Alison Garnham

Alison Garnham is Chief Executive of Daycare Trust. She took up her position in June 2006, when she job-shared the post with Emma Knights (a previous colleague at Child Poverty Action Group). Alison became sole Chief Executive in January 2010. Prior to working at Daycare Trust, Alison was the Director of Policy and Research at One Parent Families for nine years. She worked for many years as a welfare rights adviser and for a number of women’s organisations before, in 1989, joining the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) where she co-authored a number of publications about the Child Support Act. She has subsequently written about lone parenthood and child poverty, including an edition of Poverty: the Facts, published by CPAG. Before joining One Parent Families she was Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University) where she has also been an Honorary Research Fellow. She is a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee.

Business Director: Anand Shukla

Anand Shukla is Business Director at Daycare Trust, and took up his position in April 2009. He manages the business development and income generation team and is responsible for organisational development, quality assurance and performance management. Prior to working at Daycare Trust, Anand worked in social enterprise development at the UK children's charity Barnardos and at the international development charity Allavida. His early career was spent in the private sector, working in business development for a number of publishing companies. Anand has also provided social enterprise consultancy for organisations working in international development and energy management.  Anand is a trustee of the international development charity Health Poverty Action.

Policy Director: Kate Groucutt

Kate Groucutt is Policy Director at Daycare Trust. Kate manages Daycare Trust's programme of research, policy and campaigns, including the two-year Big Lottery funded research project on informal childcare. Through responding to consultations, producing reports and briefings and organising events, her team ensures that Daycare Trust is seen as an authoritative voice for parents. Kate's team campaigns for better childcare through lobbying Government and Parliament, working with the media and organising Daycare Trust's presence at the annual party conferences.  Kate joined Daycare Trust in February 2010 and previously held policy roles at charity Carers UK and employer organisation CBI. She is a school governor at a primary school in Islington.