Our Trustees
Charity trustees serve on the governing body of a charity and must
accept ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of a charity.
The Topsy Foundation UK has 7 Trustees:
Susan Angoy
Susan is an Independent Member of the governing Council of the University of Sussex, where she also serves as a member of the Audit & Risk Committee. She is a representative of the Council on the advisory group developing the strategy and governing principles for the university’s socially responsible investments. She has been an active Trustee of Topsy Foundation UK since 2015.
Fiona Ghosh
Fiona has supported Topsy SA since the early days. Early on during Lockdown her oldest son developed the idea of a Lockdown Half Marathon and co‑opted some of his school friends to join him; together they approached Topsy with the idea and this resulted in a successful fundraising event.
Hugh Montgomery
Hugh has travelled extensively in Africa, beginning as a child in Ghana, where his paediatrician father worked for a period. His interest in South Africa stems from early in Hugh’s medical career when he spent a year as a doctor working in the significantly under‑doctored area of rural KwaZulu Natal.
Suzy Murphy
Suzy started First Step Training 11 years ago and has delivered and written programmes for AGE UK (formerly Age Concern) and resource packs for the UKHCA (UK Home Care Association). She has provided training for MENCAP, private care providers including in relation to dementia, care/support planning, risk management, equality and diversity, teaching in academic establishments, third sector and private providers.
Jeff Rodrigues
He is an active older man, especially fond of cycling long distances. He completed the 300 mile London‑Paris 100‑mile a day fundraising ride for Topsy, raising the most funds among the 96 riders; also two Ride London events, also for Topsy. Jeff has been a Topsy Trustee since 2013 and continues to be a fundraising activist and strategist. "Topsy does great work and punches above its weight and I want to be part of expanding our capability".
Foszia Turner‑Stylianou
In the UK, from 1981, she has occupied the posts of Women Centre Coordinator in Kingston and Assistant Director at Family Service Units in London. After leaving FSU, she trained as a Regression Therapist and since 2001 has run her Transpersonal Regression Therapy practice, initially based in Surrey and currently in Hertfordshire.
Natasha Walsh
Natasha is an AI Specialist works with financial services organisations to accelerate AI adoption through secure, scalable private cloud solutions. Gaining international experience working at organisations in Switzerland and West Africa, Natasha started her career in IT at Softcat in London where she spent 4 years working with key accounts and managing a team before moving to Microsoft. Natasha graduated from Manchester University with a Business degree in 2013 and is married to Robert and they have two young children
Tribute to Rodney Waldeck
Late chair of Topsy UK
We are broken-hearted to share the sad news that our beloved Rodney died on Sunday 20 th October 2024. Rodney was the Chair and founder of Topsy UK and a Board member of Topsy Foundation South Africa.
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It is hard to find words that adequately describe Rodney’s extraordinary contributions to, and love of Topsy and of humanity. He was an inspirational leader who led with generosity, kindness and a deep commitment to the causes of equality, social justice and education. Rodney dedicated his life to further these values and had the gift to inspire all those he touched to do similarly. Nothing ever seemed impossible to him. This made it possible for his positivity to affect us all and bring out the best in each of us.
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He was so much more than a colleague. He was our dearest friend, always striving to help others, even during the final stages of his illness when many would have focused inwards upon themselves. He was unstinting in his desire to make a difference to friends, colleagues and those he loved most. And in return, we loved him.
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I know he would not want to see platitudes written about him. He was funny, daring and full of life – and of course style!
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Rodney was the driving force behind Topsy UK. The gap he leaves is enormous. But the memory of his spirit and love will remain with us all forever. His impact reaches far and will continue to do so through the work
of Topsy.
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Although his physical presence is here no longer, he continues to live within us all and in those who
Topsy touches.
Susan Angoy
She is also an ambassador and a previous Professional Mentor for the Amos Bursary, a member of The Funding Network and The Black Funding Network, a judge, and an active funder of the Women in Arts project.
Previously, Susan worked at senior and top management levels for over thirty years in a range of regional, national and international organisations whose focus was economic regeneration and physical development, in addition to creating and sustaining the human and social capital to develop healthy and thriving communities. She has worked as both an employee and a consultant.
