Caroline Roberts-Cherry - Chair
Caroline Roberts-Cherry is an experienced trustee and chair and a local businesswoman. She runs a TV and film production company in Manchester specialising in scripted and non-scripted content. Known within her sector as a diversity champion, Caroline's television work platforms female writers, producers and directors. She is proud to be a local employer producing content for the local, national and international markets. A life-long feminist, she was the Women's Officer at St Catherine's College, Oxford as well as the first female JRC Vice President. Caroline was part of the cohort of women to establish women's football at Oxford and played in the first female Varsity football game (on the winning side).
In 2018, she produced the award-winning BBC documentary, 'Emmeline Pankhurst - The Making of a Militant', presented by the actress and writer, Sally Lindsay. The film was premiered at a special event at Radisson, Edwardian (the former Free Trade Hall) and led directly to the creation of GM4Women2028. The film has sold internationally, and short-form Emmeline films were also created for BBC Teach and Bitesize as part of the curriculum.
Caroline was born in Manchester and is married with two sons.
Sally Hobbs - Vice Chair
Sally's background is in public service leadership, commissioning social care, health and housing services. She has worked at national, regional and local levels as part of leadership and improvement teams. Sally has headed joint commissioning for several North West health and social care authorities and led local government transformation programmes. Sally has provided management consultancy in organisational and service change for public services. Sally has substantial expertise and experience in financial management and has delivered significant financial efficiencies to ensure that services are sustained and protected for the benefit of the people they serve. She has been actively involved in the development of domestic abuse service for over 30 years.
Janet Pickering - Secretary
Janet Pickering is a retired social worker. Domestic violence was a significant factor in her work with families and children and in 1998, she joined the management committee of a woman's refuge in South Manchester. She continued to serve as a board member following the merger of five refuges to create Manchester Women's Aid in 2008 and was actively involved in effecting the merger of five refuges to create The Pankhurst Trust in 2014. She holds the office of Board Secretary and also volunteers as a tour guide in The Pankhurst Centre. The woman who inspires Janet most is Ellen Wilkinson, a radical Mancunian and the first woman Labour MP elected in 1924. Ellen Wilkinson was passionately committed to improving the lives of vulnerable people and fought hard for the equal rights of women. Janet strongly supports the provision of specialist services to safeguard and empower women and children. Janet says: "The merger forming The Pankhurst Trust, has opened up opportunities to develop a resource for women in Manchester, at the birthplace of the Women's Social and Political Union."
Mary Watson
Mary is a retired social services senior manager working for Manchester, and then Liverpool City Councils. Until 2021, she was a Manchester City Councillor (Labour) for 13 years for her home ward of Whalley Range. She sits on the Audit Committee for PTMWA and is the board's Safeguarding Lead. Mary was one of the women who helped set up the first Women's Aid refuges in Manchester in the 1970s inspired by her membership of the Manchester Women's Centre. Mary was a board member of Manchester Women's Aid that initiated the merger with The Pankhurst Trust to ensure its survival. Mary says: "I am inspired and excited by the opportunities this gives for women in Greater Manchester."
Melanie Sharples
Melanie has been a board member since 2009, initially of Central Manchester Women's Aid. Before the merger of the organisations to form The Pankhurst Trust, she held the position of chair from 2011-2014. Melanie is a family solicitor, and she specialises in Children's Law which relates to arrangements for children and a large percentage of her clients have experienced domestic abuse. Melanie says: "I enjoy the challenges of making decisions as a board and the honour of working with strong, intelligent and enterprising women."
Sara Radcliffe
Sara Radcliffe is an experienced management consultant. She has 25 years' experience of working in NHS leadership. Sara has a background in strategic policy and is an experienced NHS service change manager. Sara has an MA in Women's Studies, BA (Hons) in English Literature and DIP HSM Institute of Health Services and Management.
Saleema Kauser
Dr Saleema Kauser lectures in the Organisation Studies group at Alliance Manchester Business School (MBS). She has a first degree in Psychology from the University of London. She holds a Master's degree in Information Systems and Technology from Cass Business School, an MBA from Aston Business School and received her PhD from the Warwick Business School. Dr Kauser has been lecturing for over 15 years on strategic and organisational management issues.