Trustees
The National Literacy Trust is governed by our board of trustees, who come from a range of sector backgrounds. Trustees are responsible for the governance, strategic direction, general management and control of the charity and for the appointment of the Chief Executive.
Joanna Prior OBE (Chair)
Our board of trustees is chaired by Joanna Prior OBE. Joanna is CEO of Pan Macmillan, and prior to that was Managing Director of Penguin General Books, one of nine publishing houses at Penguin Random House, for 12 years. She is a past President of The Publishers Association and was also Chair of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, until she stepped down in February 2022.
In 2026, Joanna was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King’s New Year Honour List in recognition of her services to publishing and literacy.
“As we stand on the threshold of a National Year of Reading, I can't think of more inspiring news, demonstrating recognition for a mission which is uniting publishers, charities and the public sector. Thank you, Joanna, for the support you give me, for your wonderful chairing of the National Literacy Trust and for all you have done to address the literacy challenge in the UK.”
Our Chief Executive, Jonathan Douglas CBE
Matthew Bradbury
Matthew Bradbury is Chief Executive of Nene Park Trust, an independent charity responsible for a portfolio of assets including culture, heritage, arts, sports and the environment. He also holds a number of non-executive roles including Director of University College, Peterborough and Chair of the Peterborough Towns Deal Board.
Louise Doughty
Louise Doughty is an award-winning writer, author and critic. She has been a judge for the Booker Prize and Costa Book of the Year Award. She champions new writers and has set up writing scholarships for black, Asian and minority ethnic students.
Kersten England CBE
Kersten England was a local authority Chief Executive for 14 years, initially in York and then in Bradford, until she stepped down in 2023. She has a wealth of experience in place-based work, and is passionate about breaking the cycle of deprivation, and seeing communities on the ground telling their stories. Kersten has also served on the advisory body of the Bradford Literature Festival, and is chair of trustees for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, as well as being chair of the Young Foundation.
Ben Fletcher
Ben Fletcher is Chief Financial Officer at Shop Direct, and a board member of the British Retail Consortium. Prior to that he held senior roles at Clarks, Boots Opticians and Boots UK.
Rachel Hopcroft
Rachel joined NatWest Group in January 2024 as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
Prior to joining NatWest Group, Rachel held the role of Chief Corporate Affairs and Marketing Officer at KPMG where she worked for nearly a decade. Rachel started her career in the civil service working in a range of government departments, latterly in No.10 and the Cabinet Office.
Rachel is also on the board of the United Against Malnutrition and Hunger whose mission is to press for UK action by mobilising cross-sector expertise and championing solutions that can end it.
Rachel lives in London with her husband and two children.
Gaby Huddart
Gaby Huddart is an award-winning editor, presenter, interviewer and columnist, working across print, audio and broadcast media. Her specialisms include women’s interests, books, celebrity interviews, food and travel.
Hilary Ineomo-Marcus
Hilary Ineomo-Marcus is a former National Prison Radio producer who now volunteers for charities in an effort to deter young people from offending. Since his release in 2014, Hilary has forged a career in media and broadcasting and has presented radio programmes, TV documentaries and podcasts for brands such as the BBC, Amazon Audible and ITN News Production.
Professor Michelle Money
Professor Money is the CEO of the Greenheart Learning Partnership and a qualified teacher. She has held senior posts as a primary head teacher, local authority school improvement officer and Director of Education for the University of Wolverhampton. She has served on numerous MAT boards as a Trustee. Michelle also has a PhD in Education and most recently a Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Leadership completed at Oxford University.
Brad Keast
Brad Keast is a Partner within the Tax and Legal practice at KPMG. He has worked in professional services for over 20 years and is passionate about social mobility and raising the aspirations of young people across all communities. He is based in Yorkshire and has led the CSR board for KPMG for the last 8 years.
Catherine Rose
Catherine is the current Cabinet Member for Parks, Streets and Cleaner Air at Southwark Council. Catherine has previously and continues to serve on the board of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE).
Jasmine Richards
Jasmine Richards is a children’s author and editor with more than twenty years’ publishing experience. She began her career at Penguin and later became Senior Commissioning Editor at Oxford University Press, acquiring and developing successful fiction for young readers. She is the founder of Storymix which creates inclusive, high-concept stories that centre Black and Brown children. Jasmine has written more than fifteen books and co-writes the forthcoming festive adventure The Other Father Christmas and has served as a judge on many kids prizes. She has also worked as a screenwriter on shows including PJ Masks and JoJo and Gran Gran. She brings to the board broad editorial and creative expertise, commercial insight and a commitment to widening access to reading and representation for all children.