Our Trustees • Spread a Smile

Paul Godfrey

Chair of Trustees

Paul Godfrey has considerable experience as an owner or director of several businesses in a number of commercial sectors within recruitment,

commercial property and office brokerage, healthcare, retail and printing and design. He has also helped a number of companies to develop their own corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and community interest programmes. Paul has been a trustee of Spread a Smile since the Charity started and currently has various committee roles in other charities.

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Vanessa Crocker MBE

Co-founder

Vanessa founded Spread a Smile in March 2013 with co-founder, Josephine Segal. Before founding Spread a Smile, she worked for eight years as a wish co-ordinator for

a children’s charity that arranges wishes for children living with serious or life-limiting illnesses. Her role involved working with the families, arranging and fulfilling the wish requests. Prior to this, Vanessa worked as a telephone counsellor for Childline for seven years, providing counselling for children and teenagers. And she also spent seven years teaching, first at a primary school and then specialising in working with children with special needs. Both Vanessa and Josephine were awarded an MBE in The King’s 2024 New Year Honours for services to seriously and terminally ill children and their families. Vanessa lives in North London with her husband and has four grown-up children and three grandchildren.

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Josephine Segal MBE

Co-founder

Josephine founded Spread a Smile in March 2013 with co-founder Vanessa Crocker after being inspired by the experience of her nephew who spent a protracted period at Great

Ormond Street Hospital when he was nine. Before setting up Spread a Smile, she worked for ten years for a children’s charity that arranges wishes for children living with serious or life-limiting illnesses. As a wish co-ordinator she liaised with the families, building relationships with them as she organised wishes and ensured each wish was fully realised. Prior to working in the charity sector, Josephine worked for Banner Telecom Group as a buying manager for telephone accessories for four years, travelling mainly in the Far East. She also worked as a Lettings Manager in London for four years. Both Josephine and Vanessa were awarded an MBE in The King’s 2024 New Year Honours for services to seriously and terminally ill children and their families. Josephine lives in North London with her husband and has two grown-up children.

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Paul Crocker

Paul Crocker has been involved in development and investment in the property business for over 40 years and has been a trustee of Spread a Smile since it was established

in 2013.

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Richard Segal

Richard is an experienced businessman who currently chairs three companies. He has extensive experience with private and publicly owned businesses, as well as private

equity funds, and has been chairman or chief executive of numerous companies operating principally in the consumer sector. Richard, who has been a trustee of Spread a Smile since it was established in 2013, is also a Trustee of a cancer care charity and has formerly been Co-Chair of a school’s governing body and a trustee of a humanitarian charity. Richard is married with two grown-up children.

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Liz Gould

Liz is an experienced non executive trustee. She co-chaired Jewish Women’s Aid for five years, stepping down in 2019 after spending 12 years as a trustee.

She currently has a portfolio of part time interests including running a careers advisory consultancy, sitting on mental health panels, working as a trustee of a local choir and a magistrate.

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Andrew Bloom

Andrew has spent the majority of his executive career in financial services including being the founder and CEO of a challenger bank.

He is now a portfolio non-executive director/chairman of numerous companies predominately in the banking, financial technology, and property sector.

Andrew has been a Trustee of Spread a Smile since July 2022 and previously spent 10 years as a Trustee and Treasurer of The Gaucher Association.

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Dr Fiona Hikmet

Fiona qualified as a doctor from the St Bartholomew’s and The Royal London in 2000. Since 2013 she has been a Consultant Paediatrician at Princess Alexandra whose specialist

interest area is looking after children with cancer closer to home. She is therefore in a privileged position to see first-hand the difference Spread a Smile can make to a child’s journey.

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Sanjiv Patel

Sanjiv Patel is the CEO of Westgate Healthcare, a growing care group delivering residential, nursing, dementia, and rehabilitation services

across London and the home counties. With a clinical background as a Consultant Anaesthetist at UCLH, Sanjiv has built a career that bridges medical practice with strategic leadership in the social care and health sectors. Sanjiv currently serves as a Trustee for both Spread a Smile and Noah’s Ark Hospice, and brings a unique blend of clinical insight and commercial acumen to the charitable sector. He is Deputy Chair of YPO Greater London and, outside of work, enjoys travelling with his wife and two children, playing bad golf —and is a long suffering Spurs fan.

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