Our Team
Penny Parker, CEO & Founder
What do you do at StandOut? As CEO, alongside my fellow Senior Leadership team members, I’m responsible for StandOut’s strategic direction and development. My role also involves me promoting and representing StandOut; that might be speaking at a conference or liaising with senior leaders in the sector.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? Launching and developing StandOut really tested my growth mindset, and as an evolving and growing charity it continues to do that. There are always new things to navigate and step into. When we were launching StandOut, examples I saw of other people successfully setting up charities encouraged me that we could do it too.
Programmes Team
Jo Fellows, Programme Director & Co-Founder
What do you do at StandOut? As Programme Director, I’m responsible for shaping and delivering our ambitious programme strategy, and ensuring our participants get first class support. This involves working with the team to improve, evidence and grow our provision – ensuring participant voices shape all that we do.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? When I first learnt about the fixed mindset, I played back my life and identified moments when I’d shied away from a challenge, in fear of failure. I’ve been trying to make up for those times ever since, and now actively seek out opportunities to step out of my comfort zone, whether that’s embracing a new sport, speaking in front of a large crowd, or modelling to my kids that failing is not to be feared.
Joe Tarbert, Head of Programmes
What do you do at StandOut? As Head of Programmes, I split my time between managing and supporting our excellent Programmes Team in their day-to-day work with participants and working with the leadership team to continually improve and develop our work for the benefit of existing and future StandOut participants.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? As a naturally risk-averse person I can be reluctant to venture outside of my comfort zone. However, coaching our participants and witnessing their bravery first-hand has inspired me to embrace new challenges, whether that be participating in intimidating networking events at work or agreeing to sing karaoke in a crowded pub for a friend's birthday.
Amrit Hunjan, Coaching Manager
What do you do at StandOut? As Coaching Manager, I oversee the three prisons we work in and I’m responsible for the day-to-day management of the programme’s in-prison teams. I often support coaches in the classroom, work alongside key prison stakeholders and aim to develop coaches as they grow in coaching, facilitation and centre management.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? Moving from an on the ground role into management is an exciting journey, where a growth mindset turns every challenge into a chance to evolve and inspire others. With curiosity, resilience and a focus on collaboration, this transition has become not just a career shift, but an opportunity to lead with purpose and an even bigger impact.
Iona Savile, Lead Community Coach
What do you do at StandOut? I lead our work in the community and manage our community team. This includes a lot of 1-to-1 casework with participants, and organising our Experts Beyond Bars group and quarterly Career Hubs.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I love the outdoors—walking, swimming, running, cycling, etc. However, things often go wrong when out on adventures, so I have to be adaptable, see the positive in the situation, and try to laugh about it too.
Ben Isgrove, Community Coach
What do you do at StandOut? As a Community Coach, I help StandOut participants who’ve just left prison to get back on their feet, find stability, and work toward their goals. Working with other coaches to find new ways to make their transition easier, I help to connect them with jobs, resources, and support networks that can make a difference to their lives.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? Since I started running a few years ago, I remind myself that every run, no matter how slow, helps me improve. I focus on the small improvements I’m making and see each run as a step towards getting better.
Tony O’Driscoll, Community Coach
What do you do at StandOut? I am proud to work within the community team as a Community Coach here at StandOut, and it is a privilege to assist all those StandOut participants that now live in the community.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? For myself, choosing a growth mindset over a fixed mindset has been vital. It has been the difference between aspiration or achievement; and the difference between letting my fears decide who I am, or overcoming those fears, and deciding for myself.
Amy Young, Lead Coach at HMP Pentonville
What do you do at StandOut? I’m the Lead Coach at Pentonville, responsible for running the three-week course there as well as hosting workshops in phase two of our programme, when our participants have completed the course but are still in prison. I also support the men who completed the Pentonville course through the gate, as they settle into the community.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I am a lover of cycling, and particularly cycling on my commute. I have to adopt a growth mindset when the rain is pouring, and the ice descends in winter as I remember: 'I CAN get out there and face the weather!'
Molly Jones, Coach at HMP Pentonville
What do you do at StandOut? I’m the co-coach at HMP Pentonville, facilitating the three-week course we run there and supporting men up to and on release.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? As a runner and cyclist, I embrace the growth mindset. I enjoy setting myself goals and working towards incremental but satisfying progress in various physical challenges.
Nancy Anderson, Lead Coach at HMP Wandsworth
What do you do at StandOut? I work as the Lead Coach at HMP Wandsworth. This means I lead on the delivery of our course in Wandsworth, which consists of group coaching and 1:1 sessions which focus on topics from mindsets to presentations, and relationships with money to conflict management. I love that our programme explores so many different areas and helps to create community.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? Outside of this, I'm often trying to find ways to embrace a growth mindset - I think life generally is a bit of a playground with lots of curiosities to be explored and things to be tried. For me, at the moment, that is around things like improv but in the past I've tried all sorts, from poorly skilled roller-skating to avocado farming.
