Patrons
Peter Stefanovic is a high profile lawyer, journalist, filmmaker, political and social Commentator, media personality and campaigner who is well known for his films debunking political deceit which have been watched over 50 million times. A former partner at Simpson Millar LLP, Peter was one of three lawyers nominated for Legal Personality of the Year in the 2016 Solicitor’s Journal awards. In 2015 Peter turned the NHS debate on its head by crossing the courtroom floor to stand with junior doctors in a contract dispute with the Government which Peter argued was unfair and unsafe. He is a champion for social justice and the NHS. Peter has campaigned for junior doctors and nurses, has supported our former miners in their pension campaign and is a supporter of the WASPI campaign. Peter is also a Patron of the Refugee Therapy Centre, Period Power and Keep Our NHS Public.
Andy Cox joined policing in 1999 initially based in Surrey, moving to Northamptonshire in 2005 before transferring to the Metropolitan Police in 2016. Andy is considered a highly successful strategic leader with specialist knowledge and expertise in law enforcement, public safety and security. He has extensive experience in leadership, managing performance, project management, strategic thinking and innovation. Andy currently has a highly prominent role as London’s lead for Vision Zero (road danger reduction) which provides the responsibility of saving life and investigating homicide (road death) whilst strategically managing extreme risks and threats to the community and organisation. Chair of the ‘national’ strategic board for serious collision investigation; he directly influences across the country and multiple external organisations. Andy has demonstrated an ability to make a real difference across in road safety; he introduced high profile operations which have achieved notable reductions in killed and serious injury collisions and secured significant public support for his approach. Holding a Masters Degree in Criminology and Leadership awarded by Cambridge University, he is nationally recognised for innovation and internationally recognised for personal leadership in tackling social and diverse issues with work described as “the most exciting development in the field of stop search anywhere in the world within the last ten years”. A proven track record of honesty, integrity and values-based outstanding performance within complex, demanding and highly regulated environments. A strong leader, team player and effective decision maker able to build trust and develop meaningful relationships at both individual and corporate level, communicate well at all levels, problem solve and inspire individuals and organisations to succeed. Proven ability to set the vision and strategy; achieving significant crime reductions and enhanced detection rates. Creating best practice and improving multi-agency partnerships. A passion for protecting the vulnerable, keeping people safe and improving lives, Andy is renowned for his interaction with the public and is renowned for his transparency and willingness to see it from the non-policing perspective; winning widespread personal acclaim from survivors and victims of serious abusive crime. A family man with two grown up healthy, happy and successful sons. A lifelong sportsman with preferred sports being football and cricket. A passion and dedication for personal fitness; extreme challenges, having participated in boxing bouts, endurance events and triathlons.
Trustees
Andrew, Chair of Trustees, is an accomplished 360° marketeer and brand builder. He has worked across diverse markets and cultures, always in ‘top-of-their-niche’ business environments that demand ROI from every activity. He’s a practical leader and mentor with excellent team and collaboration skills, managing different initiatives simultaneously, and has broad hands-on experience from start-ups to major multi-nationals, Business / brand growth strategies, B2B and B2C (luxury, retail and charity) and social enterprises.
Yemmi, Vice Chair, is an information technology and telecommunications leader with a strong interest in young adult mental health and wellness. Yemmi’s personal sense is that mental health in general and youth mental wellness in particular, is not as prioritised as it ought to be, given the amount of NHS funding as a proportion of total NHS budget, spent on mental health. Yemmi accepted invitation to serve as a trustee of Respect Yourself, in order to lend his extensive business experience to RY trustees, and has held board, executive and senior positions within the air transport, technology and telecommunications industries. Yemmi is 6-SIGMA qualified and has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Keele, Staffordshire. He lives in Berkshire and is active in the Church of England and on Twitter Social Media. In his spare time, Yemmi likes to read, walk or drive around the Chilterns, and also enjoys Netflix.
Bobby, Secretary and Treasurer, has a HNC in Business and Finance, and 20 years experience as a freelance book-keeper/administrator to a number of SME’s in a variety of different industries and professions in Norfolk. As a Mum and a Grandma family is very important and she says it is easy to see what a different place the world we live in is from when she was younger and can see how young people face far more challenges and difficulties now and wants a better place for her Grandchildren to grow up in. She is involved in the local fundraising and enjoys putting together the tombolas for all the fundraising events as this also helps gives her the opportunity to increase the awareness of Respect Yourself locally.
Michelle works with hard to reach and vulnerable children and families, predominantly those struggling to attend mainstream school. She is passionate about equal rights, especially those around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and the Mental Health of our younger generation. Her eldest child has Autism, ADHD, and other co-existing conditions. Michelle has first-hand experience of the good work RY does and regularly promotes the work they do to the families she works with. In her limited spare time she enjoys reading, trying new recipes and days out with her three children and partner.