The strength of Barca-Leeds lies in our 197 staff members.

We are committed to the provision of high-quality services and this begins with the skill, dedication and resilience of our frontline workers and the staff who support them.
Staff trust rating
91%
A photo of a person smiling, wearing a Barca Leeds landyard. They are dressed smartly in a suit jacket.

Our Leadership Team

Headshot of Helen Heart
Helen Hart
Chief Executive Officer

Helen has over 20 years’ of experience working in the third sector both nationally and in Europe. Helen joined Barca-Leeds in 2001 as a student, practitioner, manager, senior manager and Operations Director roles. In 2010, Helen became part of the Senior Management Team, 

Headshot of Susan Dean
Susan Dean
Director of Finance and HR

Susan Dean is the current Finance Director of Barca-Leeds and has been working as part of the senior management team for Barca since 2004. She has over 30 years experience as a Finance Director and has a had a wide and varied career.

Headshot of Paula Gardner
Paula Gardner
Operations Director, Complex Health and Housing

Paula started her role as Operations Director at Barca in 2016. As the Operations Director for Barca-Leeds, Paula leads on contract management for Forward Leeds, Engage Leeds, Rapid Rehousing Pathway Navigators and Linking Leeds.

Headshot of Laura Whitaker
Laura Whitaker
Operations Director, Children, Young People and Families

Laura is the Operations Director for Children, Young People and Families, leading our young people focused services including FDAC, targeted family support, counselling, wellbeing and youth work-based services.

Bill Owen
Operations Director, Employability and Community Health

Bill originally started work within the sector in supported housing in Huddersfield which gave him a broad introduction to working with people with backgrounds in addiction, mental health, offending and homelessness.

Headshot of Julie Taffinder
Julie Taffinder
HR Manager

Julie started her career in Human Resources at Yorkshire Water, where she completed her professional qualifications in the Charter Institute of Personnel and Development. Julie brings a variety of industry experiences to her HR role including: banking, telecommunications, travel, police, retail and logistics.

Headshot of Sarah Sturgeon
Sarah Sturgeon
Quality and Business Development Lead

Sarah has a background within Criminal Justice and Substance Misuse and has been employed within the Third Sector in Leeds for over 20 years. She has been responsible for Quality Assurance at Barca since 2012; more recently becoming a part of SMT and expanding her role to include Business Development and Communications.

We are a top 10 Investors in People employer (Third Sector) nationally, a result evidenced by our employee focused strategy and feedback from staff experiences.

We deliver a wide remit of services through a dedicated staff and volunteer group which have a range of appropriate qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge to respond to the needs of the people we work with, showing great personal resilience and outstanding professional performance.
A photo of a person at a Barca Leeds event, watching into the distance, wearing a Barca branded landyard97% Employability Satisfaction

Our trustees oversee all funds, ensuring impactful and direct investment in programs across Leeds.

Dr Emma O'Kerry
Trustee

Emma lives with her young family in Leeds. Her career has focused on public and social policy. She currently works at the Department of Health and Social Care where she has led on work including pay, industrial relations and long-term NHS workforce planning.

Alissia Deane
Trustee

Alissia achieved a degree in Business and Management studying at Huddersfield University and brings over 15 years experience in financial services. Specialising in supporting businesses throughout West Yorkshire with their export needs, Alissia is dedicated to fostering growth and sustainability.

Julian Pearce
Trustee

Julian has lived in Leeds since 2003, having made the city his home during his studies. Julian has held a number of senior roles within the communications industry, overseeing work across the public and private sectors, including delivering award-winning campaigns in Education and Healthcare.

Steven Stothart
Vice Treasurer

Born in Newcastle, Steve has lived in Leeds since arriving to train with a large national accountancy practice in 1984. Steve spent 11 years working in practice in Leeds before moving into industry as a Finance Director in 1995, gaining experience of all aspects of financial reporting, compliance and best practice.

Dr Gordon Sinclair
Trustee

Gordon is a retired GP who spent most of his working life in Leeds having graduated in medicine from Leeds University in 1986. In the later years of his medical career he was involved in the development of clinical healthcare commissioning culminating in the role of Chairman at Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group.

Caroline Gruen
Trustee

Having graduated from Leeds University with B.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees, and lived all her adult life in Leeds, Caroline currently serves as an Elected Leeds City Councillor representing the communities of Bramley and Stanningley.

Doug Martin
Trustee

Dr. Doug Martin has enjoyed a varied career including employment in health, adult and children’s social care, welfare benefits and educational fields. His experiences range from frontline practice through to strategic management and policy development. He is currently working within higher

Sir John Battle
Trustee

John served as a Government Minister in the D.T.I. and Foreign Office. He also became a member of the privy council in 2002 and was the P.M’s envoy to the Faith committees until May 2010. Stepping down from Parliament in 2010, John now works in his community focusing on community organisations and tackling poverty whilst serving on national bodies.

Barbara Newton
Trustee

Barbara Newton was born in Preston, Lancashire and first came to Leeds as a university student. She graduated with a B.A in English and went on to be a secondary school teacher, working in Lancashire, Scotland, Lincolnshire and Suffolk.

Robert Stubbs
Treasurer

Robert is a chartered accountant with 30 years’ experience in auditing, accounts preparation and consulting. He has looked after a diverse client base including charities and other organisations that focus on education.

Dave Foxton
Deputy Chair of Trustees

Dave was born and educated in Leeds and is a qualified Physics and English teacher. After teaching for a short period of time, Dave then moved into adult education. In 2005 he became the Extended Services Advisor to schools in West Leeds, developing a range of partnerships to support children, young people and their families with Children Services.

Stewart Firth
Chair of Trustees

Stewart works as an Operations Director for a Torque Logistics Limited and has worked in supply chain logistics for over 30 years. Torque was founded in 1991 an independent group of logistics companies which now employs 1200+ people and has a turnover of more than £85 million. Torque has won many awards for its strong links to the local community.