Board members

Sian Wicks, Non-Executive Independent Director, Chair of the Board

About Sian Wicks

My current external appointments: 

Following a successful corporate career, I am the Chief Executive of Haven House Children’s Hospice that supports hundreds of families looking after children from birth who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions across North and Northeast London and West Essex. I manage a professional portfolio, an industry expert across health & social care. I uniquely understand the relationship between owners, trustees, and the executive operational board in the context in which complex children’s services operate today.

What I bring to the Board: 

An inspiring, visionary leader who is values-driven with the ability to provide strategic direction to deliver key objectives. An experienced Executive, Chief Nurse, Chair/INED in Health and Social Care for children and adults in both commissioner and provider organisations with over 37 years of experience in the public, private, and voluntary sector. Passionate and empathetic, integrity and compassion underpin my leadership style, creating cultures of psychological safety, empowerment, and co-production.

I have a proven track record of ensuring the highest quality of care delivery, leads geographically dispersed teams, an ambassador for AfC and other high-profile organisations. I focus on key metrics to drive financial sustainability and can evidence income diversification. I am entrepreneurial, innovative and strive for best in class.

Personal:

I am passionate about children’s services, putting children, young people and families front and centre with the aspiration, to drive and improve outcomes for children, improve value for money, grow the business and ensure financial sustainability. I am married with four adult children , a grand-daughter, and a crazy labradoodle. Mountain walking, wild swimming and cooking are my passions. 

Lucy Kourpas, Executive Director

About Lucy Kourpas

Current external appointments: 

As an Executive Director on the AfC Board my substantive role is within Achieving for Children. I joined Achieving for Children in March 2015 and worked in the organisation in a number of senior finance roles before being appointed as the Chief Operating and Finance Officer in January 2020. In this role I oversee the organisation’s Business Services Directorate which provides a range of support services that are tailored to the needs of a successful children's services organisation.    

What I bring to the Board: 

My role on the Board is to provide executive assurance on my areas of responsibility. Key areas include financial control, risk management, statutory compliance and reporting. I also work with the Board to set strategy and define priorities as well as to monitor performance and progress against key objectives.

Ian Dodds, Executive Director

Current external appointments: 

I am an Executive Director on the Board. My substantive role is the Executive Director of Children’s Service for both Kingston Council and Richmond Council. I started work in Richmond Council in 2009 as an Assistant Director and was the programme director for the creation of Achieving for Children as a community interest company. I transferred to the new organisation at its inception in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and became its Managing Director in 2018. I took the opportunity to become Executive Director of Children’s Services for Kingston and Richmond in 2019. In this role I lead the early help, children’s social care, health and educational support services for both boroughs, and am responsible for Achieving for Children’s fostering agency, residential care and supported accommodation services.

What I bring to the board:

My role on the Board is to provide executive assurance on my areas of responsibility. These include statutory compliance, contractual compliance and the overall quality of services and outcomes we achieve for children, young people and families. I am proud to have led services to achieve outstanding gradings from Ofsted in both local authorities in their inspection of local authority children’s services and the top grading in the local area inspection of services for children with special educational needs and disabilities. I also work with the Board to provide professional advice in order to set strategy, define priorities and monitor progress against key performance measures and objectives.

Personal:

I have spent 35 years working with and advocating for children, young people and their families in a variety of roles and organisations across London and south-east England. I am passionate about improving outcomes for children, especially for those who are most vulnerable and who experience barriers to opportunities. Outside of work, I chair the board of trustees of a grant-making foundation whose primary role is to make a difference to the lives of children and young people with special educational needs, disabilities and complex health conditions. 

Lin Ferguson, Executive Director

Current external appointments: 

I am a Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) appointed Director of the Board.  My  substantive role is the Executive Director of Children's Services and Education in RBWM. I joined Achieving for Children (RBWM) in February 2018, initially as the Deputy Director of Social Care and Early Help.  I was appointed as the Executive Director in April 2023.  In this role I oversee all of Children's Services in RBWM, the Virtual School across Achieving for Children and am the RBWM Commissioner for Achieving for Children.

What I bring to the Board: 

My role on the Board is to provide assurance on my areas of responsibility. Key areas include statutory compliance, contractual compliance and ensuring that the services we offer are as good as they can be in order to ensure that our children, young people and families are achieving good/better outcomes. My role includes scrutinising and challenging the work of Achieving for Children, on behalf of RBWM. 

Sarah Ireland, Council Appointed Director, Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames

More information about Sarah will be added here shortly.

Lilian Brett, Council Appointed Director, Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames

More information about Lilian will be added here shortly.

Kevin McDaniel, Council Appointed Director, Windsor & Maidenhead

About Kevin McDaniel

Current external appointments:

The current Deputy Chief Executive at the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, I support the work of AfC staff in the borough through the commissioning arrangements in place between the council and AfC.

In addition to Children’s Services, I am also the Director of Adult Social Services, responsible for Adult Services which are delivered by Optalis, and the Housing, Environmental Health and Licensing services for RBWM. 

Externally, I am the DCS sponsor for the South East Improvement Partnership's SEND group which seeks to drive improvement through collaboration between local authorities

What I bring to the Board:

Thirteen years experience of working in senior children's services management roles across Berkshire, building on a history of school governorship and staff management in the private sector.

Personal:

I am motivated by making a difference in the lives of children, from those who need protection to those who fly even higher with encouragement.

Ana Popovici, Council Appointed Director, London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames

About Ana Popovici

Current external appointments:

Ana Popovici is the Deputy Chief Executive of the Richmond and Wandsworth Better Service Partnership, a unique shared staffing arrangement between two London boroughs and the Executive Director of Children’s Services at the London Borough of Wandsworth.

With an international career spanning over twenty years across teaching, social work, national work and local government, Ana considers local government is both an agent of change and an anchor of place, and this is exemplified by her position as lead officer for Wandsworth's London Borough of Culture 2025.

What I bring to the Board:

Ana feels that her experience of coming to the UK from overseas, finding challenge and opportunity in the world’s greatest capital city, provides insight and empathy for the lives of Londoners who have embarked upon their own journey.

For Ana, leading in Richmond and Wandsworth, leading in London, is a great challenge and a fantastic opportunity due to its scale and its complexity and in terms of connecting ‘with’ so many communities - ‘within’ so many communities.

Looking with optimism to the future, in a world characterised by rapid change and uncertainty, Ana is unwavering in her commitment to listening to residents - our communities, our people, which for her remain at the forefront of leading with compassion, creativity and impact, whilst advocating for more women to take up leadership roles in local government.

Personal:

Beginning her career as a teacher, Ana transitioned to social work in order to channel her focus into making a difference in the lives of those who most need support, change and empowerment. Before joining Wandsworth, she held senior positions in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Lincolnshire County Council and Cafcass, a non-departmental public body, with responsibility for operational services across a number of different regions across England.

Ana Popovici is an active and committed Board Member for the Social Worker of the Year Awards, a national charity which shines a light on the inspirational achievements of social workers and promotes excellence in the profession.