Giovanna joined the Board as a trustee
in 2014 and was elected as Chair of the
Board in 2020. The AHOY mission
matched her keen interest in equal
opportunities in education which
recognises and values diversity in ways
of learning. She was inspired by seeing
how hands-on individual and team
challenges through learning to sail on
the Thames has raised ambitions and
changed lives. With a background in risk
and finance she has kept a focus on
balancing ambitious aspirations with
consistent outcomes for the charity,
including what this brings to
beneficiaries and the community.
Giovanna is currently Head of Financial
Risk at LSEG Plc and is also co-chairing
the governing board of a primary school
in SE London.
John Goodey joined the AHOY board in 2023 but has been connected with the charity for many years. He has been a headteacher for over twenty years and is currently a leadership coach and facilitator in the education sector. For over twelve years, John has organised for 120 children annually to learn to sail at The AHOY funded by The Candlelight Trust, a charity he set up in the late 1990s. John has also supported the charity by providing leadership coaching and facilitation and he helped set up the AHOY’s core values. John feels passionately about the transformative work that the AHOY does with the most vulnerable young people as they become confident and productive members of society.
Rachel Hedley joined the AHOY board in
2019 bringing professional skills in
charity fundraising, marketing and
communications to the team. During the
day she is Legacy and In Memory
Manager for St Christopher’s Hospice,
looking after an income stream of £5m a
year. Rachel’s involvement with the
AHOY Centre goes back to 2013.
Inspired by the AHOY's mission, as a
lifelong sailor and watersports
enthusiast, she became a volunteer and
led a team of women to take on the
AHOY’s Channel Row Challenge, raising
£44,000 in six months, which she still
considers one of her biggest
achievements. This swiftly led to the
founding of the first rowing partnership
based at the AHOY and a decade of
involvement in the world of river
rowing.
Alongside her contributions to board
meetings, Rachel loves to support the
AHOY on the water by helping to deliver
its life-enhancing rowing challenges, she
says: “Charity fundraising is always
tough, it requires positive energy,
tenacity and a huge dose of luck. But the
hard work pays off when you realise
that every penny raised for the AHOY
makes a real difference to the lives of
young people and those with disabilities
who benefit from the AHOY
programmes."
Ashley has been a trustee since 2020.
His professional background is in
Finance as a Chartered Accountant and
he is currently the Managing Director at
UBS, a Swiss Bank. Ashley is the chair of
our Finance and Remuneration
Committee. Ashley joined Ahoy
because he wanted to support the
engagement of disadvantaged children
in watersports, mainly because he
enjoys sailing. He is able to put
his finance and management skills to
good use as our Treasurer.
Rachel was appointed as a trustee in
2020. She has been working in Audit at
Mazars for over 16 years, more recently
as Audit Director, looking after a wide
client base and historically worked with
many shipping companies on their UK
and international operations. Rachel is
treasurer of Womens’ International
Shipping & Trading Association UK
which was founded to support and
develop women in the shipping industry
and has travelled extensively in this and her audit role. Rachel sits on the Finance
and Remuneration committees and
joined the Ahoy through Mazars’
involvement in CSR and her experience
in shipping
Carl Richardson has worked in and around the yachting world for over 20 years, bringing experience in media, marketing and events. Having edited the UK’s best-selling motorboat magazine and headed up the marketing for Britain’s biggest boat builder, Carl is now a creative director for a London-based production agency.
David Reader has recently joined the AHOY board. He has an extensive background in sport development and management, at a local, regional and national level. David is currently the Strategic Lead for Community Sport at London Sport. Throughout his time in the sector, David has worked with similar organisations like AHOY to help them gain funding, develop and grow their activities and achieve meaningful impact at a community level. David has lived in the Deptford and South East London area for some time, has been involved in community activities in all that time and he is also a Trustee of a sports charity based in Greenwich and Bexley.