In the past, Susan has held several Non‑Executive Directorships, including those of many NHS Boards and the London Mayor’s London Development Agency. She was also a Storytelling Mentor for the Ministry of Stories. Susan is now dedicated to supporting organisations and charities through her philanthropic donations and active involvement, where their aims and principles align with her own. These include: the protection of the environment and mitigation against the climate crisis; education and training; the arts and creativity; the alleviation of poverty, homelessness, and the promotion of sustainable development.
Susan is a Founding Member of The Groucho Club in London. In her spare time, Susan writes fiction, plays the piano, and composes music. She is learning to paint, learn Greek, grow vegetables and at times can be found dancing in the sunshine or moonlight!
Suzy Murphy
Suzy has a wealth of experience in the Lifelong Learning Sector gained during 21 years’ experience as a consultant and independent trainer in further education.
Suzy began her career in 1997 as a trainer with the NHS, branching out for 2 years to own and run a tearoom. She then worked as a Registered Manager for a care company providing and organising 24 hour care for palliative care patients.
Suzy has a Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLL's) level 5 and is a qualified First Aid instructor. When not working Suzy loves spending time with her daughter, travelling and cooking up a storm for her family.
Foszia Turner‑Stylianou
Foszia is the widow of Richard Turner, the South African Political Science lecturer who was assassinated by the apartheid South African state in 1978. She worked with the emergent black trade union movement in Durban in the 70’s and with her husband and the collaboration of the Secretary of the Garment Workers’ trade union, Harriet Bolton, founded the Institute of Industrial Education (IIE). The IIE developed course‑work programmes to meet the needs of the predominantly black labour force. She assisted Richard in the founding of the South Africa Labour Bulletin and oversaw its production in its early years. In 1976 she also worked as research assistant to David Soggot, QC the leading defence lawyer on the SASO‑BPC trial.
Fiona Ghosh
Fiona Ghosh runs a boutique Consultancy implementing large scale IT systems for Retailers. She was born in Scotland and her family emigrated to South Africa where she was educated. After graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand, Fiona joined the Edgars Group in Johannesburg before returning to the UK to complete her MBA at Edinburgh Business School
Hugh Montgomery
Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE FMedSci is a consultant in Intensive Care Medicine in North London, and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London where he directs the Centre for Human Health and Performance. He has published over 500 scientific papers, many of which relate to the human adaptive response to low oxygen availability. Hugh also works in the field of Climate Change and its impacts on human health and survival, chairing the international Lancet Countdown on the subject. He is the co‑founder of Real Zero. This is a non‑profit organization, dedicated to achieving the global 50% reduction in scope 1‑3 emissions.
Additionally, Hugh is the author of children's books and a best‑seller medical thriller and has a passion for music of many genres. He is a keen snorkeller and mountain walker and has climbed in the Himalayas (Cho Oyu, 8201m, 2006; Pumori), the European Alps, and the Andes (Aconcagua, 6997m).
Jeff Rodrigues
Jeff is now retired. Before, he worked for 15 years in several Civil Service management and policy jobs. After his Civil Service career, he worked as a consultant in Organisational Development and Change Management; and helped establish the consultancy The Office for Public Management, before going solo in 1993. In his early 20s, after completing his Master’s degree at the University of Keele, he joined the Faculte des Lettres, University of Oran, Algeria as a lecturer. While there, he journeyed into the Sahara to stay in the Hoggar region in which the Tuaregs lived.
Jeff has been involved in charity work for many years. He fundraised for the ANC in the 1980s and for charities in Africa through sporting activities and organizing large‑scale social events. He has been a volunteer at Blind Veterans UK, based in Ovingdean, Brighton, working on a one‑to‑one basis with residents. He also volunteers in several areas in his village of Rottingdean, East Sussex, including showing people around Rottingdean's iconic windmill (1803)!
He has completed one novel about how an 'Anglo' family disintegrated under the Japanese occupation of Burma (1942‑45), and is part‑way through a second work of fiction about the growing up of a mixed‑race boy in the 1960s.
Jeff is often kept busy by bees ‑ he is a beekeeper of half a dozen colonies and teaches novice beekeepers.