Our Team

Leah Holmes

Senior Associate: Development
Leah is an experienced leader and practitioner in public engagement and involvement, with a special interest in inclusive practice. She has worked within a range of contexts and cultures within the science and health research system and beyond, include academia, industry, research funding, formal and informal education and the NHS. Previous roles include Director of Vocal, a specialist team connecting people with health research, leading national multi-partner initiatives at the Wellcome Trust, and working as a scientific researcher.

At Hopkins Van Mil, Leah is working on organisational strategy and development, HVM operations and business development.

Outside of work, a perfect day includes rockpooling, football in the park, and a kitchen disco.

Click here for Leah’s LinkedIn

Kate Furber

Researcher

Kate joined HVM as a researcher in September 2023. She works across HVM’s projects on research planning and design, delivery, coding and analysis. With a background in anthropology, she enjoys unpacking conversations on complex topics and understanding why people think the way they do.

Prior to joining HVM, Kate studied anthropology at the universities of Oxford (BA, 2018-21) and Leiden (MSc, 2021-22). Whilst studying in the Netherlands, she completed an internship as part of the Pressing Matter project, funded by the Dutch National Science Agenda (NWA) and coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This involved facilitating conversations between diaspora communities and museum staff on the topic of ownership, value and colonial heritage in museums.

Outside of work, Kate loves spending time outdoors and is currently trying (!) to enjoy training for her first triathlon.

Hally Ingram

Senior Associate Facilitator

Hally has worked HVM since 2008 on significant deliberative programmes including for the Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust, the National Lottery Community Fund and the Citizens’ Biometrics Council for the Ada Lovelace Institute. She brings extensive experience in the field of dialogue and engagement, giving people a voice on issues that matter to society. Her work includes facilitating group discussions on complex and sensitive topics including health, heritage, transport and ecosystem management.

She was formerly External Affairs Advisor on Iran for Shell. To add depth to her work in dialogue and engagement, Hally obtained an MSC in Psychology (distinction) at Birkbeck, University of London, where she researched early signs of autism in toddlers

Sophie Reid

Researcher, Facilitator, Evaluator and Data Analyst
Sophie is an independent social researcher and experienced facilitator, with particular interest in food. She has recently completed an MA in Anthropology of Food at SOAS, University of London, covering topics such as food justice, sustainability, supply chains and heritage. Her previous engagement work has included projects across health, infrastructure and food, including online and face-to-face facilitation for a public panel to discuss food security issues. 

Sophie is also a skilled evaluator with experience evaluating projects in health and social care, design and the arts and food and farming (including for the RSA Food, Farming & Countryside Commission). Sophie previously managed a research and evaluation programme at Design Council, which included understanding the role of design skills and design principles to tackle complex social challenges.

Outside of this, Sophie is a keen cook, radio host and music promoter, organising monthly music events in south-east London.

Rob Angell

Associate Facilitator

Rob has specialised in designing, running and managing stakeholder engagement, negotiation and deliberative decision-making processes. He has been the lead facilitator and process consultant for a range of clients to involve stakeholders and the public in formulating environmental decisions or resolving conflicts, strategy development and visioning.

Rob has also designed and delivered training for the public, private and community sectors on participation in decision making, facilitation and the design and management of stakeholder processes.

These days Rob likes to find time for cycling and playing with bikes.

Jamie Hearing

Researcher

Jamie joined HVM as a researcher in June 2022. He works across HVM’s projects on research planning and design, delivery, coding and analysis. With a background in interdisciplinary studies, he is excited by the prospect of working collaboratively to make connections between different areas of experience, expertise and research.

Prior to joining HVM, Jamie worked as a healthcare assistant at a London hospital and before that as an assistant producer on TV documentaries. He graduated from UCL in 2016 with a BSc in Human Sciences and is currently completing an MA in Health Humanities, also at UCL, part-time. Drawing on these experiences, he is particularly interested in exploring topics in health and social care, as well as in the applications of genetics in medicine.

 Outside of work, he enjoys being up a mountain or by the sea (but usually settles for a park in London).

Louis Mylne

Research Assistant

Louis recently joined the team having spent the last few months working as an Intern for Hopkins Van Mil. Having graduated from the University of York in 2021 with a BA in Politics and International Relations, Louis is working with the team by combining his passion for learning about differing points of view with his desire to create genuine societal change through research. His sense of mission stems from his experiences volunteering at charities like the Felix Project as well as during his time interning for the non-partisan pressure group More United.

