Our Trustees

Coram Beanstalk has an experienced, dedicated and specialist Board of Trustees who volunteer their time to govern the organisation and direct our strategy. 

Jill Pay, Chair

Appointed as the first female Serjeant at Arms in the House of Commons in 2008, retiring in 2012. Currently Chair of the businesswomen's network The Pink Shoe Senate and also a Coram Beanstalk reading helper.

Hanif Barma, Treasurer 

Founder of governance consultancy Board Alchemy, specialising in board, risk and assurance effectiveness reviews and advisory work.  He also brings extensive accounting and finance experience from his earlier career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.  A board member of Southwark Cathedral Enterprises and a member of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee at the Department for International Trade.

Magdalene Bayim-Adomako 

A senior legal counsel with over 25 years of experience in international financial markets. She was most recently head of the London Banking department at White & Case. She is currently a freelance consultant and trustee to a number of charities

Dr Bobbie Jacobson OBE

Currently a Senior Associate in the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with three decades experience of working in the NHS and charitable sectors. Previous roles include Director of Public Health in the East End of London and Director of the London Health Observatory. Volunteer experience includes with Coram Beanstalk, refugee and homeless charities, her children’s schools, and Amnesty International. 

Kim Johnson

Chairman of Coram Life Education Trustees and also serves on the Coram board. Has worked in teaching and education for 39 years. Was a University Visiting Lecturer on Behaviour, an OFSTED Team Inspector, President of the National Association of Head Teachers, and is a retired SEND Academy Principal. Currently an International School Ambassador for the British Council, Speaker at Westminster Forum and all Party Parliamentary Groups on SEND, and is an Education Adviser for Cavendish Free School in Cambridgeshire. Kim’s interests include fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK, and walking in the Yorkshire Dales.

Saana Karki

Experienced management consultant at PA Consulting, involving high profile, senior level engagements with organisations such as MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency), NCS, Network Rail, Thomson Reuters and Linklaters. Expert facilitator at Henley Business School.

Sarah Macpherson

Former teacher and worked for a number of years as a Coram Beanstalk reading helper. As well as being in education, she has worked in the charity sector for the last 20 years, most recently in Development for the British Red Cross.

Viral Mehta

Investment Director at private equity firm, Bridgepoint. Currently on the Board of Oasis Dental and Care UK, and previously a trustee of Ocean Maths, a charity focussed on improving maths attainment levels through combined parent and pupil teaching methods.

Philip Nelson

Director of Executive Search at Harris Hill, working across the civil society space, through which he has developed a number of long term relationships with senior figures within the commercial, financial services, public and not for profit sectors and within parliament. Chair of the 7/7 Memorial Trust.