Aidan oversees WAVE’s Self-healing Trauma-informed Communities (STiC) work, supporting community-led and statutory projects across the UK. He was the principal researcher in our 3-year study of severe disadvantage which identified the key role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the pathway to homelessness, unemployment, school exclusion, mental health problems and the criminal justice system; and in a recent project which involved interviewing more than 70 practitioners across education, health, housing and policing UK-wide about trauma-informed practice.

Anthoulla was a solicitor in private legal practice for 27 years until 2009, specialising in commercial property transactions and non-contentious legal work. During the years leading up to 2009, she provided pro-bono and financial support to WAVE. WAVE’s ever-growing sphere of influence and achievements led to an expansion of opportunities for the organisation to achieve social transformation. The possibilities excited Anthoulla such that she could no longer remain in the law. She left the legal profession in 2010 to join the management team, enabling her to present WAVE's preventive message and strategic solutions to audiences throughout the UK. Anthoulla fulfills two key roles within WAVE: Company Secretary and in-house lawyer, including handling all internal and third party contracts, governance, dealing with Companies House & Charity Commission requirements, and liaising with and supporting the Board of Trustees. Director of External Relations and major donor fundraiser, including engaging with major supporters and ambassadors.

The WAVE team

Q: George Hosking OBE, Scotland, Operations and Research Director

George is an economist, accountant, psychologist and clinical criminologist. He is also a traumatic stress counsellor. Before focusing on social issues, George had a successful career in business, first as a senior line manager working in the field of international strategy, then as a strategy consultant and corporate turnaround specialist. At 26, he became one of the youngest ever senior managers in Unilever. After a 17-year career there, where he became responsible for helping create and produce the strategic plans for 30 countries, he left to open his own consultancy. His major lines of work were international strategy and turning around loss-making businesses. He has carried out around 30 successful corporate turnarounds in a range of countries and industries, adding more than £10 million per annum to the profitability of such companies as the Mothers Pride Bread company and Booker Cash & Carry. In the mid-1990s he founded (and for many years funded!) WAVE Trust, to adapt his corporate turnaround technique to transform the lives of children. Since then he has advised the Met Police, Scottish Government, Cabinet Office, Home Office, Departments for Education and Health and No 10 Downing Street on policies for children or to tackle violence. As a clinical criminologist he has worked with victims and perpetrators of violence, in prisons and in the community delivering WAVE’s very successful ‘An End to Violence’ programme.

Q: Geoffrey Dennis, CEO

With 30 years in senior and CEO roles including International Director of The British Red Cross, Country Director for the Worldwide Red Cross Federation in North Korea, and later overall Regional Director for the whole of South Asia, CEO of CARE International UK including running its EU office, and CEO of The Royal National Children’s Foundation, Geoffrey brings enormous breadth and depth of experience to the role. Geoffrey is pleased to have joined a charity which he describes as ‘amazing’, and states he is incredibly impressed with the impact of WAVE Trust to date and its huge potential to transform the lives of children in the UK and across the globe. Geoffrey holds The Badge of Honour for Distinguished Service by The International Red Cross.

WAVE's team includes staff in WAVE's offices in London, Scotland and Italy. We also have nearly 200 70/30 ambassadors across the UK and hundreds of elected representatives committed to the 70/30 Campaign to reduce child maltreatment by 70% by the year 2030.

Latest

Trauma-informed Schools: Study finding links between early years ACEs and school exclusions

The exact link between the kind of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that have the potential to cause trauma and said exclusions has often been assumed but, to Aidan Phillips' knowledge, never directly researched - until now.
Late nights, High risk: Adolescent brain development

At WAVE, we talk often about the primary importance of the early years of life. But they are not the only years during which our brain and body experience rapid changes.
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (2005)

A throwback to an article written by former WAVE Trust CEO George Hosking in 2005 on understanding the cause of violence and child abuse and in turn what we can do to reduce it.
Southampton City Council passes a motion about WAVE Trust

WAVE Trust are delighted to announce that Southampton City Council has become the latest local authority to pass a motion in support of working with our charity.