Russell Martin

Founder and Chair

Kieran Mercer

Trustee

Kieran is a litigation lawyer whose practice includes sports disputes. He played youth football for Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion before playing non-league and then heading to New York on a soccer scholarship to complete his masters. Whilst in New York, he worked as a delegate at the United Nations and then spent two years teaching and lecturing in Latin America. As a keen rock climber, surfer and mountain biker, Kieran is especially looking forward to contributing to the development of the Russell Martin Foundation’s adventure activities offering.

Kay Watson

Trustee

Kay Watson has worked in education since 1995 and is a primary school deputy head teacher with special interests in inclusion; special educational needs; behaviour and equalities. My commitment to RMF is everything to do with their educational commitment and vision!

James Burt

James, hailing from Southwick and a former student at BHASVIC college in Hove, embarked on his accountancy career early on by joining Cardens Accountants in 2009. With a stellar track record in exams, he achieved the esteemed status of Chartered Certified Accountant in 2014. As an integral part of the Hove team, James obtained his practicing certificate and rose to the position of associate in 2022. His diverse portfolio consists of local owner-managed businesses, and he excels in assisting them with their accounting and tax challenges. James takes pride in his ability to provide straightforward, jargon-free advice and personalised service, building strong and lasting relationships with his clients in the ever-evolving world of accountancy and taxation.

Jamie Martin

Trustee

Jamie was born and raised in Brighton. He attended Varndean School (where he was Headboy) and later completed his A-Levels at Varndean College. Jamie achieved a BA in Acting at The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, London. He has spent twenty-five years plus as an actor with numerous television, film and stage credits. Jamie is also a playwright whose work has been performed in London and Brighton, and beyond. Alongside his creative career Jamie has two decades experience working with ‘Team Thinking’ , a company which specialises in delivering Leadership training to secondary education pupils in both the State and Independent sector. Jamie also worked with ‘Groundtruth Consulting’ for almost twenty years, travelling the globe, providing specialist training in conflict resolution and Hostile Environment Awareness for organisations such as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the United Nations.

Ruth Shaw

Trustee

Ruth brings extensive experience across the sport, leisure, and health sectors at national, regional, and local levels. She spent over eight years with the Greenwich Public Health team, where she led the development of Greenwich Get Active, a physical activity programme for inactive individuals and families. As Deputy Head of the Greenwich Healthy Living Service, she oversaw multiple healthy lifestyle initiatives. Ruth later worked at the Department of Health and Social Care on the Moving Healthcare Professionals programme, promoting physical activity in healthcare settings. Now retired, she volunteers as an Associate Hospital Manager for a mental health trust. A former county-level athlete and PE teacher, Ruth remains active and passionate about supporting disadvantaged communities, values that align closely with RMF's mission.

Russell Martin

Founder and Chair

Russell Martin is an ex-professional footballer who set up the Russell Martin Foundation to give something back to the city of his birth. Inspired by his footballing roots and motivated by his childhood experiences and difficulties growing up, his aim was to extend football's spirit of teamwork and cooperation to support people in Brighton & Hove and across Sussex, and help them overcome issues they may be experiencing in their lives. Russell has said that his biggest footballing achievements to date have been the promotions to the Premier League as a team captain with Norwich City and as a manager with Southampton. These successes and his gaining 29 caps for Scotland are testament to his character, and show why he is such an inspiration for RMF and its beneficiaries. While his football career has taken him round the country, Russell’s local roots remain strong. He is a great supporter of RMF’s community projects, attending educational initiatives and giving motivational talks. He is particularly proud of RMF’s educational Extra Time Project which benefits hundreds of disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils every year, providing children and their families access to a dedicated team of staff and giving renewed hope.

Adrian Batchelor

Chair

Adie is a local, having lived in the Brighton and Hove area for most of his life. He played County football for Southwick, Steyning and Shoreham in the late 70’s through to the early 90’s. His career was in Financial Services and Wealth Management for over 40 years, retiring from a senior leadership role with FTSE 100 Company St. James’s Place in 2019.

Richard Bradford

Trustee

Richard Bradford moved to Brighton in 1990 as a teacher at Falmer School. He later went on to be a Deputy Head at Varndean School before moving to Hong Kong as the Vice Principal of a large international school. In 2011 he returned to Brighton as Headteacher at Dorothy Stringer School. For several years, he was chair of the Brighton and Hove Secondary Headteachers group. He retired in 2019 but has continued to be involved in several education projects, including supporting the work of the Russell Martin Foundation Extra Time Project.

Dr. Alan Sanders

Chief Executive - Executive & Senior Management Team

Gary Mansell

Director of Football- Executive & Senior Management Team

Jane Coleman

Director of Programmes- Designated Safeguarding lead- Executive and Senior Team

Dale Hurley

Head of RMA - Senior Management Team

Donna Cox

General Manager & Welfare Officer - Senior Management Team

Sara Hughes

Head of Teaching & Learning Senior Management Team

Jay Lovett

Head of Post-16 Football - Senior Management Team

Charlie Oatway

Relationships Manager- Senior Management Team

Guy Kingham

Head of Compliance

Rob Silver

Head of Finance

Finley Jenkins

GK Lead Coach

Rob Deda

Coach

Izzy Glass Oliver

Girls Lead Coach

Glenn Franks

Holiday Co-ordinator

Llyod Francis

Coach

Jacob Baitup

7-11 Football Co-ordinator

Callum Kealy

Post-16 Football Co-ordinator

Connor Cox

Football Coach

Jess Barnes

Head of Disability

Lewis Mayer

Facility Operator

Danny Cullip

Teaching Assistant

Tom Halls

Centre Manager - Worthing

Aithne Missirian

Lead Centre Manager - Brighton

Kim Hammond

Centre Manager - Crawley & DDSL

Tyler Russell

Teacher Assistant - Worthing

Matt Drabble

Assistant Head Teaching & Learning

Carl Southwell

Adult Education Co-ordinator

Carlo Missirian

Qualified Teacher

Ismail Jafar

Teaching Assistant

Kelly Frater

KS2 Transition Co-ordinator

Tyrone Madhani

Teaching Assistant

Julia Sanders

Teaching Assistant

Rachelle Martin

Teaching Assistant

Chris Whelpdale

Head of Marketing & Comms

Paul Rogers

Commercial Manager

Joel Essex

Media & Comms

Marilena Ward

Admin, Trustees & Bid Support

Gerry Coleman

Project Manager

Heidi Rush

HR Manager

Debra Wells

Finance Assistant

Chris Ward

Sarah Samagh

Steve Purser

Matt Turner

Dr Tim Stevenson