As HVM’s Research Assistant Louis is involved in all aspects of our work including research logistics, participant recruitment, liaising with and supporting stakeholders and research participants. He manages research data and works on coding large swathes of qualitative and quantitative data that emerge from HVM’s deliberative programmes.  

Outside of research Louis enjoys long distance cycling, 5-a-side football and playing his bass guitar.

Mike King

Senior Associate Facilitator

Mike is regularly brought in to the HVM facilitation team as experienced deliberative facilitator. Mike is an Environmental Scientist with a considerable body of work, both in the UK and internationally of designing and delivering constructive interactions between people and complex and contentious issues. With considerable knowledge and practical expertise in facilitation, stakeholder engagement and public participation he works with organisations to help them develop the strategies and delivery plans that engage people in ways that lead to productive outcomes for all concerned.

He has worked on a range of projects as a Senior/ Lead Facilitator including environmental and energy programmes including for the National Nuclear Laboratories, Welsh Government and Sellafield programme of public engagement on the future of nuclear energy in society. Most recently Mike, in his role as Director of Resources for Change, collaborated with HVM on a significant public dialogue for WWF-UK on land use.

Kathryn McCabe

Associate Facilitator

Kathryn Mc Cabe is an independent consultant, designing processes and facilitating groups involved in change. She specialises in systems design and crafting safer, more inclusive spaces.

She was a lecturer at the University of Western Sydney (Australia) in Education for Sustainability, and published author Social Ecology; Applying Ecological Thinking to Our Lives and Our work. Based in Ireland, with a Masters in Social Ecology and degrees in Science and Applied Physics. Since 2006 she has worked internationally guiding NGOs and communities towards sustainability, regeneration and social justice.

Passionate about citizen participation and deliberative dialogue, Kathryn sat (2019-2022) on the National Board of the Secretariat for the Public Participation Network, and on her local Secretariat. She was elected, by her peers in 2022, to the Open Government Round Table in Ireland, with a remit of supporting more transparency, accountability and openness in Government.

She is the co-founder of a Transition Towns, a collaboration of local groups transitioning the region to a sustainable and just society with actions like Community Supported Agriculture, co-ops, community owned energy.

Ellie Mendez Sayer

Associate Facilitator

Ellie is an independent social researcher and experienced facilitator who has worked with HVM over the past 3 years. Her work mainly focuses on policy, practice and experiences related to young people and vulnerable groups. She has carried out a lot of facilitation work, both face to face and online, including on projects across social care, health and the environment.

Ellie also has strong experience in managing, designing and carrying out qualitative research across the education, employment, justice, social care, health, voluntary and community sectors. She has carried out extensive research directly related to looked after children, foster care, child sexual abuse, child exploitation and extra-familial harm with Ipsos, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the Children’s Commissioners Office (CCO) and the Tackling Child Exploitation Programme.

Outside of research, Ellie enjoys hiking in new places, making pottery (badly) and gardening.

Voyage Youth Partnership

Tech/Event Support Team

HVM is delighted to partner with Voyage Youth, a social justice charity working to tackle racial inequalities, empowering and enriching the lives of your people. Through our collaboration we work with four to five young people each year. They join us as interns and work as event support for our deliberative programmes, being the first port of call for participants’ support on the practicalities of all engagement activities and providing a warm welcome to our events. Our current Voyage Youth team are:

• Tyrese who is studying a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Nottingham. He has supported numerous fieldwork workshops on topics ranging from early human embryo research to digital health innovation.

• Valeza has just completed a four year degree studying politics, philosophy and law at King’s College London. She has worked with us on projects including Citizens’ Juries on health, food systems and assisted dying. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and baking.

• Nanungi is a second year mathematics student at the University of Bristol. In her free time she enjoys reading, studying languages and collecting manga.

• Luyanda joined the HVM team after taking part in our NERC public dialogue on the environment and nature. Outside of the role she enjoys reading, playing guitar and the cello, going on walks and seeing friends.

• Dianne also joined the HVM team after taking part in our public dialogue on the environment and nature. Alongside her work with HVM Dianne recently started an internship at Gallagher Aerospace Insurance.