Children in Distress

Staff Contacts

Name:	Alisdair Barron MBE
Title:	Chief Executive & Executive Chair of Copii in Dificultate
Department:	Operations
Location:	Glasgow

Alisdair had a career as an HR professional in the leisure and avionics industries; he joined the National Health Service as a Director of one of the largest hospital and community healthcare trusts in Scotland. Throughout his career he has maintained an interest in the care, education and development of disadvantaged children and young people with disabilities, particularly Autistic Spectrum Disorders. He is the longest serving member of the juvenile justice and Bathbone the UK's leading youth education and training charity. He is also a senior member of Board of Central College, Glasgow and the Shadow Board of the new City of Glasgow College. He has innovated care projects for thousands of Romania's children abandoned as being chronically, incurably or terminally ill, touched by HIVAIDS or living the daily challenge of Autistic Spectrum Disorders. In 2006, Alisdair was made member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of what he has done for the children of Romania. Contact Alisdair on 0141 5595695 or email abarron@childrenindistress.org.uk

Name:	(Sinnita) Zaynab Hassan
Title:	Administration Assistant
Department:	UK Operations
Location:	Glasgow

Sinnita joned the admin team form leaving school, she has grown in her role and now co-ordinates much of the charity's donor database and banking administration. Contact Sinnita on 041 559 5690

Name:	Joyce Hird
Title:	Thrift Shop Manager
Department:	Charity Thirft Shops
Location:	Shildon, Northumbria

Joyce is the Charity's longest serving shop manager. She is a lay preacher of the Methodist Church and sees the Shildon Thrift shop as being at the very heart of the community. contact Joyce at the Shildon Thrift Shop on 01388 773405

Name:	Paul Kubaszky
Title:	Regional Director & Deputy Chair
Department:	Copii in Dificultate
Location:	Bucharest

A graduate economist and highly experienced finance director, latterly business entrepreneur and consultant, Paul had an exceptional career and played a key role in the modernisation and development of the power generation industry in both Romania and Iran. In 1990, he first set his talents to ensuring the success of Children in Distress projects and was instrumental in delivering projects in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia and in Romania. Without Paul and his network of contacts and exceptional administrative ability Copii in Dificultate would not be the success it is today.

Name:	Joan Morrison
Title:	Fundrasing Manager Scotland & Northern Ireland
Department:	Funding Developement
Location:	Glasgow

Joan began her career in as a trainee manager within the House of Fraser Group and for many years was Personal Assistant to the Managing Director based in both Glasgow and London. She has filled similar roles in some of the UK’s most successful Public Relations and Media companies developing a wealth of contacts and experience in event and function orgainsation. She played a short but influential role in the set up and successful launch of Saga Radio in Glasgow only leaving to join the CID team as Funding Development Manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Name:	Jane Russell
Title:	Fundraising Manager North and Midlands
Department:	Operations
Location:	Kirkbymoorside Yorkshire

With long and distinguished career as a Personal Assistant, Secretary and gifted Administrator in education, commerce and industry. Jane long since successfully master the challenge of being a very active working mum and doting grandmother . She also plays a very active role in the local Kirkbymoorside community. Jane has single handedly pioneered the development of grassroots support for the charity across the North of England. Contact Jane on 01751 432089 or 07775 695611

Name:	Catherine Wheeler
Title:	Thrift Shop Manager
Department:	Charity Thrift Shop
Location:	Guisborough

Cath helped open and for many years successfully managed the Guisborough Thrift shop, despite being an active magistrate, busy housewife, mother and grandmother. She was persuaded out of an active “premature retirement” to run the shop and continue its reputation as a “treasure trove” of delights serving the wider community. Throughout Cath has been actively supported by her husband Roy, who manages the shop’s transport and collections service as well as leading the volunteer co-ordinators who mastermind the Charity’s Annual Shoe Box Appeal. Contact Cath by calling 01287 660625

Name:	Gillian Wilson
Title:	Thrift Shop Manager
Department:	Charity Thrift Shop
Location:	Kirkbymoorside

Gill the charity’s most recently appointed thrift shop manager, recently joined the team having gained a wealth of experience as a volunteer and latterly assistant in Kirkbymoorside’s other charity shop. She managed the shop upgrade and opening presides over a very successful shop that has been taken to the heart of the community. Gill with her ever warm welcome and winning personality runs a very successful shop, whilst still developing her volunteer team and being a very busy mum.

Name:	Valentina Zaharia
Title:	Exective Director & Project Director St Margaret's Complex
Department:	Copii in Dificultate
Location:	St Margaret's Bucharest

Valentina is a graduate social worker, who joined Children in Distress in1998 and is the inspiration for many of the charity's projects and programmes delivered from St Margaret's Care Complex. She was instrumental in achieving full National Authority for Child Protection registration for all of Copii in Dificultate projects and she has organised the Charity's acclaimed Autism Conference programme over the last five years.