What We Do

Mark spent most of his fulltime career advising retail, consumer and leisure clients and private equity houses on creating value through strategy and doing successful acquisitions and disposals. He was a partner at pwc, where he led the Consumer team and was Chair of the UK Supervisory Board, and at Bain & Company. Between these roles he was an executive board member at Iceland Group and Welcome Break. Apart from his charitable work, Mark is an investor, advisor and NED at early stage businesses, and is a coach and mentor. He is married with 3 grown up children.

Lela has had different jobs and has been a trustee of many organisations. She is currently a director of Place Matters which seeks to centre communities in tackling the issues that matter to them and influence the wider system address social challenges and injustice. She is a qualified accountant and was previously a senior leader in the public sector for 25 years, including16 years in the London Borough of Islington where she was Assistant Chief Executive until 2016. She had responsibility for a range of services including employment for disabled people. When Lela was Director of the NHS Learning Disability Employment Programme she worked to increase the number of NHS Trusts that employed people with learning disabilities and wrote a call to action about it. She was also an adviser to the Department for Education on inclusive apprenticeships for disabled people. Lela has spent most of her personal and professional life trying to shift the needle on inequality and injustice and remains strongly committed to working with others to achieve that.

After a degree in Biochemical Engineering at University College, Swansea and a PhD at Girton College, Anthony joined Arthur D. Little strategy consulting in 1990. He spent eighteen years working mainly in the energy and transportation sectors, based in the UK and Hong Kong, and subsequently led turnarounds of two ailing international consulting organisations. This was followed by some twelve years as Business Development Director at Stagecoach plc, the international public transport operator. He is now an independent advisor to clients in the transport and infrastructure sectors.

Emily is co-CEO at Place Matters, a charity whose mission is to accelerate the impact of community-centred, multi-sector approaches to creating thriving places. Previously, she was a consultant working in health, education and social sectors. During this time, she led the collaborative effort to set up the Islington DFN-Project SEARCH at Moorfields Eye Hospital, where she saw the transformative impact of the programme on young people and their families. Earlier in her career, she was also head of development at Impetus Trust, and UK HR Director for Eli Lilly and Company.

James worked as an investment manager in London for 21 years, then founded and ran a mobile app platform company for 9 years and now runs a financial consultancy business helping people going through major life changes. He chairs the DFN Project SEARCH Finance and Operations committee and is also a trustee of the DFN Foundation charity. He has been a governor of 5 schools (including Undershaw) at various times and interest include hockey and backgamm

After a long, successful career at DPD UK, where I was the Director of IT, I retired in June 2023 to give more time to helping those with disabilities into paid employment. In 2018, I became the company’s ambassador for inclusion with a particular focus on Disability. I founded the highly regarded and award-winning DPD Inspire supported internship program, and we successfully employed over twenty people in paid employment. Today, I am a Trustee and Board member of DFN Project Search and DiscoverU. I give my time freely volunteering and supporting local colleges and schools. I also publicly speak on supported internships. I have been married to Alex for thirty-six years and have three grown-up children, one of whom inspired DPD Inspire. I am a devout Catholic, playing an active part in the community. I also love sports of any kind and music from various genres. I have a passion for the theatre, food and drink, baking, cooking, and gardening.

Susie Rutkowski, BS in Special Education, M. Ed. In Educational Leadership Susie is the Co-Founder and Educational Specialist for Project SEARCH. She is a nationally recognized transition expert with specific experience in program development in career technical education and employability curricula for young adults with disabilities. She served as the Manager for Disability Education at Great Oaks Career Campuses for over twelve years. During that tenure she, with Erin Riehle, co-founded Project SEARCH. Susie has been instrumental in designing the Project SEARCH Employability Skills Curriculum, training modules and leading replication efforts for new Project SEARCH sites in the U.S. and other countries as well. With her Project SEARCH colleagues and friends Maryellen Daston and Erin Riehle they wrote the book: High School Transition That Work: Lessons Learned from Project SEARCH. Currently there are almost 800 Project SEARCH programs across the world. Susie lives in Loveland, Ohio with her husband, Joe, and is the proud mother of five children, Sharon, Noah, Kurt, Kevin, and Lucas. In her spare time, Susie dotes on her grandchildren, hikes, runs, and creates handmade greeting cards.

Kristen Wright is the Senior Director of Disabilities Services at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. With over two decades of leadership experience, she oversees key programs that support individuals with disabilities in achieving greater independence and employment success. Her portfolio includes oversight of Project SEARCH, the Vocational Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s, and Employee Supports Programs—initiatives that bridge healthcare, education, and workforce development. Kristen holds a Master of Business Administration from Thomas More College, now known as Thomas More University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cameron University. Throughout her career at Cincinnati Children’s, she has held a variety of leadership roles, consistently advancing efforts that improve service delivery and operational performance. As a member of the DFN Project SEARCH Board of Directors, Kristen brings valuable expertise in program development, strategic planning, and cross-sector collaboration to help further the organization’s mission.