Steve Veevers – Chief Executive Officer
Steve leads the leadership team at Hft and is responsible for overseeing the whole organisation. He has over 25 years of social care and health experience. He’s worked as a senior leader in national and regional not-for-profit care providers and local Government. He’s also done consultancy work to the benefit of social care.
Before joining Hft, Steve was the Managing Director of a large, community-based care provider in the South West of England. He was also Senior Executive of a national learning disability charity.
He brings with him a commitment to work with local communities, not-for-profit providers and statutory organisations to help people live their best lives.
Becky Speight – Chief Operating Officer
Becky brings over 20 years of experience in health and social care to her role. She began her career as a support worker for Mencap and has since gone on to lead national charities in the learning disability sector.
Throughout her career, Becky has been dedicated to driving meaningful change, with a strong focus on delivering high-quality, person-centred support. Under her leadership, services have achieved outstanding ratings. This shows her commitment to excellence and making sure that the people they support live full, meaningful lives.
Becky strongly believes in and fights for people to have real choice and control over their lives. She also supports and uplifts the voices of frontline colleagues. And she encourages a culture where our values are deeply embedded in everything we do. She is committed to creating workplaces where people feel valued, love their jobs, and take pride in the impact they make.
Outside of work, Becky is a proud mum to two busy girls and finds joy in spending time outdoors whenever she can.
Kate Jenkins – Chief People and Culture Officer
Kate oversees the work of our People and Organisational Development teams, within the Shared Services Portfolio.
She is an experienced People and Culture Director with extensive strategic and operational experience across private, public and not for profit sectors.
Kate is well-versed in taking on Director roles within charitable organisations such as:
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Interim Director of People and Culture at Ambitious about Autism
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Interim Director of People and Organisational Development at Crisis
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Interim Director of People and Culture at Prostate Cancer UK.
John Dickinson-Lilley – Executive Director of Voice, Vision and Impact
John has a deep background in communications and public affairs strategy and campaigns across the public, private, and charity sectors. His approach is rooted in active listening, compassion, and determination. He makes sure strategies are not only effective, but resonate with an organisation’s ethos.
John has a strong track record of creating clear strategy, messaging frameworks, and action plans. He delivers high-value, impactful campaigns that engage audiences, whether that’s influential journalists, decision-makers and policy influencers, regulators, or political groups.
He has a wealth of skills and experiences across various sectors, disciplines and businesses. He’s held senior communications and advisory roles at many UK organisations over the last twenty years.
John has served as the Director of Communications at The British Museum and Goldsmiths, University of London, Prostate Cancer UK, and CITB. He has also held political advisory roles across large public bodies and local authorities, including as Director of External Relations at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and Head of Public Affairs at Sport England.
John has sat on a host of charity boards and served for nearly ten years as a global ambassador for Athlete Ally. He had a successful career as a Great British Blind para-ski racer, retiring as European Champion, Double British Champion, and in the World Top Ten. He was made a Freeman of the City of London due to his communications work.
Karina Hourd – Executive Director of Growth, Giving and Living
Karina has a passion for making a positive difference for learning disabled people through development of new services and growing and diversifying the income of purpose led organisations.
Karina has worked in the non-profit sector for over 20 years, and more than 10 years in organisations supporting learning disabled people. Her previous role was as Chief Growth and Development Officer with a leading Learning Disability charity based in the South East. She has also led Business Development and Income Generation teams in Learning Disability and Mental Health organisations.
Her role at Hft combines a varied but connected portfolio of Housing and Assets, Fundraising and Business Development. She leads on ensuring the people we support have safe and comfortable homes as well as helping the organisation to offer more and varied services to learning disabled people.
Karina is also a Trustee with Solent Mind in Hampshire and chairs their Income Generation Committee. She comes from a neurodivergent family and is an advocate for greater accommodation and openness about neurodivergence and mental health, including at work.
She’s married with three children and a dog, and lives in North Wiltshire. She’s a keen runner and walker, particularly across the trails and hills in Wiltshire.