About Us
Board of Directors

Probation Association Board of Directors 2012

Sebert Cox OBE

Chairman Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust

Elected Chairman of PA Board of Directors September 2010

Chairman of County Durham Probation Board from 2007 until March 2010 and from April 1, 2010, Chairman of Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust, following the merger of Durham and Teesside Probation Areas. He has strong relationships within central government, with 30 years of direct public sector experience, including senior roles within government. Sebert is the Senior Partner of Kingston Reid Consulting, a management and development consultancy working with public, private and independent sector bodies. He is also Executive Chairman of Key Real Estate Limited. Prior to 2004, Sebert was Chairman of the Places for People Group Ltd, the UK's largest housing and regeneration agency and he is now an Associate Non-executive Director. He is also knowledgeable on Public Private Partnerships having been a former Non-executive Chairman of NNT LIFT Co. (an NHS joint venture company) and was until recently Chairman of the Selection Panel for Independent Members of Durham Police Authority.

Mike Fisher

Chair Hampshire and Isle of Wight Probation Trust

A Solicitor with over 30 years experience in the public sector.  Mike retired at the end of December 2005 as Chief Executive of the Isle of Wight Council.  His interest in the world of criminal justice sprang from being on the Board of Visitors of HM Parkhurst.

Susan Fox

Chair Wales Probation Trust

Sue has lived in Swansea for the past 23 years.  She is a retired Assistant Chief Officer of South Wales Probation Service, where she worked in various roles for 29 years, including a secondment to the Home Office in 1996.  She came to Swansea as an assistant chief probation officer with the then West Glamorgan Service before being seconded to the Home Office for seven years as regional training co-ordinator for Wales.  This role gave her national duties and she was also project manager for the development of the Diploma in Probation Studies, the professional qualification for probation officers.  Sue's next job was back in South Wales, project managing the merger of the three Glamorgan services.  She left the service in 2001 to chair the local health board with its budget of over £300 million and its responsibility for commissioning a whole raft of health services. Sue became Chair of the newly-merged Wales trust on 1 April 2010.

Dr  Alan Harrison

Chair Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust

Dr Harrison was appointed as West Midlands Chair following a four year period as a board member and Chair of the Audit Committee. In March 2008 he was sworn-in as a magistrate for the Birmingham Courts. Alan was the first Chief Executive for England Athletics, setting up the new governing body for the sport and taking governance from the Amateur Athletics Association. As Corporate Affairs Director for Remploy, he worked closely with and on behalf of people with a disability and partnered a range of charitable organisations. He spent the majority of his career with Courtaulds plc, undertaking business training at INSEAD, Paris and holding a variety of senior executive positions. He has led a number of business turnarounds and managed a worldwide business improvement programme for Courtaulds Fibres. Alan is also a non-executive director with the South Warwickshire General Hospitals Trust.

Gill Lewis

Chair Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust

Gill became Chair of Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust at its merger in 2010, having been  a member of the Suffolk Probation Board for 3 years prior to that. Her previous executive experience was mainly in the public sector, spanning housing, regeneration, social services, education and health, most recently as Director of Service Development in a primary care trust.   She also has over 15 years experience as a Non Executive Director in 8 different public sector agencies, including chairing the board of a national body, the Housing Ombudsman.  In addition to her work for Probation, she currently serves as a Non Executive Director for her local Police Authority, for an NHS Pharmacy Committee, and for a local charity.

Richard Rhodes

Chair Cumbria Probation Trust

Educated at Rossall, Durham and Oxford. Retired in 2001 after twenty two years of Headships at Arnold School, Blackpool and Rossall. Chairman N.W. Division Headmasters' Conference 1987; Chairman Northern Independent Schools Information Service 1994-7; Council of Salford University 1987-93; Governor Terra Nova School 1986-2005 (Chairman 2000-05). Appointed Justice of the Peace in 1978 and has served at Lytham, Fleetwood and Barrow (since 2002) Magistrates Courts in both Adult and Youth Courts. Member of Lancashire M.C.C. 1993-96; Lancashire County Council Social Services. Advisory Committee 1993-2001; Cumbria Courts Board 2004-07; Cumbria Lancashire Courts Board 2007 - present; South Lakeland District Council Independent Remuneration Panel 2003-08. Lay Member, Family Health Services Appeal Authority (First tier Tribunal Service) 2002 - present. Appointed to the National Probation Service Cumbria Board 2004, (Deputy Chair). Appointed Chair 2008; Chair of Cumbria Probation Trust since April 2010.

Robin Verso

Chair Warwickshire Probation Trust

Robin was brought up and educated in Ireland. He obtained an honours degree in Economics and Political Science from Trinity College, Dublin, and is a qualified accountant member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). He completed his management training at Rolls Royce Ltd, where he was a graduate trainee, and Leicester Polytechnic. He was Deputy City Treasurer in Coventry from 1989 to 1997 and Executive Director and a member of the City Council's Management Board from 1997 to 2003. He was also Deputy Treasurer to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority. From 1997 he facilitated the creation of Coventry's first community strategy and one of the first Local Strategic Partnerships in the country - and advised Government on development of community strategies and LSPs nationally. He managed the partnership for five years. He has worked extensively on regeneration programmes and EU funding. He has been a member of a regeneration board, member of a New Deal partnership, director of a social enterprise company, was chair of Coventry's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership for two years and has worked as an independent management consultant.
As well as chairing Warwickshire Probation Trust, Robin is governor of a special school and advisor to a social enterprise.