Meet the Trustees (2024/25)
The Society of Research Software Engineering is a charity, governed by the board of trustees. The trustees are volunteers, elected to represent our members and to make sure that we are working towards our charitable aims.
The Trustee elections for 2025/26 are open now, and any Society member can nominate themselves to stand as a Trustee. We are calling on the community to step forward and help us shape the future of the Society and the RSE movement.
If you are interested in becoming a trustee, read on. In this article, we will introduce you to the current cohort of trustees, so you can learn about who we are and what we do.
What do Trustees do?
We deliver the UK RSE Conference, manage the Society’s finances and activities, represent our members and push RSE forward in the UK and around the world. We have a number of roles available across several teams, including membership, finance, infrastructure and comms.
We all meet up once a month to keep each other up-to-date and to discuss and vote on key issues. The teams then meet regularly to manage their activities. Each of us then works on various tasks between meetings. Occasionally, we arrange in-person meetings, so we can all get together to work towards advancing the goals of the Society.
You can find out more about the trustees, their roles, teams and working groups on the Governance Page.
Meet the Current Trustees
The current board of trustees were elected between 2022 and 2024. The active trustees, at time of writing, are pictured below.
Your 2024/25 Society Trustees are (in the order pictured above):
| Stef Piatek Vice Secretary | Abie Alexander-Ikwue | Samantha Ahern | Lyndsey Ballantyne |
| Godwin Yeboah Vice Treasurer | David Beavan President | Gillian Sinclair Secretary | Twin Karmakharm |
| Mary Chester-Kadwell | Mike Simpson Vice President | Fliss Guest Vice President | Martin O’Reilly Treasurer |
Also:
- Yo Yehudi and Pip Grylls, who stood down earlier this year.
- Marion Weinzierl, who joined us in May 2025.
Testimonials
We asked the current trustees about their experience on the board. This is what they had to say.
David Beavan, President, Trustee (2022 – Present)
“Being a Trustee for the Society of Research Software Engineering isn’t just about governance, it’s about being a custodian of an incredible community. The RSE community has given me so many opportunities, and stepping up as a Trustee was my way of giving back and helping shape its future. It’s also a fantastic way to meet like-minded RSEs and allies who are just as passionate about making a difference. The Board of Trustees is a brilliant group of people, full of energy and ideas, and it’s been a privilege to work alongside them.
If you’re looking for a way to support the RSE community, connect with amazing people, and make an impact, I can’t recommend it enough!”
Mike Simpson, Vice-President, Trustee (2023 – Present)
“I chose to become a trustee not just because I thought it would be good for my career, but also to gain experience in management and other skills that I don’t get to learn in my day-to-day work. I also wanted to support the brilliant work that the Society is already doing, help further the Society’s goals and push the industry forward. So much has happened in a relatively short period of time, and it’s inspiring stuff, but there is still more work to do, particularly around career progression, recognition, and wellbeing for RSEs. I want to make an impact and help make things better, not just for myself but for others, and I feel like I’ve already been able to do that in a few small ways.“
(Read more in this post from last year’s elections)
Stef Piatek, Vice-Secretary, Trustee (2023 – Present)
“I benefited from the RSE movement and wanted to give something back, and more personally, I also wanted to expand from my local team and collaborate more widely. I’ve really enjoyed getting a different perspective on the field, and seeing the impact of the mentoring scheme has been great. I’m very fortunate to have my work support me in dedicating time towards this. I’d thoroughly recommend putting yourself forward if you’re keen.”
Join Us
If you are interested in joining us as a Trustee, then please check out The Call for Nominations, which has more information about the various roles available and instructions for how to nominate yourself.
Join our mailing list and keep an eye on our social media for updates on upcoming Q&A sessions with current and former trustees, as well as additional information about the election.
