
Meet our trustees; read below to find out more about the team of highly skilled individuals who volunteer their time, knowledge and expertise to the charity.

Arnold Ridout
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Arnold is a retired lawyer who has lived in Newham for over 40 years. He has been on the Board of the Trustees for the Renewal Programme for over 10 years and became Chair in October 2018.

Amma Antwi-Yeboah
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Amma is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. As a housing professional for 20 years, Amma has worked for number of local authorities in London and understands the need to deliver services with limited resources to meet the needs of residents. She has been part of senior management teams within Housing Services and responsible for the strategic direction of housing services.

Tim Dean
Tim Dean is a retired Anglican priest. Previously he was a Commissioning Editor for the BBC World Service, then became Director of the World Media Trust working to train media professionals and students outside the UK. Tim is a member of First Step Forum engaged in private, independent, international diplomacy for religious freedom and human rights. He has been on the governing bodies of a number of charities and in 1983 was one of the founders of the cancer charity Lymphoma Action.

Peter Koczerzat
Peter joined The Renewal Programme in March 2018 so he could contribute to its mission of empowering Newham’s residents through targeted advice, support, and education. He works for the Bank of England, and has held various roles in Prudential Policy, Financial Stability and Insurance Supervision.

Lois Lindley
Vice Treasurer of the Board
Lois is an ACA ICAEW Chartered accountant and currently works at BDO LLP as a Financial Services Senior Audit Manager. Prior to this Lois studied Chemistry at the University of Manchester. Lois joined the Renewal Programme in 2020 as vice-treasurer as she is passionate about charitable work and wanted to put her financial and other skills towards a good cause.
Lois has been involved in a number of other charitable activities over the years including tutoring Chemistry to disadvantaged children, volunteering in care homes and hospices and undertaking charitable activities in orphanages in Sri Lanka. Separately Lois is also a trustee for Their Future Today.
In her spare time Lois is keen on sporting activities and likes to participate in sporting challenges to raise money for charity, such as the London to Brighton Bike Ride.

Rajdeep Mann
Rajdeep is an IT professional at an investment bank, currently managing a global team based in Europe and Asia. She has over 22 years of experience in various technology roles within the pharmaceutical industry, business consultancy and investment banking.
Within her current company, she also organises and assists in a number of corporate social responsibility initiatives. As a mother of two children, she was particularly drawn to The Renewal Programme as it matches her desire to open up opportunities and empower individuals to achieve their full potential.

Ifeoma Okafor
Treasurer of the Board
Ifeoma is the Treasurer of the Board and is a chartered accountant with experience in the banking industry. She joined the board of Trustees of the Renewal Programme because our mission and values aligned with her own. She believes the organisation is bringing change to the community.

Molly Patten
Molly is a PRINCE 2 qualified finance professional at a global investment bank, currently working in the risk and control division. She has over eight years’ experience in investment banking in roles ranging from risk, settlements, reconciliations, change management and project work.
She was born and bred in East London and has recently become an active volunteer in the community. Her inspiration for joining the Board of Trustees at the Renewal Programme lies in her belief that, in this day and age, people are living, learning and negotiating their lives in an increasingly complex and challenging world.
She is passionate about helping to reduce some of these challenges people face and working alongside The Renewal Programme helps to empower individuals to do just this.

Alex Skourtis
Alex is an IT product owner and digital entrepreneur. He aspired to join the Renewal Programme board because he was impressed by the breadth of the initiatives it offers and its streamlined approach in helping people that experience difficulties regain their confidence and get back on their feet

Revd Fr Marco G. Lopes
Marco, together with his two children, wife and two pets, lives in Newham. He is an Anglican Priest serving two parishes in Newham. He has more than 25 years of experience in Christian ministry. In parallel with his spiritual duties, he has worked in financial institutions for over 15 years in areas such as risk, loans, credit collection and customer service. He is passionate about social justice, diversity, migrants’ integration and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. He is involved in social organising and is part of the Newham Citizens Leadership Team, being involved in the London Living Wage and Housing campaigns. He has helped kickstarting social activities such as a food bank and English conversation classes for newly arrived migrants. Serving the in Renewal Programme comes as an opportunity to further his commitment to the social fabric of the area.