IMPACT Staff

Central Staff Team

Our Central Staff Team is largely based in Birmingham and manages the strategic and operational aspects of the project.

Prof Jon Glasby

director of impact
Birmingham, England

The University of Birmingham’s School of Social Policy strapline is ‘to understand the world – and change it’ – and this is exactly what IMPACT seeks to do. I’m a qualified social worker by background, former Director of the University’s Health Services Management Centre and former Head of the School of Social Policy.

My other roles include being a Non-Executive Director of a local authority children’s service and of an NHS Foundation Trust.

Sheena Robertson

head of operations
birmingham, england

IMPACT is making a tangible and significant difference, working with people with lived experience of care, practitioners, social workers, regulators and policy makers to drive real change.

I feel privileged to support the operational delivery of this crucially important and timely centre. With 30 years’ senior experience in higher education, financial audit, and the charity sector, I look forward to using my skills and knowledge to strengthen IMPACT’s work and ensure everything runs smoothly.

Suzie Crowter

lived experience engagement lead coventry, england

IMPACT’s work stood out to me because it shines a light on social care – a topic close to my heart that often goes unnoticed. I was inspired by the fact that lived experience is at the centre of their approach, and I joined to help continue their co-production work.

I’ve always believed in making services more inclusive and user-led. It’s exciting to work in a space where people’s voices and insights are not only heard but genuinely shape the work.

Izzy Kennedy

communications & engagement manager
Birmingham, England

The chance to make a real difference to the lives of people across the four nations is something really special. IMPACT’s focus on lived experience is what drew me to the team, and being able to share those stories and insights is exciting.

I joined IMPACT after six years working in government communications. I started as a PR apprentice in Whitehall and moved into digital communications and external affairs, with a passion for connecting audiences to meaningful change.

Alys Clarke

communication & activity coordinator
birmingham, england

Joining IMPACT is an exciting opportunity to be part of something that drives real-world change in adult social care. I was drawn to the mission to empower those who give and receive care, using research evidence to inform practice.

I’ve worked at the University of Birmingham for the last five years, supporting research projects (post-award) and helping promote training and development within the research and PhD community. I’m looking forward to supporting communications and activities at IMPACT.

Munpreet Kaur Sohal

digital communications officer
birmingham, england

I’m passionate about service, and joining IMPACT felt like an opportunity to serve a sector that focuses on care and support for those that need it most.

I have almost two decades experience working in the media and communications sector both professionally and as a volunteer within community settings. I am also a qualified Drama and Movement Therapist, with an interest in children’s mental health.

Javiera Elsa Squadritto

centre administration manager
birmingham, england

I joined IMPACT because supporting this project gives me a real sense of pride. I’m motivated to contribute to making a tangible difference to adult social care.

My professional experience has focused on operations and executive support across further education and cultural institutions, such as museums and universities. I’m excited to bring this experience into my role, helping to ensure that the day-to-day running of the centre is smooth, efficient, and supportive of our national team.

Rawinder Nottra

senior project administrator
birmingham, england

I joined IMPACT because I believe that no one understands the adult care system better than the people, families and carers who use it – and using a co-production approach is vital to improving it.

My background lies in administrative support for a range of research projects, and this has definitely been the most rewarding to date!

Kiran Dhanda

Senior Project Administrator
birmingham, england

I joined the IMPACT project because I want to be a part of something that involves creating real, lasting change for people and communities. It’s inspiring to work with others who share a commitment to making a genuine difference in the social care world.

My background involves previous experience in operations and administrative tasks where I have been able to offer solutions for change. I hope to use this experience to help me in my role at IMPACT and overall, in making a difference in social care practises.

Evidence and Evaluation Team

Louise McCabe

deputy head of evidence & evaluation
stirling, scotland

IMPACT offers me an exciting chance to be part of something that will lead to real change in the delivery and impact of social care. I started my career as a care worker in residential homes for older people, before becoming an academic focusing on the lives of people with dementia.

I am now a Professor in Dementia Studies at the University of Stirling. Much of my work has centred on understanding and valuing lived experience and evaluating local practice.

Dr Aisha Macgregor

evidence & evaluation research fellow
Stirling, Scotland

I joined IMPACT because of its potential to improve care processes and outcomes across the UK. My research focuses on experiences of health and social care, and how ethics of care frameworks can help improve practice. I also have experience in implementation science, which supports the successful uptake of innovations.

I’m excited to bring together theory and practice in a project that foregrounds lived experience and evidence in equal measure to support meaningful care transformation.

Laura Reid

evidence & evaluation research fellow
stirling, scotland

(Maternity leave)

IMPACT offers me a unique opportunity to be part of a centre focused on real change in social care practice. I’m a qualified social worker and feel strongly that change must be driven by those with lived experience.

My research has explored learning from both lived experiences and practice knowledge across health and social care. Most recently, I’ve been conducting research with children and families affected by domestic abuse, further deepening my commitment to inclusive care research.

Claire Toomey

evidence & evaluation Research Assistant
Stirling, Scotland

I joined IMPACT because it ‘joins the dots’ between lived experience, theory, and practice and can support lasting change in the adult social care sector. I feel passionately that ‘lived experience’ should take front and centre stage in decision making processes.

