Senior Leadership Team

Tom Pey joined RSBC (formerly RLSB) in 2010 following a long senior career in the charity sector and, previously, in international investment banking. At the age of 39 Tom was diagnosed with a rare sight condition which led to him becoming seriously blind and requiring support to transition to a life that allowed him to cope with his acquired condition.

He first encountered the Society as a beneficiary. Tom says “This was a life- changing event for me at a time when life for me was dark and difficult. At the RLSB not only did I learn new skills but more importantly I gained understanding of how my blind peers coped with life.” Having successfully completed his course at RLSB Tom began to campaign for improvements in the life of blind people and, along the way, he published a number of articles and research papers which gave a fresh insight into the needs of blind and partially sighted people of all ages in the UK. This unique approach has now been adopted by the RSBC (formerly RLSB) and today a once London-based charity serving 150 blind young people is now serving 5000 young people and their families across the country.

Having the emotional resilience to live life on life’s terms is the most important contributor to lifelong happiness and achievement. RSBC’s vision is that every blind child and their family will have the skills and confidence to live their life without limits. Under Tom’s leadership, the Society is beginning to bring new ideas from international far-off places and making the use and adoption of modern technology, a key contributor to social interaction and independence.

Sue joined RSBC in 2011. Following several years as the Society’s Director of Services, Sue was appointed Deputy CEO in May 2019 taking on responsibility for the day to day running of the Society. Overall, Sue has worked at senior level in the vision impairment sector for 14 years. Before then she spent two decades in the civil service where she specialised in mobility and disability issues and represented the UK government on national and international expert groups. Sue retains a keen interest in the mobility of blind and partially sighted people and is a member of DPTAC (the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee) – the UK government’s statutory advisers.

Mandy has been at RSBC since 2013. She leads the Services and Partnerships directorate which incorporates all services outside of formal education, developing partnerships across the UK and fundraising from both restricted and unrestricted sources.

Mandy has over 20 years’ experience in the youth sector, has worked in the voluntary sector over 25 years and has 20 years’ experience in the private sector. Mandy is an advocate for the ‘meaningful participation’ of service users in the design, development, delivery and evaluation of the services they receive.

Josie Grainger 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 a wealth of knowledge and experience across all areas of special educational needs. After completing her BA (hons) QTS in Physical Education, she completed her MA Education Management at Kings
College London. After taking a short career break to have her daughter, Josie returned to education and joined RSBC in 2017. She is a qualified and experienced integrative counsellor and MBACP, specialising in counselling children with SEN and has an interest in Transpersonal counselling theory. She is currently studying for her Doctorate in Education at Canterbury Christchurch University in her spare time.

Eileen has over 30 years’ 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 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.

Yvonne oversees RSBC’s restricted and unrestricted fundraising from trusts, foundations, major institutions, private individuals, companies and local and National Government sources. She also manages the organisation’s impact function. From volunteering at the National Council for Civil Liberties (now Liberty) after graduation, to working in a number of major UK and US International Development Charities, Yvonne brings over 30 years of voluntary sector experience in a range of fundraising, communications and leadership roles. A passionate traveller, walker and photographer, she is often to be found walking the canals and waterways of the UK, crossing little known bridges in the outer boroughs of New York City and photographing Islamic Architecture or wildlife across the World.

David joined RSBC as Head of Finance in June 2020, not long after the country had gone into lockdown and were coming to terms with the financial implications of COVID-19. The Finance team looks after all aspects of finance for the organisation, including payments to suppliers, payroll management, budget setting, cash monitoring, reports to management and committees, preparing statutory accounts for audit and legacy administration.

David previously worked for public sector bodies and charities, including 2½ years at Scope, where he was business partnering for services such as schools, day centres and supported living. He also spent 17 years at the City of London Police, where he got to experience being a chauffeur driven VIP with outriders as part of the preparations for the London Olympics. Outside work, David writes music and play keyboards. He lives in Watford where he is a carer for his wife
Carol.