Our Staff
The Renewal Programme has some incredible staff working, behind the scenes, who are all dedicated to transforming the lives of, and empowering, Newham residents.
Senior Management Team
Peter
Chief Executive Officer
Having joined The Renewal Programme as Chief Executive Officer in March 2020, it’s Peter’s responsibility to make major decisions about the charity, manage the overall operations and resources and act as the main point of contact between the board of trustees and general operations.
Peter has spent the last 30 years working within the non-profit and educational sectors in Newham and his passion lies in working collaboratively to bring out the best in people and communities.
Louise
Director of Training & Youth
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Louise has been with The Renewal Programme since 2005 as the driving force behind our Training & Youth projects. With a background in both, she has extensive experience in the development and delivery of education and youth programmes through contract and grant funding.
Louise is committed to providing opportunities for the local community, enabling them to gain necessary skills and the confidence to lead fulfilled and successful lives.
Damian
Director of Support and Empowerment
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As Director of Support & Empowerment, Damian works across the organisation providing guidance & support to several of our projects, those who work within them & our service users.
With 20 years’ experience in sectors such as mental health, criminal justice, substance misuse and homelessness, Damian is passionate about creating enriching opportunities for service users that engage in a variety of specialist services provided by The Renewal Programme
Viola
Director of Operations
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As Director of Operations Viola works across functions providing oversight, support and leadership in areas such as quality and compliance, HR, learning and development, and information systems.
Before joining the Renewal Programme, Viola held various management and leadership roles in the charity sector, heading trans-formative projects in homelessness services, migrants charities and adult education.
Advice and Support
Humera
RAMP Support Worker
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Humera has been working at The Renewal Programme since 2016 within RAMP as a service case worker. Alongside providing support, advocacy and advice to service users, Humera also organises our bi-weekly food bank, working with local businesses and donors to ensure vulnerable people within Newham have access to essential items.
Humera is passionate about working with vulnerable individuals; she believes in empowering unheard individuals and families from all walks of life.
Sylwia
Asylum & Immigration Service Manager
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Sylwia joined the Renewal Programme from a private sector in April 2021 as an Immigration Advisor, having worked for and managed ILAS (LLP) and IMMIGRA LEX Legal Consortium (ILLC) in the past, where she specialised in deportation and EU cases. She obtained LLM in International Law and possess qualifications to provide immigration services from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX Level 6) and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC Level 3) and has over 19 years of experience as a senior caseworker, advocate and the OISC supervisor.
On the 28th of September 2022 she has been awarded Law Fellowship by the UEL Royal Docks School of Business and Law for her work with law students under partnership with the UEL Legal Advice Centre.
In November 2022 Sylwia was invited to join the UEL Law Advisory Board.
Her immigration guides and articles appeared on gov.pl and an internet portal Emito.com.
Sylwia helps destitute and vulnerable asylum seekers and undocumented migrants to regularise their stay in the UK. She is responsible for training of prospective immigration advisors and immigration casework volunteers, as well as the OISC regulatory and compliance matters.
She has worked on various projects designed to prevent destitution of the RP service users, Local authority, NHS, local charities and the food banks clients around Newham
Kadiza
Stay Warm in Newham Project Coordinator
Luis
Warm Welcome Host
Robert
Surplus Food Partnership Coordinator
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As our Surplus Food Partnerships Coordinator, Robert is responsible for running our Community Pantry whilst ensuring we are stocking this with culturally appropriate food to meet the needs of our diverse community. The food that we stock in the pantry is sourced from local businesses who are willing to donate their surplus food to us and other members within the Newham Food Alliance. Our team will collect and deliver the food on our carbon neutral electric cargo bikes. This logistics aspect is a key part of the project to ensure we provide a sustainable service in a net zero capacity.
Rob has two years previous experience working with cargo bikes in logistics, and has five years of general Logistics Management knowledge. He is excited to apply his knowledge and experience to help fight food poverty within Newham in his new role with us.
Leonie
Activation and Wellbeing Coordinator
Somia
Community HUB Coordinator
Jason
Community Hub and Engagement Coordinator
Training and Education
Indumati
Senior Administrator
Nicola
IT Tutor / Administrator
Victor
ESOL Tutor
Gurizat
ESOL Tutor
Jo
ESOL Tutor
Natalia
ESOL Tutor
Jolanta
ESOL Tutor
Melanie
Volunteer Project Manager
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Melanie has been in charge of our Volunteering Programme since November 2020.
Having grown up in the French Alps, her background involves working with asylum seekers on the French-Italian border; she has spent most of her career working with refugees and migrants.
Melanie is particularly passionate about supporting our service users into volunteering. She believes in the power of volunteering to help people feel that they are valued parts of their community.
Thang
Volunteer Coordinator
Admin
Shirley
Centre Manager
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Shirley joined the Renewal Programme back in 2010 and has become an integral part of the team, working across the organisation via HR, finance, support services and facilities management. Over the years, Shirley has continued to form strong relationships with community organisations, clients and donors.
She can often be found at our HQ, 395 High Street North
Smita
Receptionist/Admin
Yogarani
Receptionist/Admin
Iman
Communications and Marketing Lead
Kate
Communications and Marketing Intern
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Kate stumbled across the Renewal Programme for a 70 day placement in 2021. After the completion of her placement she stayed on to volunteer until the intern role opened up.
The Renewal Programme helped Kate find a way to channel her passions and love for the community by taking action in her day to day life.
Ruban
Maintenance Person
Youth and Young Carers
Joseph
Youth Coordinator and Young Carers Manager
Rubina
Administrator and Young Carers Support Worker
Haden
Senior Youth Support Worker
Marie
Youth Support Worker
Housing
Jubada
Housing Services Manager
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As Housing Services Manager Jubada Hakim joined The Renewal Programme in June 2023. She is responsible for overseeing the Single Homeless Rough Sleepers Pathway managing the Adult Services & Young People’s provision across Newham.
Jubada has a 22-year background of working within various local authority commissioned Housing Related Services (HRS) around London & Essex and has also trained as a Social Worker in Child Protection.
Jubada is committed to working with people that have faced difficult lives and is keen to work with service users in a trauma informed way to enable them to better understand and overcome these challenges. She is looking forward to working with RP and its Commissioners to understand and respond to the root causes of homelessness.
Phillip
Night Concierge
Peter
Night Concierge
Henry
Night Concierge
Almir
Supported Housing Concierge
Edna
Support Worker
Noshein
Support Worker
Our Staff
The above individuals provide only a snapshot into the people behind the Renewal Programme; each project has a dedicated department and many staff work across the organisation. The Renewal Programme is made up of a team who believe in supporting individuals to make positive changes to their lives. We believe that a holistic, person-centred approach is the best way to truly achieve these changes.
The people at the Renewal Programme share the visions and values of our organisation. We’re all driven by the idea that we can truly make a difference to the borough.
Our Values
Dignity: treating everyone with kindness and respect.
Inclusion: a community where everyone belongs.
Collaboration: working together to achieve more.
Empowerment: co-creating opportunities for positive change.
Join the Team
Since the Renewal Programme was founded in 1971, our team have always been committed to community care and development. We’re drawn to people with a deep sense of dignity, inclusion, collaboration and empowerment – our values.
If you would like to join our team, please check out our Careers page.