Meet the team

IPS Grow Lead, North

Mairi Fraser

Mairi has over 17 years’ experience of working within employability, including 8 years of working directly with the IPS model of support. She has worked as a Service Manager across a variety of cohorts with multiple teams- such as drugs and alcohol services, serious mental health and IAPT. Mairi has delivered a number of IPS randomised controlled trials and also recently spent 2 years supporting OHID with the national expansion of IPS in treatment services. Her own interests include running (jogging!), playing the piano, and spending time with my family.

Support Lead for the Midlands

Kate Allsopp

Kate’s role here at Social Finance is IPS support lead and she works with the IPS Grow Team. Kate has worked as a Senior Employment Specialist with one of the new drug and alcohol sites and previously as an Employment Specialist with the NHS in secondary mental health services.

Support Lead for the Midlands

Tracy Elsdon

Tracy has been supporting people into employment for the past 25 years within the West Midlands. Tracy’s experience includes working on various Government welfare initiatives such as New Deal programs and serving as an Incapacity Benefit Specialist. Tracy’s recent role at Shaw Trust has fueled her passion for Individual Placement and Support (IPS), and she is excited to join Social Finance to further promote IPS as the best support for individuals with health issues and disabilities.

IPS Grow Lead - South

Laura Chisholm

Laura joined IPS Grow in November as a Lead in the South team. She has 5 years of experience in IPS, from Employment Specialist to Service Manager, and has also worked as a Service Manager for a Personalised Care team in South West London.

Director – IPS Grow

Niall O’Reilly

Regional Manager - South of England

Amelia Willett

Amelia joined as an IPS Grow Lead in October 2021 and then moved into the role as Regional Manager in June 2022. Amelia started her IPS career in Australia before relocating to the UK where she managed IPS teams in East London.

Regional Manager - Midlands and East of England

Gareth Hayes

Gareth is the regional IPS Grow manager for the Midlands and the East and has an extensive background supporting people with substance misuse experiences, mental health issues or disabilities to find meaningful and lasting work.

IPS Grow Regional Manager - North

Nosheen Zabir

Nosheen is the IPS Grow Regional Manager for the North. She joins the team with an extensive background of working in the NHS, supported employment and 7 years’ experience as an IPS Team Lead in Bradford.

IPS Grow Lead - Midlands

Adele Marshall

Adele joined the IPS Grow team in April 2020 as the IPS Grow lead for the Midlands and has been working in supported employment since 2001 which began with Enable in Shropshire.

IPS Grow Lead - South

Marina Frias Padron

Marina has joined Social Finance as one of the IPS Grow Regional Leads for London. Prior to this, she spent 4 years in IPS as an Employment Specialist, SES and Service Manager in both SMI and Drug & Alcohol services.

IPS Grow Lead - Midlands

Mathew Clarke

Mathew is IPS Grow Lead for the Midlands. He has worked in the delivery of IPS and supported employment services since 2015.

IPS Grow Lead - South

Flippa Watkeys

Flippa has been working in the NHS in mental health in a variety of roles for over 30 years. More recently, she has been setting up and leading an IPS service in Plymouth. Flippa has a clinical background as an Occupational Therapist and has also worked in strategic level posts.

IPS Grow Lead - South East

Stewart Cornelius

Stewart is the IPS Grow lead for the South East. He joins the team with 5 years direct experience of IPS delivery, working within a Centre of excellence and as a Team Leader.

IPS Grow Lead South East

Adam Hodgkin

Adam has over 20 years‘ experience in supporting people into employment, including 12 years of working in IPS in a variety of roles including employment specialist, team leader and service lead overseeing multiple employment contracts covering serious mental health and drug and alcohol services across Sussex.

IPS Grow Lead - North of England

Laura Baines

Laura is an IPS Grow Lead for the North West. She has 9 years’ experience in supporting people into work, and 3 years’ experience of Supported Employment delivery. Laura joins us from Blackpool Council where she worked as a Team Lead for 2 Employment Teams delivering IPS within both an SMI, and a Substance Misuse setting.

IPS Grow Lead - North West

Joss Hardisty

He has over twenty years’ experience of supporting people with mental health issues to find work and was part of the team that implemented the UK’s first IPS services at South West London & St. George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.

IPS Grow Lead - North East & Yorkshire

Yasmin Begum

Yasmin is an IPS Grow Lead for the North East & Yorkshire. She has over 6 years’ experience in Supported Employment including working as a Team Lead for an Employment Team consisting of IPS, Retention as well as Training and Education Specialists.

IPS Grow Lead - East of England

Joanne Barber

Joanne joined Social Finance in March 2021 as the IPS Grow Regional Lead for the East of England and has been supporting people into employment for the past 3 years within the West Midlands To learn more about Joanne, Click here: https://ipsgrow.org.uk/resource/spotlight-on-joanne-barber/

IPS Grow Lead - North East & Yorkshire

Georgia Saxelby

Georgia is the IPS Grow Lead for North East & Yorkshire. Prior to this, Georgia spent 3 years working as an Employment Specialist, Team lead and Performance Manager in North East Trailblazer.

IPS Grow - Regional Consultant

Calvin Silvester

Calvin has a strong background in IPS, having worked as a Practitioner, Team Lead, and Implementation Manager in IPS Employment Services in both the NHS and the Third Sector.

IPS Grow Business Manager

Jan Hadfield

Jan joined IPS Grow in March 2021 as the Regional Lead for the South West England. Jan has worked in supported employment since 2015. Jan now works as the IPS Grow Business Manager.

IPS Grow - Data Analyst

Julia Poduska

Julia joined Social Finance in July 2023 as an IPS Grow Analyst. Before joining Social Finance, she worked in the Research and Insight team at Healthwatch England, an organisation committed to listening to patients and improving health and social care services.

IPS Grow - Analyst

Lola Olowofela

Lola joined as an IPS Grow Analyst in October 2023 and has been at Social Finance since 2021. Since starting at the organisation, she has been on projects focusing on LGBTQ+ Young people in care and projects assisting those with severe mental health problems accessing meaningful work. Lola has worked with charities assisting young people in lower-income areas before joining Social Finance.

IPS Grow - Senior Analyst

Karuna Menon

Karuna joined the IPS Grow team in 2023. Prior to this, she spent three years at a New Delhi-based nonprofit working in project and stakeholder management.

IPS Grow Lead - London

Julia Stapleton

Julia started working for Social Finance and took on the role of IPS Grow Lead for London in March 2019. Her journey with Individual Placement and Support services began in 2005 as an Employment Specialist for the pioneering South West London and St George’s Trust.

IPS Grow - Workforce & Engagement Manager

Tina Latimir-Jones

Tina has experience working across the healthcare and private recruitment industry in both a marketing and recruitment capacity.