Our people

We believe that every person matters and people are at the heart of all we do at the Centre.

Our clients

Our clients guide everything we do. We’re here to help children, families and young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or clients who have urgent or acute needs that cannot be met elsewhere.

We value every person; this is central to our Benedictine ethos and our values. We seek to develop trusting relationships over time with our clients. We rely on them to help us improve and develop our services so we include our clients wherever possible in our work.

Our staff and volunteers

Our staff and volunteers are diverse in their backgrounds, and their skills and experience. Many have lived experience of the challenges our clients face.

We are proud of our warm welcome and our team's commitment to supporting disadvantaged people to escape cycle of poverty and homelessness.

A passionate team

"Every day at Cardinal Hume Centre brings unique challenges and opportunities to develop my professional knowledge and skill set. Working to help others realize their potential and find their place in our community, is more than a job - it is a passion shared by everyone in the Centre."

- Jeanita Snowden, Employment Specialist

Meet our senior management, trustees and patrons

Senior Management Team

George O’Neill

Chief Executive

Before becoming the Centre’s Chief Executive in July 2018, George worked as Director and Community Leader for L’Arche London, part of an international charity providing housing and support to adults with learning disabilities. He has previously held senior positions in higher education, national and local government and non-governmental organisations.

Edward Emond

Head of Advice

Ed is responsible for the delivery of our range of advice services, supporting the teams to continue to deliver and grow our high quality advice and support for families and young people across Westminster. He joined the centre in 2023 having worked for a variety of charities in the youth and mental health sector. Ed has a strong interest in developing services through empowering people with lived experience to have a meaningful voice in their design.

Helen Finley

Director of Finance and Operations

Helen joined the Centre in April 2022 initially responsible for Finance and Operations but has also assumed responsibility for Human Resources. Before joining the Centre Helen worked as CFO at a research institute and prior to that held senior positions in various financial institutions. Helen is a Chartered Accountant with more than 20 years experience of delivering change and building and managing teams across a range of sectors. She has a strong focus on staff management, engagement and enjoyment at work and sees this as being important to long-term success.

Trustees

Robert Arnott – Chair

Dr Robert Arnott is the Director of Strategy, Social Mobility & Disadvantage at the Department for Education. Robert’s previous roles include: Director of Strategy and Transformation, Home Office; Director of Border and Immigration Systems, Home Office; Senior Policy Adviser on Home Affairs at the Cabinet Office; Head of Performance & Compliance for the Border & Immigration System; and Head of Value for Money at the Home Office. Robert joined the civil service in December 2001 following research fellowships in neurophysiology.

Andrew Rose

Bishop Nicholas Hudson

Mark Doran

Philomena Egan

Rebekah Etherington

Robert Arnott

Tim Walsh

William van Klaveren

Company Members

Bishop Nicholas Hudson

Cardinal Vincent Nichols

Catherine Hickman

Jocelyn Ridley

John Darley

John Gibbs

Nicholas Coulson

Philip Marsden

Patrons of the Centre

Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws QC

Cardinal Vincent Nichols

Field Marshal Lord Guthrie GCB LVO OBE DL

Fr Christopher Jamison OSB

Jeremy Paxman

The Most Honourable the Marquess of Lothian PC QC DL

The Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Ladyton

Vision, mission & values

Our vision, mission and values guide everything we do.

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Our history

For 35 years the Cardinal Hume Centre has been supporting local people.

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Our strategy & approach

We see the value in each individual and nurture potential.

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