Team

Sandra Barefoot
Sandra BarefootCreative Co-Lead
Sandra has been instrumental in developing, curating, facilitating, and adapting our prison programme RESTORE since 2009. From this work, Sandra discovered that shame frequently lies at the root of what prevents us from healing. As a joint research fellow of the Griffin Society of Cambridge University’s Department of Criminology, she published research exploring the place of shame and its impact on women’s lived experience, which led to the creation of our training programme, “Developing a Shame Informed Approach”. Sandra has created three online series of conversations with our storytellers and, as a multi-disciplinary artist, she dynamically embeds creative approaches in everything she curates.
Marina Cantacuzino MBE
Marina Cantacuzino MBEFounder and Co-Lead
Marina Cantacuzino MBE is an author, broadcaster and award-winning journalist who has written for most British mainstream publications. In 2003, in response to the invasion of Iraq, she embarked on a personal project collecting stories of people who had lived through trauma and injustice, and yet sought forgiveness rather than revenge. As a result, Marina founded The Forgiveness Project and ever since has spoken and written widely about forgiveness and restorative storytelling.
Georgia Gill
Georgia GillAdmin Assistant
Georgia is a current MA Human Rights student at University College London. Georgia initially joined The Forgiveness Project after having been exposed to our work during her time studying a BA in Sociology with Criminology at the University of York. Georgia’s interests are far-reaching, and she has volunteered with a variety of different charitable organisations, but she has a keen curiosity in the way in which the modern criminal justice system intersects with other contemporary social issues.
Katalin Karolyi
Katalin KarolyiCommunications Officer
Katalin is a BA Photography and MSc Development Studies graduate who is passionate about enabling organisations to realise their vision while fostering an open, safe and productive work environment. Besides having worked in the creative industries since 2010, Katalin immersed herself in studying economic and social power dynamics both at a global and micro scale at SOAS, London. This has led her to discover The Forgiveness Project, where she has enjoyed managing the charity’s website and social media accounts, and leading awareness raising campaigns to amplify the organisation’s voice across the world.
Eliyes Omar
Eliyes OmarFinance Officer
Eliyes has enjoyed maths since his childhood. He is a mathematics graduate and has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Mathematics. He also holds a Level 3 Advanced Diploma in IT, and a Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (AAT).
Louisa Hext
Louisa HextNorth American Exhibition Curator and Coordinator
Louisa Hext is the Curator and Coordinator for ‘The F Word’ exhibition in North America. Having served in this role for over 12 years, she has overseen multiple hires of the exhibition, including in colleges, conferences, and faith institutions. Louisa is also a skilled and experienced life coach, speaker, mediator and storyteller. She has conducted one-to-one interviews with Jewish women Holocaust survivors for her thesis at The Ohio State University, “Jewish Women’s Survival During the Holocaust: Family Kinship and Community Ties.” Within her coaching practice, Louisa provides a space for inquiry to explore forgiveness with emotional awareness, empathy, compassion and non-judgment.

Trustees

Anna Birney
Anna Birney
Anna is Director of School of System Change and Head of System Innovation Lab at Forum for the Future, a sustainable development charity where she works with people and organisations to create wide scale change. For over 8 years she worked with the education system both at Forum and as the Education Programme Manager at WWF-UK. Find Anna on LinkedIn.
Matthew Cahill
Matthew CahillCo-chair
Matthew is a lawyer who has spent over 20 years working for international law firms Clifford Chance and Sidley Austin. During the course of his career he has lived and worked in London, Tokyo and Abu Dhabi. He is currently a partner with William Fry, an Irish law firm. Matthew has been involved with The Forgiveness Project, helping with fundraising and other matters, since 2016.
Tony Grover
Tony GroverTreasurer
Tony is a physics graduate who qualified as a chartered accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Following a period in the financial services practice he transferred to a major European banking group where he ultimately specialised in Private Equity. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Indigo Capital.
Ann David
Ann DavidCo-chair
Ann is a retired Psychotherapist and Paediatric Physiotherapist. Following her retirement she worked with NGO’s in Israel supporting peace projects between Israelis and Palestinians as well as medical care for Palestinians. Her involvement with TFP began in the early 2000’s introducing South Hams communities and secondary schools to the organisations concepts and focus.

Founding Patrons

Dame Anita Roddick
Dame Anita Roddick
The late Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing natural beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC was established to investigate the violations that took place between 1960 and 1994, to provide support and reparation to victims and their families, and to compile a full and objective record of the effects of apartheid on South African society.