Rosie Barnes, Coach at HMP Wandsworth
What do you do at StandOut? I’m a coach based at HMP Wandsworth, where I work with Nancy in running our intensive three-week course and supporting the men we work with up to and on release.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I’m passionate about horticulture and continue to learn more about gardening throughout the seasons. I embrace the process of trial and error in the garden and enjoy the ongoing learning that comes with this.
Sophie Wilkinson, Lead Coach at HMP Wormwood Scrubs
What do you do at StandOut? I am the Lead Coach at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, which is a role that is full of variety. I spend my time running our three-week course in prison, supporting participants after the course to continue to refine their skills and get ready for release, and then working with them in the community to help them to gain stability and, ultimately, find purpose in their next steps beyond prison.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I've just signed up to a beginners' pottery course. Having attempted to make a mug once before, I know that throwing clay is a lot harder than it looks so I anticipate that learning this new skill may come with its challenges. I'm excited to create some beautiful things (and inevitably, some not so beautiful things along the way!).
Amelia Inglis, Coach at HMP Wormwood Scrubs
What do you do at StandOut? I’m a coach based at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, where I deliver intensive three-week courses, with the aim of both preparing and empowering men coming up for release. After the course, I continue to support participants who are awaiting release, as well as those who have returned to the community.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? For a long time, I have viewed languages as an extremely difficult and intimidating challenge. However, I recently started learning Czech, and by embracing a growth mindset, I now view my 340-day streak on Duolingo as the start of a long and exciting journey towards speaking basic Czech.
Operations Team
Andy Bater, Operations Director
What do you do at StandOut? I lead our brilliant operations team at StandOut; covering all things people, finance, facilities, governance, administration, and communications.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? Growth is found in the uncomfortable, the challenge, the facing something you haven’t faced before. I have a blank canvas and some acrylics at home. The first brush stroke feels like it will be the most uncomfortable. I don’t know how it will turn out, but if I don’t make a start, I guess my comfort will simply be a blank canvas - and where is the colour in that?
Rich McStraw, Head of Fundraising & Development
What do you do at StandOut? I lead on generating the income we need to support our work across the organisation. My role includes helping understand our data and impact through developing our systems and reporting.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I’m studying a degree through the Open University alongside working, which is a challenge both mentally and in time management to get everything completed in time.
Tref Davies, Finance Manager
What do you do at StandOut? I look after our finances, keeping everything from budgeting to reporting running smooth and always current. Working with the team, I make sure the organisation manages its resources cost-effectively to keep doing its amazing work, while always staying on the right side of regulations.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I'm learning British Sign Language to better communicate with d/Deaf friends and gain necessary fluency to support any possible future d/Deaf Participants. The latter is tremendously fulfilling even as it stretches me in new ways, and I'm finding it is developing skills and mindsets I could never have imagined.
Charlotte Betts, Partnerships Lead
What do you do at StandOut? As Partnerships Lead, I am responsible for a lot of the external involvement with StandOut. This mostly involves volunteer management, training and briefing as well as facilitating volunteers coming into our partner prisons to support with course delivery on sessions such as CV workshops, mock interview workshops and Graduations.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? As someone who has never enjoyed (or been good at) running, I am embracing a growth mindset by working towards my goal of running at an event to fundraise for StandOut in 2025! This is a big challenge for me, but I am pushing myself to reach my goal, and the outcome will be worth it (I hope).
Hannah Stevens, Communications Lead
What do you do at StandOut? I’m responsible for anything communications-related at StandOut; whether that’s writing blogs, managing our website and social media, or designing materials for our team and supporters.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? I’m an amateur gardener with an allotment, so I quite literally have a growth mindset! Since I’m still quite new to gardening, I make a lot of mistakes – but it’s okay, because that’s how I learn!
Tihani Yusuf, Office Administrator
What do you do at StandOut? As the Office Administrator, I'm responsible for keeping our space and materials organised. This includes everything from ensuring our office aesthetics are on-point, to supporting with volunteer related enquiries and other day-to-day administrative tasks.
How do you embrace a growth mindset? As someone who used to approach new technologies with uncertainty, thinking 'I'm not sure I can do it', I've consciously shifted to embracing a growth mindset in my role. When faced with challenging projects or unfamiliar software, instead of viewing them as obstacles, I now ask myself 'what can I do to get better at this?'
