Our voluntary Board of Trustees is responsible for setting the strategic aims, objectives and direction of Homeshare International (HI) and for overseeing operational delivery with the help of a part-time Director.
Trustees are drawn from countries where homeshare operates and are chosen on the basis of their expertise as practitioners, researchers and administrators.
Interested in becoming a Trustee? Find out more here.
Patron
President
Professor Malcolm Johnson, Director, International Institute on Health and Ageing, UK
Vice-president
Professor Anne-Lotte Kreickemeier, Founder of Wohnen für Hilfe in Germany
Trustees
Elizabeth Mills OBE, (Chair), UK
With a background in the voluntary sector, Elizabeth ran the medical research charity Research into Ageing and merged it with Help the Aged (now Age UK). She was awarded the OBE for services to medical research and has two honorary doctorates. She is a genealogist, is a member of the board of the Witney Educational Foundation and also a member of the board of trustees of the British Society for Research on Ageing.
Régis de Kerautem, Belgium
Régis co-founded 1Toit2Ages with Claire, his wife, in 2009 and supports the charity as its President. Under their leadership, homeshare has spread from modest beginnings in Brussels to cover most of Belgium’s large towns and cities. His day job is in consumer protection in Europe, a field he has specialised in for the past ten years.
Régis joined the HI Board in 2018. He is fluent in English and French.
Estelle de Saint-Bon, France
Before joining ensemble2générations, Estelle was responsible for Development and Partnerships within the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. She was also member of the Executive Board and it was in this capacity that she met Typhaine de Penfentenyo who, with her husband Alain, founded ensemble2générations in 2006. Estelle also used the services of E2G for her 93-year-old father and saw the human benefits of homeshare services. She is now President of ensemble2générations,
Estelle became a trustee of HI in February 2022. She is fluent in English and French.
Wendy Francis, Australia
Wendy has worked for over 20 years in Australia alongside older people and their families, to help them remain living in their homes while staying connected and engaged with friends, families and communities. She has helped to establish Homeshare services within Australia and is a Board Member of HANZA, the peak body for Homeshare in Australia and New Zealand. Wendy is also working as a Homeshare Development Officer for HANZA, promoting the amazing outcomes of Homesharing and helping to establish new Homeshare services.
Marlene Welzl, Austria
Marlene helped to set up and run an award-winning homeshare programme, WohnBuddy (formerly WGE!-Gemeinsam Wohnen), in her native Vienna. In addition to supporting conventional homeshare matches, the programme also places students in nursing homes and retirement communities.
Marlene became a trustee in September 2017. She is fluent in English, French and German; she has also studied Cantonese, Italian and Latin.
Cyril Wood, (Honorary Treasurer), UK
A qualified Chartered Accountant, Cyril has had a varied career, in both the private and voluntary sectors.
He is the Chairman of The Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers as well as acting for a number of charities as a trustee and honorary treasurer.
Sibel Whitehead, UK
As the co-founder of Supportmatch Homeshare, Sibel has been leading a homeshare business in the UK since 2013. She has had a very successful experience running homeshare programmes and is also director of the social enterprise Support&Match Homeshare CIC. She believes homeshare is not only a great idea, it is a solution to give independence to young and old. Sibel has a nursing qualification, has studied social work, has been a carer-support service coordinator and loves spending time with her young daughter
Sibel joined the Homeshare International Board of Trustees in 2020.
Lucie Cunningham, Ireland
Lucie is the founder and CEO of THE HomeShare, established in Ireland, in 2017. With over 20 years’ experience in the Nursing, Healthcare, and Homecare sectors in both the UK and Ireland, she has dedicated her career to helping others and improving community care.
Under Lucie’s leadership, THE HomeShare has grown to become the leading Homeshare programme in Ireland. Her successful lobbying of Irish Government helped incorporate Homeshare into national policy and ensuring older people do not lose existing homecare and financial supports.
Ramona Amuza, UK
Ramona is the Co-Director of Homeshare West, where she has successfully led its expansion, extending its reach across five regions in just three years. She has extensive experience in community engagement, project management, and leadership. With lived experience of Homeshare, she previously ran Homeshare Gloucestershire successfully for six years. Ramona is passionate about supporting individuals to enhance their wellbeing and about fostering strong partnerships to drive positive change. Outside of work, she enjoys walking her two dogs in the countryside and salsa dancing, reflecting her love of connecting with people and staying active. She is fluent in English, Romanian and Spanish.
Charlotte Day, Honorary Secretary, UK
Charlotte is an experienced operations and governance professional with a background spanning health, consultancy, and the not-for-profit sector. She has specialised in compliance, service delivery, and organisational development, with a strong focus on people-centred systems and values-led practice. She brings her expertise in strategic coordination and good governance to her role as Honorary Secretary at Homeshare International.
Director
Sally Bird, UK/France
Sally is a graduate of Cambridge University and worked in the charity sector, including as Director of a regeneration charity in London, before life events took her to live in Washington DC and then to settle in rural France.
Sally joined HI at the beginning of 2023 in a newly created Administrator position, before taking on the role of part-time Director at the end of 2024. She still lives in France, and is delighted to help the Trustees achieve their vision for HI in a remote capacity. She combines the role with another part-time position as CEO of The British Society for Research on Ageing, and also works as a professional French to English translator.