Meet our team
We’re passionate about changing lives.
Yorkshire Team
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Co-Founder, CEO & CSO
Steve has worked in the criminal justice system since 1986. Starting at HMP Wormwood Scrubs he worked with some of the most notorious criminals in the UK. Since then, he has led on several offender rehabilitation initiatives in prisons across the North of England. He worked as Business Development Manager at HMP Leeds, and it was during this time he developed a successful model for rehabilitating ex-offenders based around sustainable employment.
Seeing the power of changing lives is what inspired Steve together with M.D and co-founder Val Wawrosz to set up TN.
As the CEO of Tempus Novo, Steve works on an array of day-to-day activities for the charity including managing the overarching strategy and vision of the charity, managing the funders and funds, leading on marketing, and overseeing stakeholder relationships.
Steve is recognised as an influential leader on prison reform and is a member of a select alliance working with the Centre for Social Justice think tank on future policy.
He sits as an executive in residence at Sheffield Hallam University and contributes as a member of the employer advisory board.
He is also a Leadership Fellow of St Georges House, Windsor Castle, where leaders from all sectors come together from across the globe to effect change for the better in society.
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Co-Founder & Managing Director
Val joined the prison service in 1988 and was posted to HMYOI Huntercombe where he worked for 2yrs before transferring to HMP Leeds in 1990.
He has a comprehensive understanding of offender management having overseen Offender Management teams in prisons, and currently sits on the MOJ Employment Advisory Board at HMP Hatfield.
Val is also recognised as an influential leader on prison reform and is a member of a select alliance working with the Centre for Social Justice think tank on future policy.
He sits as an executive in residence at Sheffield Hallam University and contributes as a member of the employer advisory board.
He is also a Leadership Fellow of St Georges House, Windsor Castle, where leaders from all sectors come together from across the globe to effect change for the better in society.
As Managing Director, Val oversees the charity's operations. A key element of which includes managing the relationships between the prisons, business partners and the employers.
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Caseworker
Charli worked as a resettlement worker at HMP Leeds. Charli has completed an MSc in Forensic Psychology and was instantly drawn to Tempus Novo for providing opportunities to offenders. Charli’s experience and knowledge means she understands that missed opportunities are one of the leading causes of offending.
Charli is committed to the rehabilitative model at TN and passionate about helping offenders secure sustainable employment in order to live crime free lives.
Charli was awarded employee of the month in August 2023 at HMP Leeds for her dedication in creating new ideas to support offenders reintegrate back into society.
“After hearing about the work TN do, I was eager to join TN and be part of a revolution helping offenders to re-integrate back into the community. Becoming part of the team and the work here at TN is an incredible opportunity”.
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Office Manager
Leanne started a career in insurance from the age of 18, working predominantly as project manager but also having experience in Process improvement, HR, Training and IT.
Following this, Leanne wanted a change of direction and came across the role here at Tempus Novo. Her role is extremely varied as no two days are the same, which is what Leanne enjoys most. From dealing with admin and IT, to talking to various corporate partners and meeting service users…
“When I heard about the opportunity to be a part of the Tempus Novo team, I knew immediately it was something I wanted to do. To wake up every morning knowing you are going to make a difference and make a real positive change to people’s lives is very special and it is a journey I am very proud to have joined the Tempus Novo team on.”
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Caseworker
Fiona worked as a prison officer for 12yrs and so she has that unique skillset developed in prisons. She understands prisoners and the problems they face trying to reintegrate back into society and is passionate about helping them.
A lot of her time in prison was spent working with the most vulnerable people, those at risk of taking their own lives and those struggling with addiction. Her dedication in this role resulted in a nomination for Prison Officer Of The Year.
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Caseworker & Sustainability Officer
Mel started working at a volunteer at Tempus Novo 2 years ago while studying for an Undergraduate Degree in Forensic Psychology, before being taken on as a permanent member of staff.
Mel feels passionate about the work that the TN team does in the rehabilitation of offenders, and knows that helping people to find sustainable employment is key to this. Mel now works part-time whilst studying for a Masters in Forensic Psychology and Mental Health at the University of Manchester, and is looking forward to being able to go full-time in September.
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Assistant Caseworker
Emily was introduced to Tempus Novo by one of her lecturers at University, and one of our Ambassadors.
