Executive Team

Jolanta is Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, including the School Trust. She Chairs two sector infrastructure bodies - Autism Education Trust and the Autism Alliance. She is a Trustee of UK Youth. Her career includes Director roles in national voluntary sector organisations, including I CAN and the Governance Hub (a national body set up to support the governance of the third sector).

Viv joined Ambitious about Autism in May 2014. She has spent the last 22 years working in the further education (FE) sector in various guises - volunteer,  lecturer, coordinator, manager and Head of Department. Her experience is across the sector – FE colleges, Local Authorities, Universities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Viv is motivated by social justice, social inclusion and equality and always works from this value base. 

Paul is the Deputy Chief Executive at Ambitious about Autism. Prior to this, he was the Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss from 2012-2018. He is the Honorary Treasurer of NCVO and a past Chair of the Disability Charities Consortium and of Charity Finance Group. He is a passionate advocate for volunteering and social change.

Danae works at Ambitious about Autism, where she oversees the charity’s national services, external affairs and fundraising. She is also a Trustee of ELHAP and a board member of GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance and Neurodiversity).

Her career includes roles at Childline, NSPCC and Tommy’s, always led by her motivation to enable better life outcomes for children and young people.

Louise joined Ambitious about Autism in early 2022 and is responsible for the finance, planning and governance functions at the charity. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, having qualified as a chartered accountant with audit firm BDO LLP. She has spent the last 13 years working in the voluntary sector, most recently as Director of Finance and Resources at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. She is a firm believer in business partnering and empowering colleagues to grow and develop within their roles.

Louise has been an active volunteer throughout her professional life working with children’s charities, disability charities and charities with a focus on supporting refugees and homeless people. Prior to a relocation she was a Trustee at Croydon Mencap. She is currently a Beaver Scout Leader, and is passionate about providing equitable access to scouting for all young people.

Mark is the Director of People and Culture at Ambitious about Autism. Prior to this, Mark has been in the charity and not for profit health and social care sector since 2006 and was the Director of Corporate Services at United Response, Director of HR at Certitude and Deputy Director of HR at Action for Children. Mark also has worked with the NHS and the RAF as well as the private sector. He is passionate about people having opportunities to do well in their life.
 

Michael joined Ambitious about Autism in October 2023 as the Director of Property and Information Technology (IT) and is responsible for Property, IT, Health and Safety and Sustainability for the charity. He is an experienced education professional and has spent the last 21 years working in the further education sector, mainly for London-based colleges.

Throughout his career, Michael has held a variety of senior leadership roles and has a breadth of experience within resources and front-facing learner services. He is a member of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management and is also a qualified PRINCE2 project manager. Michael is passionate about learning, inclusivity and helping others to achieve their goals and aspirations.