Jonty’s son, Robbie, and his sister, Shelley, were both born with Down Syndrome, whilst his father, Brian, was a founding member of the RTR foundation. Jonty is Professor of Participation & Learning Support at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and Emeritus Professor at the Open University, UK. As well as spending many years teaching in various settings, he has led numerous award-winning research projects. These have included ground-breaking participatory research, multi-national studies of special education and effective pedagogy, as well as the experiences of services for young children with learning disabilities and their parents.

Bob was senior partner at Blick Rothenberg Chartered Accountants for over 20 years and still acts as an advisor to some clients. From the beginning of his professional life, he considered it important that, as well as building his firm, to give to others some of the opportunities he had been fortunate enough to have enjoyed. He has served previously as a Trustee of The Prince’s Foundation, Police Now, Camden Citizens Advice, the Mayor’s Music Fund and the Hampstead and Highgate Festival and has been a Board member of both London First and Think London. He is currently Chair of Governors at Highgate School having seen the school become fully co-educational whilst maintaining its nurturing and forward-thinking culture. Bob received the MBE for services to Business and the Community in London in 2007. Bob’s father, Helmut, was a founding member of the RTR foundation.

Barrie is RTR’s longest serving governor, having been MENCAP’s treasurer in its early years. Barrie’s daughter, Caroline, was born with Down Syndrome, and he was the long-standing chair of the local society in Avon North as well as chair of South-West and Western Regions for MENCAP. He became Honorary Treasurer of MENCAP in 1986 and was a long-standing Vice-President of the Society.

Simon is Chief Executive of Frieze art fairs. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of Reach plc (publisher of the Daily Mirror, Daily Express and regional news brands). His career includes working at Bank of America, Boston Consulting Group, Kingfisher plc and HMV Group plc. He is a non-executive Director of the RAC and he chairs the Good Business Charter, a charity set up to drive ethical behaviour in business and which counts the TUC, CBI and Living Wage Foundation as Trustees. Previous non-executive Directorships include the Guardian Media Group.

Rory is the younger sibling of Karina, who had Profound and Multiple learning disabilities. He is an actor who has an extensive repertoire in theatre, film and television roles, He won two Olivier Awards, both at the National Theatre, in 2008 for his portrayal of Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode, and for playing the William Shakespeare villain Iago in Othello in 2014. He played Bill Tanner in four James Bond films: Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021), and in various video games of the franchise. His other film roles include Broken (2012), for which he won a British Independent Film Award, The Imitation Game (2014), Men (2022) and Bank of Dave (2023).

Suzanne is a private client partner and Notary Public at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys LLP in London. She specialises in mental capacity, Court of Protection work, wills, probate, charitable and private trusts and tax planning. Suzanne acts as a Trustee, Executor, Deputy and Attorney and is the chair trustee of the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund which is a major funder of learning disability projects in the UK. She also sits on the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund Investment Committee. Suzanne’s personal and professional life touches on family members and clients with a broad spectrum of learning disabilities, mental capacity and incapacity and the challenges they and their families have in their daily lives and family relationships.

Andy was the founder and Director of RIX Centre at the University of East London where he was Professor of Media Advocacy and led the RIX Centre’s applied research programme, which explored and applied the use of Web and digital media for the benefit of people with learning disabilities and mental health challenges. He lectures, trains and advises on digital solutions to social inclusion and citizen advocacy and their application across education, public culture and health and care services. Andy was awarded an MBE for ‘Services to the Education of People with Special Needs’ in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 2012 and won the International Service Award from the USA Association of University Centres on Disability (AUCD) in November 2015.

Janine has been supporting disabled people and their families for more than 30 years, beginning her career at New Era Housing Association, developing community-based housing for people with a learning disability. In 1996, Janine moved to Mencap where she set up Golden Lane Housing, a social housing provider, before being appointed Director of Personal Support, and then CEO in 2013. In 2019, Janine set up, Access Social Care, which provides free legal advice and information to people with social care needs and in 2020 she became Chief Executive of Revitalise, the UK’s largest specialist provider of respite holidays for disabled people and their carers in the UK.

Lesley has been supporting the work of RTR since 2009. Her involvement with the foundation began as Personal Assistant to Loretto Lambe who was RTR Secretary and the Chair of PAMIS, a charity supporting people with PMLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities) in Scotland. Lesley is still heavily involved with PAMIS, planning and running inclusive leisure and culture programmes throughout Fife.