Our People

Anna Tylor became Chair of the Board at Dyslexia Action in December 2009 and was previously acting as Chief Executive of the Hornsby International Teaching Centre and led on the merger with The Dyslexia Institute. Prior to this she chaired the Right to Read Alliance on behalf of Dyslexia Action, which is working in partnership with the publishing industry, to try to widen access to text books and reading for pleasure by the print disabled, including those with Dyslexia.

Anna has an MSc in Sociology and Social Policy and her post graduate research was on disability. She has a long standing commitment to social inclusion that is reflected in both her voluntary and working life. She has worked as a consultant in the public and private sectors and has also helped deliver successful business and social inclusion strategies in both commercial and not for profit settings in the UK and Eastern Europe.

Anneli is a partner at KPMG, her current position being European Head of Private Equity Tax. Prior to working with KPMG, she worked for Ernst & Young in Glasgow, New York and London. Anneli has a law degree from the University of Glasgow. Her desire to join the board stems from a large family history of teaching and therefore knowledge and understanding of dyslexia/ SpLD.

She has been volunteering for Dyslexia Action for half a day a week and the DAMP project. Her other interests include running (marathons), cycling, walking, singing (she says ‘badly!), and is a Trustee of After Adoption, an adoption placement and support charity. 

Judy Bloomer BA Cert Ed, qualified in 1974 at Homerton College, Cambridge. As a teacher, she taught in Surrey Education Authority schools. She later retrained as a psychotherapist working in private and GP practice until 2004. She specialises in anxiety and learning problems and has worked for many years advising and coaching senior executives within the corporate sector. Always theatrical, she has supported the organisation and production of the annual awards dinner for several years and is the chair of Dyslexia Action's Development Committee.

Judy is involved with various charities, notably Action on Addiction, NSPCC, The Eve Appeal and Dyslexia Action. As an ex English teacher Judy maintains a keen interest in children, literacy and the challenges of adolescence. She has three children aged 29, 27 and 16 with the youngest daughter having dyslexic and severe dyscalculic.

David has 25 years’ experience of advising UK and international corporations and financial institutions on transactions and corporate governance. His experience includes working as General Counsel for European operations of two large US media conglomerates. David has a Bachelor of Laws degree from Liverpool University and, as a result of graduating at 19, has the distinction of being one of, if not the, youngest people to be admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

He is now an equity partner in Eversheds LLP, one of the world’s largest law firms with more than 2000 lawyers across 21 countries. He is also the liaison partner for the corporate work done across the firm’s Central and Eastern European offices.

Lawrence joined the Board of Dyslexia Action in June 2007 as Chairman of the Finance Committee and subsequently has been heavily involved with Dyslexia Action’s  annual Awards Dinner. His desire to join the board stems from having numerous friends and colleagues who have dyslexia.

He was first educated at Perse School for Boys and went on to gain an Honours Degree in Economics  at the University of Westminster. He has been a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accounts since 1975.  His hobbies include game fishing, real tennis, sport and gardening.

Judy Baker is Chair of the Board of Cyber Security Challenge UK ltd. The not for profit organisation, established in March 2010, is working with public sector, private sector and academia sponsors to bring more talented people into the cyber security profession. 

Prior to this she worked for Government and was a Board Member from 2007-2008 of CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure). During 2001 – 2007 Judy worked as Deputy Director of NISCC (National Infrastructure Security Coordination Centre).  Her family includes both those with dyslexia and those who specialise in assessment and education for those with learning problems. Judy has a BSc from Exeter University in Psychology and Maths.

Brian is Managing Director of Oakwood City, a company that provides learning and development support to corporate clients in banking and financial services worldwide. He has experience of working in both the public sector (English teaching and NHS management) and private sector (head of learning and development in a number of international investment banks) and has served as a consultant, on psychological preparation for performance, for UK Athletics.

His other voluntary activities have included working on the boards of MIND, Age Concern, and Relate. He has also served as Chairman of Governors in schools in Berkshire and Sussex. Brian’s experience of dealing with dyslexia in his family experience has confirmed his commitment to the initiatives that can prove transformational for people who are dyslexic.

Richard is chairman of August Equity, the firm he co-founded in 2001, August Equity invests in rapidly growing UK service oriented businesses in the healthcare, technology and support services sectors. Richard also acts as chair of the organisations Investment Committee. He previously spent 13 years at Kleinwort Benson (latterly Dresdner Kleinwort Benson) where he started his private equity career. Prior to that, Richard spent five years with Coopers and Lybrand where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

Richard has a BA in Accountancy.  He is a formermember of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) and a former vice chairman of the Corporate Finance Faculty of the ICAEW. He is also a past chairman of the British Venture Capital Association and still represents August Equity on the BVCA’s Mid Market Committee.

As non executive director of Velocity Holdings and the Chairman of Boat International and a member of the Advisory Board of North East Finance, and a trustee of both The Chartered Accountants Livery Charity, Richard has great experience of the work involved in the role. Richard has a personal connection to the dyslexia as both his son and daughter have the SpLD. It was this connection that sparked his interest and lead him to join the organisation. 

