Meet our dedicated team of trustees

  • Mandy Headshot
    Mandy Ferguson
    Chair

    With over 30 years commercial and general management experience operating at executive and board level, Mandy has a wealth of experience in both the food and media industry. Her roles have included Managing Director of Ambrosia; Managing Director of Ryvita; Managing Director of Harlequin Mills & Boon and VP – Overseas, Europe for HaperCollins. Since January 2018 she has operated as a freelance Business Consultant, Board Advisor and Board Trustee.

  • Founder Allen Parton with Assistance Dog ET
    Allen Parton
    Founder and Vice-Chair

    Royal Naval veteran Allen Parton, Founder of the Charity Hounds for Heroes, was inspired to set up an assistance dog school that specifically met the needs of injured and disabled armed forces veterans.

    From his own personal experience of having a highly trained assistance dog in his early recovery from a life changing injury, suffered whilst he was on active duty in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf war. Allen wanted his fellow colleagues who had suffered traumatic injury or illness to have the same opportunity of a life enhancing assistance dog in their lives that would benefit not only themselves but benefit their families as well.

    In 2010 Allen’s vision became a reality and Hounds for Heroes was incorporated as a registered charity within the UK.

    Allen is now currently partnered with his latest assistance dog, faithful Labrador ET (Endal the Third)

  • Peter Headshot
    Air Commodore Peter Grinsted OBE RAF (Retd)
    Trustee

    Peter is an experienced manager and consultant specialising in developing strategy and delivering transformational programmes; he is also a qualified leadership coach.  Before starting his own consultancy business in 2015, Peter enjoyed over 30 years in the Royal Air Force.

  • Jade Headshot
    Jade Norman
    Trustee

    Jade is a chartered accountant currently working in a Financial Controller role for an American software company. Jade qualified as an accountant in private practice and has previous charity experience as an audit manager of various charities.

  • Liz Headshot
    Liz Ridgway
    Trustee

    A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Liz has held many senior roles during her career. She brings a wealth of management and communications experience gained through working both in marketing agencies and government and corporate organisations including The Ministry of Defence, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity,  BAE Systems and more recently The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

  • Jon and his dogs
    Jon Perkins
    Trustee

    Following a 30 year career in the Royal Navy Jon moved to work in the Defence industry whilst also managing a small rural business.  He ‘retired’ briefly in 2019 but has since returned to work in a niche part time Civil Service role. Outside his ‘day job’ Jon trains and, in the winter months, works with gun dogs.  He has a passion for Service charities also being a Trustee at ‘HighGround’ and a member of his local Branch of the Royal British Legion 

  • Harriet headshot
    Harriet Slater
    Trustee

    Harriet is a qualified Senior Associate solicitor at an international law firm, based in London and has worked with several charities and NGOs during her legal career, as well as getting involved in a number of charity fundraising campaigns and events in a personal capacity. She has a personal passion for supporting veterans as her father previously served in the Royal Marines. 

     

  • Julian Forth Headshot
    Julian Forth
    Trustee

    Julian has worked in industry on the design and manufacture of defence equipment since graduation and has worked alongside the Armed Forces of the UK and those of many overseas nations in the development and operation of advanced weapon and communications systems. This is Julian’s second term as a trustee of Hounds for Heroes.

  • Peter Ketley Headshot
    Peter Ketley
    Trustee

    Peter spent 14 years as an officer in the Parachute Regiment, serving in several operational theatres overseas including Northern Ireland and the Falklands war, with 2 Para. He also has 30 years commercial experience in manufacturing and as a sales director in home furnishings businesses, with particular emphasis on exporting worldwide. He has raised funds for many charities which included rowing the Atlantic in 2018 and is a founding patron of the Tommy Club. For over six years Peter and his wife Sally have fostered numerous Hounds for Heroes dogs in training.

  • Alan headshot
    Alan Smith CBE
    Trustee

    Alan Smith has had a long commercial career in the retail sector as Chief Executive or Chair of large public and private retail companies such as B&Q and ScS. He also has significant experience working with the UK armed forces over many years as a Director of NAAFI and Chair of the Royal International Air Tattoo.