Meet the Team

Farooq joined Quo Vadis Trust (QVT) as Head of Maintenance in September 2023. He is a resourceful, results-oriented construction professional with over 15 years of experience across all facets of the industry. He has an excellent track record of successfully completing multi-million-pound construction projects by coordinating trades, developing partnerships, and building strong relationships with architects, engineers, local officials, and clients—all while effectively managing costs.

Farooq is well-versed in contract creation and negotiation, project estimation, resolving design challenges, procurement, quantity surveying, document preparation, and building codes and regulations. His expertise spans both construction management and facilities management.

With degrees in Project Management and Civil Engineering, Farooq is capable of working both independently and as part of a productive team. He demonstrates the motivation and multi-tasking abilities needed to meet demanding deadlines and excels at clear and concise communication at all levels. Using creativity and critical reasoning, he analyses and develops solutions that add real value to clients and businesses.

In his spare time, Farooq enjoys watching movies, traveling, and socialising.

Lucy is experienced in arts and used to work in an advertising and publishing office as a graphic designer before relocating to the UK from Poland. As an artist, she wanted to help people, and art therapy seemed to be a natural progression.

As a qualified Art Psychotherapist, she discovered a lack of funding in adult mental health settings resulting in people’s difficulties accessing therapies. So she decided to shift her career into psychoeducational activities, building a client development program at QVT where she has been part of the team since 2004.

She is creative in building new projects that generate funding and works alongside volunteers who bring additional value to the organisation. She was shortlisted in the Women in Housing Awards 2022 in the Woman of the Year category.

Gemma initially worked in the beauty therapy industry but began her career in social care almost two decades ago. Initially she worked with children with learning disabilities, before moving onto working with adults with learning and physical disabilities and the mental health sector. Gemma is part of the management team at QVT’s care homes in Sidcup and is currently working her way towards achieving a Level 5 qualification in adult social care.

Mandy has been working in the adult social care sector for 35 years, and has been part of the QVT team in the role of Care Home Manager since 2003. Mandy and her team have been nominated for several awards including Best Staff Team in the Great British Care Awards, and take pride in the holistic support they provide to their clients, who require round-the-clock personal care.

Claudette’s journey began with a passionate commitment to helping those in need, and this drive led her through various roles within the health and social care sector spanning over 15 years.

After obtaining a BA in Public Health and Social Care, Claudette transitioned into a new role as a housing officer and joined QVT in 2021. This shift provided her with an exciting opportunity to broaden her horizons and delve into the realm of housing, where she continued to apply her expertise in facilitating positive change and fostering a supportive environment.

Following completion of a degree in criminology, Monique decided to pursue a career in social care due to her passion for helping others achieve their full potential.

Monique joined QVT in 2017 as a Supported Housing Officer and was quickly promoted to Senior Supported Housing Officer. Following her achievement of a diploma in Leadership in Adult Social Care, she was subsequently promoted to Supported Housing Manager in the Lewisham community team.

Laura has a Level 5 NVQ in Adult Social Care Management and has worked in adult social care for 15 years, initially in learning disability community support. She joined QVT just before the pandemic struck, in January 2020 and is now one of our Supported Housing Managers heading up the Lewisham Community Team.

Velma originally started working as a Typesetter, then a Creative Traffic Manager in the marketing sector. Due to the downturn in the economy at that time, Velma was made redundant and decided to return to full-time education in 2010, studying Health & Social Care at Bromley College, then Health Studies & Social Policy at London Metropolitan University. As well as studying full-time, she worked as a carer for children with disabilities, the elderly, and volunteered in a mental health drop-in centre. This was extremely rewarding and led to Velma following her pathway into the mental health sector.

Velma joined QVT in 2021 as a Housing Officer, and is now Housing Manager at Verdant Lane.

Prior to joining us here at QVT, Paul built up 16 years of Tech knowledge working in the cloud technology, connectivity and telephony industry. He was Tech Support Manager for 8 of those years, mentoring and guiding a team of 4, and providing services to various businesses in and around south east and central London. He has now taken on the challenge of stepping into a whole new environment here with us at QVT, and can’t wait to be an important part of a great cause.

He has a passion for a challenge, including the running type, and can often be found running the streets of London!

Bio coming soon.

Before joining QVT in September 2020, Ben worked in hospitality as General Manager of four- and five-star hotels and managed one of the oldest inns in England. Ben loves being part of a team and learning new skills and is grateful for all the support and encouragement provided since embarki on his career in a new sector.