“After hearing about the work TN do, I was keen to volunteer here. Volunteering at TN has been an absolute privilege and it's been a pleasure to witness individuals' flourish and re-introduce themselves into main-stream society. I am very passionate about the work TN do and becoming an official member of the team is a wonderful opportunity. I have recently graduated with first-class honours in Forensic Psychology and now work part-time here whilst studying for a Masters in Forensic Psychology at Leeds Trinity University.”
Emily now supports Kath, aiding in assessments, supporting service users, and also liaises with job centres and probation.
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KTP Associate
Chinedu is a young enthusiastic changemaker who is passionate about supporting impactful organisations to make data and research-driven decisions. He believes that the primary aim of research should be to inform decision makers on the interventions required to improve people and society.
His core competences include project management, cross-functional collaboration, business development and problem-solving. He is also skilled in qualitative and quantitative data analysis using different statistical and analytical tools.
Using these skills, Chinedu has completed a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in economics, and a master’s degree in energy policy. Currently, he is completing his PhD degree, focusing on strategy and business innovation at the Open University Business School.
Chinedu has fully embraced the significant impacts that Tempus Novo are having on the lives of ex-offenders and the UK criminal justice system and is committed to utilising his knowledge and skills to further enhance the social value impact and growth of Tempus Novo.
The South
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Operations Manager, Midlands
Ross has got extensive experience within Welfare to Work, Recruitment and Learning & Development industries. He has worked across Traineeships, Apprenticeships and many different Government funded programmes to support and guide different demographics into sustainable outcomes.
Ross firmly believes in the Tempus Novo model, and is determined to build on the great work that TN are doing to remove the stigmas attached to ex-offenders by moving them into employment and ultimately changing lives for the better.
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Operations Manager, South
With over 20 years of experience within the prison system, during which she worked with TN as an employee at HMP Springhill, Lisa brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our offender rehabilitation movement.
“I have worked with TN for 8 years now and we share a keen interest in changing people’s lives and making a real difference, I wanted to take that to the next level personally and decided I could do that with TN, thankfully they felt the same. I am really excited to now be part of the internal team.”
Finance Team
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Finance Director
Mike holds several Board level appointments, alongside his role as advisor at Drink Warehouse UK Ltd, an award-winning drinks wholesale business. He also co-founded a SAAS business in 2015, offering online sport education in the equestrian field. He is also co-founder of a company that promotes women in motorsport and advises two charities on financial matters. He recently sold another business he co-founded in 2016, offering business mentoring to tech start-ups, to the management team.
His passion is partnering with CEO’s, executives and entrepreneurs helping them understand the business numbers and providing practical advice on strategy execution and acquisitions. He has seen the drink wholesale business grow from £4.2m in 2015, when he became involved to £13.5m by the end of the current financial year in May 2019, a CAGR of 34%.
With many years in a diverse range of business sectors ranging from industrial chemicals to high end branded goods, he helps simplify the mystique around finance and helps entrepreneurs to manage their respective businesses more efficiently.
He qualified as an Accountant and holds an MBA in International Finance.
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Fundraising Manager
Steve has worked in the charity sector for many years. In 1985 he established DISC (now Humankind) a major charity which, as Chief Executive, he built up to covering the north of England with 500 staff and a range of services embracing employment, housing, substance misuse and young people. For the past 10 years he has worked as business adviser, consultant and bid writer in the charity sector.
Marketing Team
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Social Media Manager
Safiya’s creativity and love for all things digital steered her into Marketing following her University Degree. Having worked in various social media and marketing roles, Safiya launched her own marketing business, HG1 Social, in 2020 and has been partnering with businesses to help them grow their brand identity online every since.
From the first moment of crossing paths with Tempus Novo, Safiya became an advocate for their amazing work and enjoys bringing the team’s achievements to life on social media and digital marketing avenues.
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Social Media Manager
Keiran worked at a number of large corporates as a Social Media Manager before co-launching HG1 Social with Safiya.
With a passion for strategising and a vision for helping brands to spread their story far and wide online, Keiran works alongside Tempus Novo to bring the brand to life on social media.
The Ripple Effect
We had the pleasure of collaborating with Tempus Novo ambassadors, Joe and Dave from The Dunwells, on our very own Tempus Novo tune. Watch below to hear the finished song and see how it came together!