Access strengthens governance with trustee and investment committee appointments

Access – The Foundation for Social Investment has appointed Felicia Mattis-Rome, Hamzah Sarwar, Simon Hewitt-Avison, and Whitni Thomas to its Board of Trustees. 

Their appointments broaden the Board’s expertise and strengthen Access’s ability to better support charities, social enterprises, and the communities they serve.

Felicia Mattis-Rome is the Chief Executive Officer of Business Launchpad and Tooting Works, where she leads an integrated social enterprise and workspace model supporting underrepresented young people across London. With over 15 years of leadership experience in the social enterprise and community development sector, she has championed equity, youth empowerment, and innovative approaches to sustainable impact.

Hamzah Sarwar is the Global Head of Social Impact and Innovation at Reckitt, where he oversees the Global Access Fund, positively impacting more than 29 million people across 56 countries since 2020 - accelerating equitable access to health and hygiene through strategic investment and cross-sector collaboration.

Simon Hewett-Avison is the Chief Executive of Homeless Oxfordshire, the county’s largest provider of trauma-informed supported housing. He has over 15 years’ leadership experience across housing, homelessness, health, and social care, with a focus on transformation, governance, and amplifying lived experience in service design. Simon has previously held senior roles at Independent Age, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Shine. He is also a trustee of Homeless Link and the B&Q Foundation.

Whitni Thomas is Head of Corporate Finance at Triodos Bank, supporting purpose-driven organisations to access the capital they need to grow their impact. Her background includes roles at JP Morgan and the New Economics Foundation. She has served as a school governor, a trustee of the Friends Provident Foundation, on the social investment board of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and on the advisory board to the CEO of Better Society Capital.

Nick Hurd, Chair of Access, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Felicia, Hamzah, Simon, and Whitni to the Board. They bring a powerful mix of leadership, practical experience, and insights into the pressures on social enterprises. This will be invaluable as we embed our new strategy and continue to make social investment work better for charities and social enterprises in underserved places and communities.”

Find out more about our board and committees here.

Access has also appointed two new members to its Investment Committee – Asher Craig, CEO of the Pathway Fund and Hannah Ratcliffe who leads on value creation at AgDevCo. These appointments further strengthen the oversight of how finance is deployed to better support community-based charities and social enterprises.