• Our trustees and patrons

Trustees

  • Claire Cater, Chair

    FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE SOCIAL KINETIC

    Claire is a human centred design and engagement strategist. Passionate about story telling, fascinated by peoples lives and the power of listening deeply to understand the experiences, ideas and needs of individuals and communities. She works around the world, with the NHS, government and corporations like Google and IBM, co-designing the answers to some today’s biggest challenges by engaging the people involved. Re-imaging better futures, ways of living and thriving in communities, systems and organisations. Improving wellbeing, health services and addressing issues such as hate crime. Co-designing technology that is wanted and needed and ideally loved by the people that use it.

    ”It’s a privilege to play our part in providing the gift of capturing the voice and stories of loved ones to live on with their families and loves ones”

  • David G V Smith

    ECONOMIST AND BID WRITER

    David is an economist who founded Triple Line Consulting, an international development consultancy company in 1999 based in London which grew to a team of 27 staff and was then sold to IPE Global, India in 2017. His awareness of the powerful effect of the spoken word in recording memories was stimulated during his time with the Coffee Industry Corporation in Papua New Guinea (1990-1993), working with smallholder coffee growers whose elders pass on wisdom and advice to coffee growing and life skills to the next generation through a series of formal and informal meetings. David is a listener, mentor and leader at the Eastbourne branch of the Samaritans providing listening support to callers in the UK going through a difficult time.

  • Sunil Sheth

    SENIOR PARTNER OF FLADGATE LLP, SOLICITORS

    Sunil is Senior Partner with Fladgate LLP, a prestigious law firm with an international practice serving a wide range of corporate, institutional and private clients. He is also the Founder and former Chairman of the Society of Asian Lawyers in the UK. Sunil has an impressive charity track-record as Chair of Sense International, which assists children and young adults suffering from deafblindness. He has previously been Trustee and Vice Chair of Victim Support, and a Trustee of One World Media.

    “It has to be a unique and wonderful emotion to be able to be able to hear the voices of your loved ones as they tell their life stories. It can be a reflective and calming experience.”

  • Barbara Altounyan

    FOUNDER AND TRUSTEE

    Barbara created The Hospice Biographers in November 2017. She recorded her very first audio biography many years ago when she learned that her own father was terminally ill. Barbara suggested to her family that she should record her father’s life story whilst there was still time. Barbara postponed her BBC TV career, “borrowed” a recorder from the Beeb and set about recording her father’s entire life story. Two weeks after completion he sadly died. Not surprisingly, all the members of her family then wanted copies of her audio interviews and today those life story recordings remain one of her family’s greatest heirlooms. Later Barbara resumed her career in TV where she still works today.

  • Stevan Jackson

    MA, FHEA, FInstLM, FCMI, MCGI, CHARTERED FCIPD – CHAIR VISTAGE CEO GROUP 430

    Steve’s working life started underground as a coal miner. He joined the Royal Navy where demanding jobs afloat, ashore, and abroad saw him rise to the rank of Captain. After the RN he has been a successful business leader. From 2013 to 2020 he was CEO of the Mary Stevens Hospice, Stourbridge – achieving both QAVS and an ‘Outstanding’ CQC assessment. It was thanks to him that we were able to launch our first training pilot at his hospice in May 2017. Steve Chairs a Vistage Group helping successful CEOs to become better leaders, make better decisions and get better results. “The thought of my great-grandchildren being able to hear me talk about my life story is somehow comforting.”

  • Louise Gloyne

    HEAD OF PHILANTHROPY, GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS, HAVEN’S HOSPICE

    Louise has worked for 28 years at Havens Hospices holding a variety of positions including Director. She oversaw the funding for the children hospice, Little Havens and more recently the £17.5 million build of the adult Hospice Fair Havens. A magistrate for 29 years, Louise regularly sit in adult courts and in the court of Appeals.

    “I joined Stories for Life because I feel so much of history is going to be lost and not passed down from generation to generation”

  • Andrew Snelgrove

    SENIOR PARTNER ARQUE CONSULTING, ACCOUNTANTS

    Andrew is a partner at Arque Consulting, a firm of accountants based in Southeast England, which has been trading, since 1992, with approximately five hundred personal and business clients. He is also a trustee of The Chartwell Charities, which operate in the London Boroughs of Bromley and Croydon, helping to finance cancer units at the NHS hospitals in those areas.

    “Being a keen family tree 'geek', I heard about the charity and thought what a lovely idea to be able to listen to your ancestor's thoughts and memories, which would be lost once they were no longer here."

Patrons

  • Tommy Walsh

    A PROFESSIONAL BUILDER, AUTHOR AND TV STAR

  • Professor Baroness Finlay of Llandaff

    CONSULTANT IN PALLIATIVE CARE MEDICINE AND AN INDEPENDENT CROSS-BENCH MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS

  • Dr Ros Taylor MBE

    CONSULTANT IN PALLIATIVE CARE MEDICINE

  • Claire Henry

    PALLIATIVE ENGAGEMENT CONSULTANT, FORMER DIRECTOR OF HOSPICE UK

  • John Greenwood

    PHARMA CORPORATE FILM PRODUCER AND LIFE BIOGRAPHER

We’d love to hear from you

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hospice

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organisation

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