The people who so passionately and tirelessly work to transform what is available in South Africa for people with intellectual disability and mental illness.
KIM DANKS, Director and Trustee
Kim is the founder of Climb Any Mountain, and is tireless in her mission to transform what is available in South Africa for people with intellectual disability and mental illness. Her younger sister, Cara, was born with a intellectual disability and later on diagnosed with organic psychosis.
Kim has an MBA and works in international healthcare, based in London. She is experienced in designing, developing and delivering large projects across multi-site complex organisations, including service transformation and change management. She has a proven track record of stakeholder management, growing revenue and improving operational performance through systems, process, people and organization in a customer centric environment.
NEIL DANKS, Director and Trustee
Neil joined the Climb Any Mountain Management Committee in February 2012. He has over 16 years’ experience in sales, and sales team management, advising and serving C-Level Executives across Europe in some of the world’s largest organisations. Neil is currently Head of Sales & Marketing at an organisation in the mobile technology sector.
Managing a team and with responsibility for all aspects of the sales and marketing process, Neil has a wealth of experience approaching new clients and successfully nurturing and developing professional relationships. He is a keen sportsman, playing football regularly and participates in triathlons.
STEVE ATKINSON, Director and Trustee
Steve joined the Climb Any Mountain Management Committee in January 2012. He has been running his own commercial business for fifteen years. Prior to that Steve worked as a Housing Manager for seventeen years for a London based Housing Association. Part of his work involved creating housing projects for people with special needs, including schemes for people with intellectual disability and mental illness.
He then became a successful housing consultant and frequently audited housing projects to ensure they were meeting agreed quality service standards. Steve is passionate about Africa and the chance to make a difference.
RAE HARILELA, Director and Trustee
Rae joined the Climb Any Mountain Management Committee in August 2013. She is the co-founder and Managing Director of Generous Spaces Ltd, a property services and development company based in London. Previously she was the Director of Strategic Accounts at a company that provides best practice insights to senior executives. She has over thirteen years experience in account management, sales negotiations, project management, marketing and sales.
Rae is originally from Hong Kong and has been involved in charitable causes from an early age. She is inspired by the Climb Any Mountain mission to drive change for people with learning disability and mental illness in South Africa, using global best practice.
JOHN VERGE, Director and Trustee
John has worked in various roles within the UK social housing field for 25 years and joined Mencap’s social housing arm Golden Lane Housing in 2000. John is currently Head of Development and has been involved with leading on innovative supported housing solutions across the England, Wales and Northern Ireland for thousands of people with a learning disability. He has a Masters in Housing Studies, MBA from Warwick Business School and a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Housing.
SHIRLEY DOYLE, Management Committee
Shirley joined the Climb Any Mountain Management Committee in September 2012. She has a BA degree in Marketing. Shirley is a strategic marketing and corporate communication professional with over 20 years’ experience working with large organisations within the financial, media, publishing and public sectors. As a very hands-on person, she is driven by her passion for marketing and making a difference.
Having left the corporate world in 2009, she now spends her time supporting individuals and small businesses with marketing and web technology. In her spare time, she is club secretary for a senior league football team and a charity for ex services personnel from the West Indies.
OLU TAIWO, Management Committee
Olu joined the Climb Any Mountain Management Committee in January 2012. She is a physician with a medical career that spans twenty-five years, working primarily in the private healthcare sectors in both the UK and Nigeria. She has an avid interest in the use of the internet, multimedia and computer technologies in medical practice and healthcare information delivery.
Olu is responsible for the design and development of the Climb Any Mountain website. She enjoys counselling and mentoring youths and is passionate about providing people with learning disabilities and mental illnesses the ability to live successful independent lives.
IYANU TAIWO, Management Committee
Iyanu joined the Climb Any Mountain Management Committee in December 2017. Currently working as a researcher at a data and analytics firm, she has experience in market research, questionnaire design and project management. She is assisting Climb Any Mountain in the areas of fundraising, grants and advocacy. Iyanu has an MA in human rights and diverse experiences in advocacy and research with the UK and international charities. She has a passion advocating for rights to ensure all have access to fundamental freedoms to live secure, independent and fulfilling lives. She has interests in photography, travelling and exploring cultures.
LAUREN-XANTE CLAASSEN, Management Committee
Lauren joined Climb Any Mountain in February 2018. She has a strong background in Software and IT and her previous roles include Software Testing, Customer service agent and a Team lead in a Triage second line IT support team.
After dedicating the last two years preparing for a change in career, Lauren is now completing her foundation year for a Civil and Environmental Engineering – BEng (Hons) degree.
Her interests include women’s empowerment in engineering, sustainable development and green engineering, as she is passionate about enhancing the environment with smart design and renewable materials.
