A visible and accessible senior leadership team of diverse, authentic and passionate leaders with lived experience. We are committed to hearing and acting on the voices of those we lead and serve enabling them and Touchstone to flourish.
CEO with lived experience of Mental Health proudly working for Touchstone. Arfan is an experienced senior and strategic leader with 3 decades of leadership experience working in different parts of the country and covering a wide range of multi-disciplinary areas in the public and charity sectors. Arfan is a leader guided by lived experience and inclusiveness always putting the needs of people first.
Kathryn has worked for Touchstone for several years in different roles, supported by Touchstone’s commitment to staff development, starting off as Officer Manager, then HR Manager and then onto her existing role of HR Director. Kathryn loves working for Touchstone as she feels she can really make a difference to people’s lives by supporting staff to reach their potential, enjoy their work and support staff to be themselves at work, which in turn supports Touchstone to deliver excellent services to service users and diverse communities. Kathryn has supported Touchstone to be a top 10 Best not for Profit Organisation since 2017 and to be in the Top 100 since 2013 as well as Investors in People – Platinum.
Sharon joined the Senior Management Team in January 2021 as Business Development Director and is responsible for delivering Touchstone’s Business Development Strategy and ensuring the organisation’s sustainability in line with its values. Sharon has worked in Operations, Development and Communications for a number of Housing Associations and Charities in Yorkshire, managing and developing a number of health & wellbeing and homelessness services including services for Asylum Seekers & Refugees, Women, Older People, and People in contact with the Criminal Justice system.
Yorkshire born Dave started his career in the West Midlands after studying Special Needs and Inclusion Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. Dave has worked in various roles within the mental health and learning disability sector, where delivering frontline services triggered his passion for wanting to support people to live their lives to the full. After many years of delivery, managing and influencing services in a senior management capacity in the West Midlands, Dave has now returned to his roots in Yorkshire to work with Touchstone. Dave is looking forward to using his creative, enthusiastic and passionate leadership style to benefit the communities which we serve in West & South Yorkshire. Dave has a strong interest in providing training (including being a Mental Health First Aid Trainer) and suicide prevention and postvention services.
Sophie joined the Senior Leadership Team on an interim basis in October 2021. Sophie started her career in the third sector in London where she worked in mental health and homelessness for nine years, managing supported accommodation projects for people with severe and enduring mental health issues. In 2017 Sophie moved to Yorkshire and joined Touchstone. Sophie joined SLT from her post as Operations Manager for Liaison and Diversion in West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, bringing knowledge around mental health and criminal justice. Sophie is an experienced and qualified trainer with a passion for inclusive leadership and staff development.