessible — and multiple programs dedicated to increasing gender representation in key crew roles. Miranda is also in the process of expanding a film apprenticeship program at Feltham Young Offenders Institution. Miranda was awarded as an inspirational leader by the Precious Awards, and received a ‘Special Recognition Award’ at the Asian Media Awards for her contribution and dedication to diversity and inclusion within the media industry.
Advisors
Alistair Falk – Advisory Member to the Education Committee
Alastair has been a Headteacher of three schools, one Jewish primary, one Jewish secondary and one all-through mainstream Academy. He has also worked for a number of education charities and was the first CEO of the Birmingham Education Partnership, a city wide education organisation. He was the first Director of Education for the Careers and Enterprise Company and he was the founding Director of Partnerships for Jewish Schools . In 2019 he established Tsitsit, the world’s first Jewish themed Fringe Festival. He passionately believes that only through meeting and listening to the other, can we understand ourselves sufficiently to avoid repeating the errors and horrors of the past.
Kirsty Robson – Advisory Member to the Communications Committee
Passionate about Holocaust education and genocide prevention, Kirsty Robson has held various positions within the third sector including leading and supporting international campaigns for human rights. She serves as the External Engagement Manager for the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, working with key stakeholders in civic, faith and political spheres, and as the Outreach Officer for Scotland for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, leading engagement across the region. Kirsty has a degree in Politics and Policy from the University of the West of Scotland where she completed her dissertation on legislation around digital antisemitism.
Joel Davis – Advisory Member to the Communications Committee
Joel Davis boasts over two decades of experience in performance marketing., beginning his journey began at Virgin Media, then moving onto British Airways, where he played a pivotal role in bolstering online sales. Following this, Joel joined MRM Worldwide (McCann) as a senior digital planner. In 2007, Joel established Mighty Social, Europe’s first Social Media Agency, now an award-winning powerhouse that has attracted a diverse clientele including Mattel, Microsoft, BUPA, Sony, Spurs, and Mercedes. Today, Mighty Social is in the coveted top 20% of the Inc. 5000 List of Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies and Joel has been a four-time recipient of the prestigious FT and Deloitte fast growth awards.
Joel is a founding member of the DMA’s Social Media and serves as a judge for DMA awards. He is a proud member of the 2022 Forbes Business Council and is a regular speaker at universities and marketing events.
In 2023, Joel founded Supportweneed.com, an innovative platform dedicated to assisting individuals in their pursuit of quality and affordable therapists and coaches to support their mental health and overall well-being.
Joel’s work in the non-profit world includes assisting in the expansion of JNetics, encouraging people to attend screenings and helping with the website. He has also assisted BICOM drive up their supporter subscriptions.