Steve Veevers – Chief Executive Officer
Steve leads the leadership team at Hft and takes responsibility for oversight of the whole organisation. He has over 25 years of social care and health experience, having worked as a senior leader in national and regional not-for-profit care providers, local Government and 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 and Senior Executive of a national learning disability charity.
He brings with him a commitment to collaborative approaches across 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 is a passionate advocate for empowering individuals to have real choice and control over their lives. She also champions the voices of frontline colleagues, and fosters a culture where our values are deeply embedded in everyday practice. 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.
Simon Hubble – Chief Corporate Services Officer and Deputy Chief Executive
Simon is an experienced leader and chartered accountant, with 25 years’ experience in a range of large and complex organisations, including both commercial and not-for-profit industries. He has led multidisciplinary teams at executive level covering finance, IT, property development, payroll, people, recruitment and learning and development.
“I moved from the Commercial sector to the not-for-profit sector because I wanted to contribute to society and do something which was about more than just making a profit.
“During my time in the learning disability sector I have been fortunate enough to do this, for example by playing a part in the development of homes which have enabled people with learning disabilities and extremely challenging behaviours to move out of institutions.
“Through visits to locations I have seen first-hand the impact that the combination of people living in the community in quality housing coupled with person-centred support can have on transforming the lives of people with learning disabilities. I have also been constantly blown away and humbled by the extraordinary efforts staff make across the sector to impact people’s lives despite often not being properly rewarded for the work they do due to the lack of funding.
“I am very pleased to join Hft as it is a values-led organisation which makes a significant difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities across England and Wales.”
Kate Jenkins – Director of People
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: Interim Director of People and Culture at Ambitious about Autism; Interim Director of People and Organisational Development at Crisis and Interim Director of People and Culture at Prostate Cancer UK.
John Dickinson-Lilley – Interim Director of Comms and Marketing
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 tenacity, ensuring that strategies are not only effective, but resonate deeply with an organisation’s ethos.
John has a strong track record of creating clear strategy, messaging frameworks, and action plans which deliver 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, having held senior communications and advisory roles at multiple 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, having 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.