Our Leadership Team

Carla joined RSBC in 2022 and leads the Services and Partnerships directorate which incorporates all of our services outside of formal education and developing partnerships across England and Wales.

Carla has over 20 years of experience of working with children and families within the voluntary sector, half of which has been spent working specifically in the children’s disability sector, and prior to that came from a financial services background. Carla is passionate about ensuring that children, young people and their families are meaningfully involved in the services that impact on them.

Outside of work Carla is a keen runner, enjoys spending time with her grown up children and family and loves travelling.

Josie Grainger-Francova is RSBC’s Principal of Dorton College of Further Education and Education Director for RSBC. She has over 20 years’ experience in the SEN and mainstream education sectors and has a wealth of knowledge and experience across all areas of special educational needs. Josie initially trained as a PE teacher and taught PE in mainstream secondary education for many years in central London, with specialisms in Gymnastics and Dance.

Josie then moved into the Special Educational Needs sector, gaining a wealth of experience with different disabilities before joining RSBC in 2017 as Principal of Dorton College and Education Director. Josie is a qualified and experienced integrative counsellor and MBACP, specialising in counselling children with SEN and bereavement counselling. She is currently studying for her Doctorate in Education at Canterbury Christchurch University in her spare time.

Eileen has over 30 years of experience as an HR professional, gained from the Telecoms, Logistics, Housing, Education and Charity sectors. She is responsible for RSBC’s HR, Volunteering, Facilities Management and Database functions and is the charity’s Company Secretary. It is Eileen’s second term with RSBC, having joined the organisation in 2003 when its services were based on one site in Sevenoaks, Kent. She left after an initial period of 14 years, having supported the RLSB merger with RSBC in 2017, creating a national charity providing services across England and Wales. Eileen returned to RSBC in 2019 to support the organisation to further its strategic aim to reach more blind and partially sighted children, young people and their families. Eileen has a keen interest in team dynamics and behaviours and gains regular insights through her passion for attending different live spectator sports.

Alison joined RSBC in March 2022. She has worked in Fundraising and Communications in the charity sector for over 20 years, mainly with UK disability and children’s charities, and previously worked in marketing within the commercial sector. She has a degree in Business Studies and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

Alison is passionate about working with people to create real change and improved outcomes for children, young people and their families. In her spare time, Alison enjoys the great outdoors with family, friends and the family dog, and discovering new places in London, where she grew up.

Bee joined RSBC in 2021 as Finance Director. She was previously Director of Services at The Ramblers and Finance Director at Choice Support.

She’s a qualified management accountant with over 35 years of experience as a finance and services leader in the private and charity sector.

“I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and I’m passionate about exercise and sport. I’m actually a member of a running group that runs across the South Downs National Park!

I also have an eclectic taste in music having worked for EMI Classics and love anything relating to Liverpool FC and the Marvel Universe.”

Julie joined RSBC in October 2023; she is thrilled to be leading such a dynamic and successful charity. In her previous CEO roles Julie’s career has been immersed in children’s services development in the UK and internationally. Julie is committed to supporting the most vulnerable children and young people in society. Her work has included public sector roles, such as Assistant Director Children’s Services Greater Manchester, alongside voluntary sector appointments that included national responsibility for the roll-out of Extended Schools on behalf on DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families). This is Julie’s first role in the vision impaired sector; her knowledge and understanding borne from her lived experience, having a daughter who has been registered blind since birth. Julie enjoys time with her husband, family and long walks with her gorgeous dog Murphy!