StandOut Trustees
Joe Froud, Chair
Joe is the co-founder of Paloma Capital LLP, a London based real estate private equity business that was established in 2015. Paloma raises equity from foundations and endowments, pensions funds and family offices and invests in UK commercial real estate projects. Prior to this he was the founder and Managing Partner of Columbus Capital Management LLP, a real estate private equity joint venture that he established with Schroders plc in 2008. Joe is married with four children and lives in West London.
Liz Delacave, Trustee
Liz Delacave is a leadership consultant, experienced in training leaders, developing teams and coaching individuals to excel. She studied Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, worked in Citibank’s global commercial and investment banks, becoming chief of staff for Citibank’s European Private Bank. While Divisional Finance Director of a multinational engineering company, she was responsible for managing a global change programme. As a Non-Executive Director, she has helped turn around an underperforming NHS Foundation Trust hospital in East Anglia. Liz has advised a number of charities, including the International Federation of the Red Cross in Geneva and Prison Fellowship.
Claire Burnell, Trustee
Claire Burnell is a certified ADHD & Executive Function Adolescent Coach, ADHD Consultant, Family Support lead for ADHD Embrace and a Trauma Informed Practitioner (TISUK). Claire is also a qualified Primary School Teacher (PGCE) with 25 year experience of working in primary & secondary mainstream schools & alternative provisions. As a certified ADHD & Executive Function Adolescent Coach Claire specialises in working with neurodiverse children, young people and families. She provides bespoke interventions to coach and support children and young people with ADHD, ASD and other executive function challenges alongside mild to moderate mental health conditions which present as challenging behaviour, anxiety and low mood. As family support lead for the charity ADHD Embrace she works with parents and carers providing 1:1 support sessions and post diagnosis workshops. Most recently Claire worked alongside SEND in Mind Wandsworth to develop and deliver courses for parents/carers of child and young people with ADHD and other neurodivergent co-occurring conditions. Claire is passionate about advocating for changes which will significantly impact the lives of neurodivergent families.
Joseph Ewing, Trustee
Joseph studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, has worked in a range of research, campaigning and public affairs roles - including three and a half years in public affairs at Cancer Research UK - and now works in policy at the Academy of Medical Sciences. His work includes policy development, advocacy and strategy. He became a trustee in April 2019 and is still inspired by StandOut’s belief in people.
Jamie Giles, Trustee
Having found recovery over ten years ago, Jamie has become a leader and advocate for addiction treatment and prison reform. After leaving his career in media, Jamie retrained as a psychotherapist and has held roles focused on mental health and imprisonment, including running London services for Forward Trust and serving as CEO of Steps2Recovery. Currently, he is the Director of Outpatient Services at Castle Health, driving the development of outpatient and continuing care services. Jamie is passionate about StandOut's mission to help people become their best.
Brendan Ross, Board Advisor
Brendan is the London Skills and Employment Manager for St Giles Trust, where he supports people who are vulnerable, homeless, have had mental health difficulties, have been in prison, or who are marginalised. He brings with him the knowledge and skills to equip those he supports to move their lives forward into employment, and his own life experience to do so with empathy and with recognition of the humanity in each case that he sees. Brendan has 5 years’ direct lived experience in the criminal justice system in the UK and Ireland, and more than 15 years’ experience working in the charity sector. He is a firm believer that those who have been through the system are the key to reducing re-offending, reducing victims, and breaking the cycle. Brendan has won a number of awards for his work, including the St Giles Trust Kamal Award in 2014, the CJA Outstanding Individual Award in 2020, and the Longford Prize in 2022. In 2023, he was awarded a Fellowship with the Institute of Employability Professionals.
Jack Whyte, Trustee
Jack is a chartered accountant turned finance and strategy consultant. Having trained in Deloitte’s Audit & Assurance team, he has since worked with clients reporting under the Charities SORP (financial reporting standard for UK charities), and delivered a range of scaling, fundraising and operational resilience projects. His experience spans the private, public, and third sectors. A firm believer in the importance of diversity of thought and experience in the workplace, Jack is passionate about unlocking our society’s potential by driving access to education and opportunity. He first encountered StandOut when volunteering at a mock interview session!
StandOut Consultants
Jo Wheeler, Coaching Development Consultant
Jo is a PCC accredited International Coaching Federation (ICF) coach and C-Me facilitator with over thirteen years’ coaching experience. She began her career with Resurgo, where she ran the Spear programme, moving to StandOut in 2019 as a coach, and later partnerships lead. Jo went on to develop her own consultancy delivering leadership and coaching development programmes with frontline charities and, more recently, the education sector. Jo is rejoining StandOut as a Coaching Development Consultant and will be working closely with the programmes team.