FoundationTrustees

Steve Varley, Chair

Steve joined the Board in March 2024 as a Trustee. He has spent his career in professional services advising some of the world’s leading companies and governments and was the UK Chair of EY (Ernst and Young) for 9 years before completing his EY career in a global role leading EY’s sustainability practice. During his time at EY he led the team to set up the EY Foundation, an independent charity focused on improving the opportunities for young people in challenged areas of the UK.

Steve has advised 2 UK Prime Minister’s on business matters and has advised the United Nations and has attended multiple United Nations “COPs” on Climate Change.

Steve was born and raised in the northwest of England and is a Liverpool FC fan and keen sportsman representing Great Britain 3 times at World Championships as a triathlete across various age categories.

Billy Hogan, Vice Chair

Billy joined Liverpool FC in 2012 and held a number of senior roles before being appointed as Club’s Chief Executive Officer in September 2020.

Prior to joining LFC, Billy was Managing Director for Fenway Sports Management (FSM), which consisted of securing high-level sponsorships for the Boston Red Sox, including the strategic development of an impressive client roster of leading national brands such as LeBron James/LRMR Marketing & Branding, Boston College Athletics, and PGA TOUR event, the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Matt Parish

Matt joined the LFC Foundation in March 2019 as Foundation Director and is responsible for leading the charity and its Executive Team.

Having started his professional life as a PE Teacher in South East London, he has over 20 years’ experience in sports and community development having previously worked at Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) and Burnley FC in the Community (BFCitC), two of the leading football club charities in the UK.

As Chief Operating Officer at CACT and Director of Education & Inclusion at BFCitC, Matt led on the development of numerous innovative programmes including being commissioned to run local authority youth services, and alternative education provision for young people at risk of exclusion.

Susan Black

Susan joined Liverpool FC in 2011 and is the Director of Communications. She has over 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications, technology and global management consultancy sectors.

She leads a team that is responsible for managing the club’s strategic communications function – this includes club and football media relations; issues and reputation management; public relations and employee communication

Prior to joining LFC, Susan held senior corporate communications and PR roles at WYG plc, NTL (now Virgin Media) and Scottish Enterprise.

Susan holds a Masters in Communications (MSc) and Post Graduate Diploma (PgDip) from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Linda Henry

Linda Henry is the CEO of Boston Globe Media Partners, which includes The Boston Globe, boston.com and STAT News.

She co-founded and chaired HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explored the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology.

Linda is also a partner in Fenway Sports Group, a four-time Emmy-award winning television producer, the founder of GlobeDocs Film Festival, and a co-Guinness World Record Holder. Linda serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a Trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, Chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and Chair of the John W. Henry Family Foundation.

In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the boards of The Engine at MIT, The Women’s Foundation of Boston, The Shorenstein Center, and the BC CEO Club as well as serving on many advisory boards, including MassChallenge and Solve @ MIT. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Babson College, her Masters Degree in Real Estate Development from MIT, and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

She received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Babson College in 2019.

Davinder Jhamat

A career built in commercial real estate with tenures with CBRE and Retail Evolution (Revo), Davinder is currently working at TrustMark – the only Government endorsed quality scheme for work carried out in residential property.

As a trained economist and researcher, she has previously worked for the European Commission, the City of London Corporation, a professional membership body representing retail real estate and a global engineering foundation. Having worked at local, national and international levels, Davinder has led and engaged experts and government to deliver works of impact, and positive change.

Her Non-Executive portfolio consists of Chair Elect of the British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI), Trusteeships with The Golf Foundation, Trees for Life and The Laurel Trust. She is also a Member of the British Paralympic Association’s Social Impact Committee.

Advising on programmes that deliver public benefit and sustainable impact, the young is where it all begins for instilling lifelong skills. And what better way to do it than through sport.

Laura Weston

Laura joined the LFC Foundation's Board of Trustees in 2019. She returned home to Liverpool after spending 20 years in London working in leading communication agencies. She spent 12 years at advertising agency Iris Worldwide latterly as a partner and Managing Director of its sports and entertainment division. She headed up award-winning campaigns for brands including adidas, The FA, Samsung and Ebay.

Following Iris, Laura worked for high-profile start-ups in the sustainability space including leading international communications for electric vehicle company Rivian and advising food waste pioneer Too Good to Go. Both companies were recognised on Time Magazine’s ‘Top 100 Most Influential Companies’ list.

A long-time advocate of women in sport, Laura has been a Trustee for the Women’s Sport Trust charity for seven years lobbying for women’s sport to be more visible across media channels and encouraging commercial investment. She has now co-founded ‘See You at Jeanie’s’ a consultancy that works with sports organisations and brands who want to capitalise on the ‘women’s sport revolution’ helping them with brand positioning, marketing and communications.

Dr Simon Bowers

Simon is a GP in South Liverpool and a former Chair of NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group. After qualifying as a doctor in 1998, and then a GP in 2001, Simon has worked in a number of roles including Chair of Liverpool Matchworks Practice Based Commissioning Group and he continues to be a passionate supporter of and advocate for the NHS and public services designed around what a community needs.

Simon currently combines his NHS work with a role as Chief Medical Officer at a local technology company building and deploying software within the NHS. In his spare time, when not watching his beloved Reds, Simon keeps himself busy enjoying family life and playing mediocre bass in There's Moo.

Tom Werner

Thomas Werner has enjoyed a prominent career in both the sports and entertainment world for many decades. Mr. Werner is Chairman of Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox. He was instrumental in establishing and overseeing the Red Sox Foundation, America’s largest sports team charity.

Under Mr. Werner and John Henry’s guidance, the Foundation has committed more than $94 million to fund charitable causes and programs throughout New England. As Chairman of the Foundation, he spearheaded the creation Home Base in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, a program that provides world-class care to treat the “invisible wounds of war” to Veterans and their families.

Mr. Werner has been recognised and celebrated with numerous awards for his philanthropic accomplishments.

Victoria Gowan

Victoria Gowan joined the LFC Foundation's Board of Trustees in June 2023.

Born and raised in Sefton, Victoria earned a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in French from the University of Leicester.

She is the Headteacher at Lord Derby Academy in Knowsley and serves as the Chairperson of the Knowsley Association of Secondary Headteachers, representing this group at the Knowsley Children Safeguarding Partnership.

Victoria holds both the National Professional Qualification for Headship and the National Professional Qualification for Executive Headship.

With her extensive experience, Victoria understands the many challenges children face and is passionate about helping them overcome obstacles while embracing opportunities. She collaborates with a wide range of agencies to provide enriching experiences for young people, guiding them toward personal pathways to success. Dedicated to raising educational standards in the Merseyside region, her ethos is rooted in a firm belief in the potential of every child.

Victoria has been a resident of Liverpool for the past 24 years and is an avid supporter of Liverpool Football Club. In her free time, she enjoys the cinema, reading, sports, and travel. She often shares these passions with her students, encouraging them to see themselves as global citizens and to understand their place in the world.