Meet the Board

Chris joined Unity Works in May 2025. As Interim Managing Director Chris is working closely with the Unity Works board and Thera Trust on leading and preparing Unity Works for the next stages of the organisation’s journey. He and the Unity Works senior team are getting ahead of the changing demands of supporting people with a learning disability into the mainstream of work and learning.

Chris has worked in senior positions within the charity sector for over thirty years and brings significant experience in the general field of learning disability. Chris began his career when the long stay hospitals were closing. Since this time, his ambition for authentic integration for people with a learning disability has never wavered.

Chris holds Masters' degrees from two London based universities the second of which is in Community Care Management.

When Alison isn’t busy with the general project management and logistics tasks that being a working parent involves, she works as a business consultant. She supports private and third sector clients in the employability, skills and criminal justice sectors with strategy, organisational design, business development, bid management and contract mobilisation.

Before starting her own business with a former colleague, she worked in recruitment and public services. Latterly working for an organisation that experienced considerable growth, she was fortunate enough to wear many hats gaining insight and experience that she brings to her own business, and to her role as Non-Executive Director at Unity Works.

Virginia’s career has included periods as one of the first Directors of Commissioning in the NHS, and work on the future of health services at the King’s Fund. She was CEO of I CAN, now Speech and Language UK, for eleven years. Her work there convinced her of the contribution people with a learning disability can make in the workforce, and of the transformative power of meaningful work to individuals. One of her sons has completed Unity Works’ accessible apprentice programme. She was appointed CBE for her work for children with disabilities in 2015.

Neil has worked in senior leadership positions across the Financial Service and Environmental Conservation sectors for a number of years, with a career spanning Operations, Commercial Management, Service Improvement and Transformation. In addition, Neil has spent a number of years working with businesses and charities to develop more sustainable business models and to support less advantaged young people into training and employment. With family members with learning disabilities, he is passionate about helping Unity Works to support even more people to achieve their goals.

Tavish works as a chef at Cinnamon Club, a fine dining restaurant in Westminster. He joined them after completing his Level 1 and Level 2 Chef Diploma qualification with Westminster Kingsway college and Unity Works. Having graduated from the Unity Works apprentice programme, he has first-hand experience of the needs of new apprentices and was very active playing a mentor role during the lockdown. He is passionate about food and cooking and loves sports. He also loves playing golf and table tennis during his spare time.

Lorna has always had an ambition to work in health and social care. She started as a Care Assistant during her studies and then progressed through various roles, including Lead Carer, Registered Home Manager and Operations Manager.

In 2014, Lorna joined Thera East Anglia as Managing Director, before moving into her current role as Thera’s Group Executive Director – Operations, Quality and Practice in 2023.

Lorna is passionate about empowering and investing in people to be highly skilled, competent, and happy in their work, to ensure we continue to put people with a learning disability first in all we do.

With over 30 years of experience in post-16 skills and further education at local, regional and national levels, not least in his central role in creating the sector's largest representative trade body to central government, Paul has a longstanding commitment to furthering opportunities for learning and work for those with physical disabilities and learning difficulties. He believes his expertise in the area of work-based vocational learning, and apprenticeships in particular, can play a part in helping Unity Works to improve the prospects and lives of even more people. Outside of his freelance work in supporting a range of providers and employers in these objectives, he is also deeply involved in the performing arts including directing and performing with a number of theatre groups.