I started my career in supported housing and recently have worked in freelance/consultancy roles. My research has focused on organisational change, change management, and the ‘gig economy’.

Emma Stroemqvist

evidence & evaluation Research Assistant

National Embedding Team

Ewan King

deputy director
head of national embedding
london, england

Ewan is Chief Executive at Shared Lives Plus, the UK charity representing the Shared Living sector. He is also Deputy Director for Policy Embedding at IMPACT.

Before joining Shared Lives Plus, he was Deputy CEO at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), where he led on policy, communications and delivery.

Laura Griffith

deputy head of national embedding
birmingham, england

Laura has previously worked at the Universities of Oxford, Aston and Birmingham, often focusing on people’s lived experiences of public services. This has included work with NICE on adult mental health service experiences.

More recently, she was a Senior Knowledge Transfer Facilitator with Public Health England and has been coordinating Birmingham’s ‘Creating a Mentally Healthy City’ initiative.

Suzie Crowter

National Embedding Manager
Coventry, England

Beth Jay

National Embedding Manager
Coventry, England

I’m really excited to be joining IMPACT’s embedding team, helping to integrate projects’ learnings into UK social care, both locally and nationally. I think it’s so important that the use of evidence in social care doesn’t stop when a project ends, it should continue and make important change.

Before joining IMPACT, I was a postgraduate research assistant and PhD student in social care and social work and before that, I worked in children’s social care. Working in practice and research has really shaped my passion for improving how social care works. I’m driven by the idea that everyone should have the chance to live the life they want, and I see IMPACT’s goals for putting evidence into social care practice and systems as a key way to help make that happen.

Marivjena Menka

national embedding Manager
Birmingham, England

I joined IMPACT because I have spent the last few years working in health and social care research and I have seen how important it is for good evidence to reach practice. In my roles within the NHS and universities, my work focused on improving services and supporting research delivery while collaborating with clinicians, community groups and people with lived experience. I wanted to be part of a team that turns learning into real change, and IMPACT’s approach felt like the right place to do that.

Barbara Campbell

National Embedding Lead
Northern Ireland

As a passionate improver I was drawn to IMPACT as it provides exciting opportunities to influence change and improvement in social care in partnership with those who draw on care and support. I am a social worker with many years experience in integrated health and social care in NI. I am a former Director of Children’s Services and Social Work.

I led the development of quality improvement for social workers in NI, the development of HSCQI (NI HSC quality improvement and Innovation approach) and was a co-design member of the Q Community for the Health Foundation.

Rhiann McLean

National embedding Lead
Scotland

I joined IMPACT because I am passionate about evidence-informed practice and co-production in 2023, and initially worked on a project about Personal Assistant wellbeing in Scotland. I started my career as a support worker before joining the world of research and evidence impact to improve outcomes for people who use Scotland’s health and social care services.

Soracha Cashman

National Embedding Lead
Wales

I am a cognitive neuropsychologist by training and have a background consulting in the voluntary sector and the private care sector. I’m based Eryri (Snowdonia) in North Wales. I’m Irish and have lived in Wales for about 25 years.

I previously worked with IMPACT in Gwynedd, North Wales, delivering a Demonstrator Project focused on ‘supporting the embedding of a new model of Home Care’ across the county.

Kath Morgan

National Embedding Lead
Wales

National Project Officers

Dr Obert Tawodzera

Project officer
Birmingham, England

I’ve always believed that to make positive change in adult social care, we need to understand lived experience and work directly with people who draw on support. That belief is what drew me to IMPACT. Previously, I worked as a care support worker, and recently completed a PhD at the University of Sheffield.

My research focused on transnational aged care arrangements between UK-based Zimbabwean care workers and their overseas families – work rooted in community and care relationships.

Dr Victoria Rivera-Ugarte

Project officer
Cardiff, Wales

I joined IMPACT because I’m passionate about participatory processes – working alongside users and practitioners to build meaningful knowledge. I hold a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Bristol, and I’m also a qualified social worker.

My academic and professional background includes work in community development, social participation and decolonial approaches to research. IMPACT’s values align with my own, and I’m excited to contribute to a collaborative effort to transform social care through engagement and learning.

Dr Janet Heaton

Project officer
Stirling Scotland

I joined IMPACT to use my research skills to help improve lives and create change in adult social care. I’m a social scientist and have worked in applied health and social care research for most of my career. This has included roles in the NHS and universities in both England and Scotland.

My work has always aimed to make research meaningful and practical – and I’m excited to contribute to a centre that puts evidence into real-world action.

National Project Officers

Dr Mary Webster

Project officer
Northern Ireland

I believe in the transformative power of people, and that co-producing with those who have lived experience of adult social care is essential to achieving real change. I joined IMPACT because its principles align closely with my own, and I’m excited to contribute to a project that is actively driving this change.

I have over a decade of experience as an academic researcher and recently completed my PhD in Psychology at Ulster University. In addition, I have worked within the community and voluntary sectors, supporting people with mental health difficulties and advocating for environmental justice.