Katie Baker, Head of Programmes
Katie is responsible for devising and delivering strategies for the training and development of young people, to ensure that we are an organisation that delivers a quality programme. She also supports the training and development of staff. Prior to this Katie was our Youth and Training Officer where she worked with other staff and young people to develop the accredited programme of peer training we use today.
Katie previously worked in the Philippines, China, and the USA with various NGOs, government groups and learning establishments. With these groups Katie developed and delivered curriculums, training packages, risk assessments and evaluations in both development and disaster contexts. In her free time Katie likes outdoors activities and can often be found flying stunt kites on Hackney Marshes.
Simon Boden, Head of Finance
Simon arrived at Headliners in early 2008 bringing with him a strong commercial background and many years of experience in the financial field . He trained with Binder Hamlyn in the city and remained with them for some 9 years. He then spent 17 years as the internal auditor and then financial controller of a public company in the security sector.
Prior to joining Headliners, Simon was the Finance Director of a publishing company involved in corporate communications for blue chip and governmental agencies.In his spare time he runs and maintains a couple of classic cars, enjoys a pint in his local pub and takes long walks with his partner and their dogs in the countryside surrounding his home.
Sharon Boyd, Development and Volunteers Co-Ordinator
Sharon helps to organise projects which allow young people to create change in their community by raising their voices, challenging decision makers and volunteering their time. She also works with young people who want to take a Volunteer Peer Educator role, supporting the facilitation and delivery of projects.
Prior to Headliners Sharon lived in rural Eritrea, East Africa, where she worked as a teacher-trainer; going round schools supporting local teachers and giving workshops. She also worked with vulnerable adults in Manchester co-managing a women’s centre and teaching Basic Skills. There was even a time before that when she was doing calculations about the strength of walls and bossing scaffolders around. She’s based in the London office but can often be on busses, trains and tube. Travelling around to meet partners.
Jacob Brown, Journalist, London
Jacob is a journalist and online editor, working in London. This means he helps young people learn about journalism, leading them to grow in confidence and become more aware and vocal about their local community. Prior to Headliners Jacob was living on a tiny Island in the South Pacific called Samoa, working as a journalism lecturer at the National University of Samoa and as a news editor for a national radio station during the XIII South Pacific Games.
He has also worked as a broadcast journalist in Australia and the UK, and before that lived in Japan where he taught English to elementary school children. Since his return to the UK, Jacob is getting used to not seeing much of the sun but is taking pleasure in the choice of more than one daily newspaper to read.
Sam Hepworth, Journalist, London
Sam is one of the journalist/project worker based in Headliners London Bureau. He works with a wide variety of young people, helping develop their skills and increase their participation through print and broadcast journalism projects.
Before joining us, Sam was a youth worker in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, initially delivering hip-hop music workshops at youth centres across the region. He then moved into detached work, offering support and advice to hard-to-reach young people in and around Halifax town centre. He spent two years as the music editor of Redbrick, the University of Birmingham’s student newspaper, and also hosted a show on the campus radio station, Burn FM. He is obsessed with old vinyl, and one of the benefits of his outreach work is it gives him chance to scope out second-hand record stores in different parts of the country.
Anna McKeown, Outreach Journalist, North East
Anna is an outreach journalist in the North East, currently based in South Shields. She works with young people aged 16 and over, helping them produce reports that campaign for change in their local communities. Anna studied Media and Sociology in Leeds before going on to complete an MA in Media Production at Sunderland, where she specialised in documentary production. Anna's experience includes working for Save The Children North East, where she made educational resource packages and documentaries.
Ciaran McKerr, Project Co-ordinator, Belfast
Ciaran is the project co-ordinator in the Belfast and took over the job after volunteering with the organisation for a year. As well as working with Headliners, Ciaran is a counsellor and volunteer shift supervisor for ChildLine where he supports other volunteers taking calls from young people. He has also been involved with the charity’s schools' outreach project teaching pupils how to be peer mentors and helping implement anti-bullying stratagies.
Ciaran also worked with social services as an outreach worker/mentor for young people coming out of residential care.
Ciaran worked as a journalist for seven years in several weekly, regional and national newspaper titles including the Daily Mirror, People and the Irish News. He also worked as a freelance photographer covering sporting and news events and his work has been published in all the major newspaper titles in Northern Ireland. His other media work has included designing a 48-sheet poster for the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade, scripting radio comericals and designing corporate logos. In his ever-dwindling spare time he likes to go kayaking, camping and mountaineering. Oh, and he’s a new dad as well.
Vivian Smith, Project Manager, A Louder Voice
Vivian joined in 2007 as Big Lottery Project Manager. This was a national project, which took Headliners into Newcastle, Birmingham, Bradford/Leeds and expanded operations into Kent. Vivian is now Projects and Contracts Manager, networking with our partners, overseeing the delivery of programmes, and ensuring contractual obligations are on track. Proving this means Vivian is working with journalists to identify all the good work taking place,reporting back to funders and commissioners (the people giving us the money) on how effective Headliners is. As well as the fantastic media stories produced by young people, Vivian is also interested in the personal development opportunities we are able to offer young people. identifing exceptional acheivements and ensuring, funders hear about. Prior to working at Headliners, Vivian was part of the practice management team at City Roads Crisis Intervention. A substance misuse residential safe house/detox for Class A drug users. During this period Vivian developed an effective Volunteer Programme, training substance misuse professionals for the future. Vivian has also worked for Axe Street Community Drug's Project, Save the Children, The Children's Society and Department of Health. Vivian is a trained counsellor, has a Diploma in Management, and is a member of the Chartered Management Institute.
Lizzie Whyman, Outreach Journalist, North East
Lizzie is an outreach journalist delivering the Headliners programme in the North East. She is currently based in Newcastle upon Tyne and helps develop young people’s skills and increase their participation through print and broadcast journalism projects.
Before joining the Headliners team in August 2008, Lizzie worked for a number of years as a staff writer for Mslexia and was involved in several residencies, facilitating writing workshops with groups of young people. Lizzie continues to write reviews and features for Culture Magazine, Mslexia, and The Big Issue in her spare time.
Fiona Wyton, Director
Fiona has been the Director of Headliners since 2004. She is responsible for the overall management, funding, direction and policy of the organisation. Previously Fiona worked in national newspapers for 20 years and held various posts including News Editor of Today newspaper, Associate Editor of the Daily Mirror and Deputy Editor of the Sunday Mirror. Before that she was an on the road reporter travelling widely around the UK and Europe. She has also worked as a consultant brokering partnerships between community organisations and commercial companies. Outside of work Fiona is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