Kevin joined Dyslexia Action as CEO on 1st April 2011 and is extremley passionate about education and the life changing impact education can have in enabling people to stretch themselves and lead enriched lives. Originally training as an accountant Kevin has been an Associate of the Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) since 1987 and became a Fellow of the Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA) in 1992. Kevin gained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1997 and qualified with a Masters in Practitioner Neuro-Linguistic Programming in 2001.

Kevin was an Open University tutor for 5 years and a Trustee of City Lit for 8 years. He has been a Trustee of the Institute of Fundraising since 2007 and of Contact a Family since 2010.

His portfolio of experience includes: strategic and planning management; performance management; risk management; financial management; Human Resources; volunteering; property (including Facilities Management); knowledge and information; legal; corporate purchasing; internal auditing; production in alternative media; commercial services (including sales of products and publications and consultancy services); organisational Health and Safety; investment management; and Company Secretary and Governance. 

Jane has 14 years’ experience of running the functions that support the growth and impact of charities including finance, HR, internal communications, legal, facilities, IT and data management. Prior to joining Dyslexia Action she worked as Director of Resources and Planning at Breakthrough Breast Cancer where she introduced simple project management tools and ways of making processes easier.

Previously she was at crime reduction charity Nacro, where she was responsible for the development and implementation of the group’s financial strategy and for all group-level accounting. Jane is a chartered accountant and, while trying, with varying degrees of success, to keep away from spread sheets continues to maintain her professional expertise and is currently part of the Charity Finance Directors’ Group’s Technical Accounting Forum.

Paul has over 16 years’ experience in special education and in particular working to overcome the (all too often undiagnosed) barriers to progress that many learners face. He joined Dyslexia Action in June 2011 after spending  seven years at  CfBT Education Trust, a charitable education provider where he worked firstly as a school improvement professional and then as the Head of ‘Include’.  During this time he successfully developed the organisation so that by 2010 it was providing education for over 2200 vulnerable and excluded young people each year. With this success he became Assistant Director with additional oversight of Connexions services and CfBT’s work in London.

A qualified teacher, Paul has worked as a deputy headteacher and a special educational needs co-ordinator. He has a keen interest in dyslexia which and completed a post graduate certificate in Dyslexia/Spld from the Hornsby Centre in 2001. 

Dr John Rack has worked is a Chartered Psychologist and a leading researcher in the field of dyslexia, he has worked for Dyslexia Action since 1993. As one of the first researchers to focus on phonology and dyslexia, he has held appointments at the University of York (where he is an Honorary Fellow of the Psychology Department) and at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

He was also the winner of the Norman Geschwind Prize for outstanding contribution to dyslexia research (1990) and is a member of the editorial boards of ‘Dyslexia and Dyslexia Review’. Dr Rack is also Director of the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust  and is a member of the Rose Review Expert Advisory Group, working with Sir Jim Rose on his 2009 review of the Primary Curriculum. Dr Rack has provided evidence and advised on best practises for children with dyslexia and literacy difficulties, which has been instrumental in the recommendations made by Sir Rose to Government. 

Phil joined Dyslexia Action in 2008 with over eight years fundraising experience. Prior to joining the organisation he managed the corporate fundraising teams at the National Autistic Society and Marie Curie Cancer Care where he secured large charity of the year and integrated partnerships with BUPA, Homebase and Tesco. Prior to this he worked with the NSPCC - managing regional campaigns for the Full Stop Appeal. 

Kathryn is an education management specialist and has worked across all sectors of Education in the UK and in particular with adults with Dyslexia and SpLD. She has a passion for providing accessibility to education and enabling personal progression. Kathryn worked previously as Director of Professional Development at the Institute of Hospitality where she implemented a new strand of unitised qualifications onto the Qualifications and Credit Framework and developed a range of projects for CPD and membership. 

Prior to this post, she worked as Director of Widening Participation for the Consortium of Art and Design Institutions in the South East (CADISE) and for Roehampton University as Head of Careers Service. She is a Masters graduate of Keele University in Education Management and a Languages and Linguistics graduate of the University of Essex, as well as being a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Katrina Cochrane joined Dyslexia Action in 1999 during her Postgraduate Diploma course. Previously she had worked as an Air Stewardess for Caledonian Airways , training as a secondary English teacher after her first son was born. Katrina started teaching t the Egham Centre becoming Principal in 2005. 

Katrina took over the role of Southern Regional Manager in 2010. Her MA was awarded in 2001 and she has written a book on Dyslexia - Overcoming and Managing Dyslexia for Dummies. She has two sons , the eldest has dyslexia and dyspraxia. 

Jo trained as a specialist teacher with Dyslexia Action in 2003 and worked from the Harrogate Centre as well as being a National Youth Outreach Co-ordinator for the organisation until 2009. She has since worked as a Specialist teacher and Learning Support Co-ordinator for both mainstream special schools and independent schools. Prior to a teaching career, she worked in the business sector in Estate management, training and supporting small businesses.

Jo also spent 5 years abroad in Paris, France, working in the aeronautical industry for SITA.Jo Mahler returned to Dyslexia Action in May, 2011 taking on the role of Northern Regional Manager. Along with her colleagues, she hopes to promote awareness and provide more access to support and training for anyone with dyslexia.