about us > key people

Chief Executive

Dave Garratt has been the Chief Executive of Refugee Action since December 2010. Dave has worked for Refugee Action since 1999 in a variety of senior roles and was our Director of Operations from 2007. Prior to joining Refugee Action, Dave worked for a number of charities in the homelessness sector. Dave is passionate about ensuring that Refugee Action is steered solely by the needs and interests of asylum seekers and refugees.

Trustees

Julia Meiklejohn (Chair) was an economist in Canada before coming to the UK and working as Deputy Co-ordinator of Save the Children Fund’s Vietnamese settlement programme in 1979. One of the founders of Refugee Action, she was its first Finance and Administration Director and became Director in 1982. She later moved to Devon setting up a publishing company, working as Finance Director for Beaford Arts and then as Head Teacher at a secondary school. She is now working for a local environmental and educational charity, The Yarner Trust.

Susan Cueva has more than 20 years’ experience of community development, over five of which gained at Refugee Action in the early 90s, and is a refugee herself. She went on to work at the International Transport Workers’ Federation in the Philippines for five years, managing support for transport workers and supporting several community organisations involved in human and workers’ rights. Today she is International Development Officer at UNISON.

Andy Gregg is currently Chief Executive of Lasa (London Advice Services Alliance) and has 15 years experience providing strategic leadership and innovation at a senior executive level. He was previously Director of RETAS (Refugee Education and Training Advisory Service) and of Islington Voluntary Action Council. He has a comprehensive understanding of human rights and issues facing refugees, asylum seekers and those suffering from ethnic or sectarian violence.

Sheila Fox joined Refugee Action in 1982 working for 12 years as Head Office Administrator, delivering all central services to what was at that time a Vietnamese refugee-support agency. She worked again with Refugee Action managing reception centres during the Bosnian and Kosovan Programmes. In 2001 Sheila became a freelance consultant with the voluntary sector working mostly in the refugee field. More recent work has been in the area of homelessness and supported housing.

Colin Hodgetts was Director of Christian Action in the early 70s and ran Save the Children Fund's Vietnamese settlement programme in 1979. One of the founders of Refugee Action, he was Director for 18 months and has been a Trustee since 1993. He went on to become Head Teacher of a primary school, work as a consultant with Human Scale and set up Third Sector Schools Alliance. He has been a freelance composer since 2001 and is a retired Vicar.

Minoo Jalali trained as a lawyer in Iran and was a member of the Bar Association who expressed concern about the violation of human rights in Iran. She was amongst 35 lawyers illegally banned from the Bar. She is a refugee, having arrived in the UK in 1983. She was a founder member of the Refugee Women's Legal Group.

Jeremy Lester (Trustee Treasurer), is particularly interested in restorative justice and civil society. He is currently Head of Unit responsible for the Horn of Africa, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean in the Directorate General of the European Commission which deals with development and ACP relations. He has lived in Africa and Beligum since 1973 with postings to various countries. In Rwanda and Niger he was Head of Delegation for the European Commission. He has spent time working with countries in conflict and managing post-conflict issues and is a trustee of Oxfam (Belgium).

Chris Randall has 18 years experience as a solicitor specialising in immigration law, mainly with Winstanley-Burgess Solicitors where he was a partner and currently with Bates Wells Braithwaite Solicitors as a solicitor. He was recently expert advisor to the Parliamentary Committee on the Immigration Appellate system and has been an elected member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association for the last decade.