Senior Management
Chief Executive: Katherine Hewitt
Katherine took over as Chief Executive in June 2014. After joining Gateway in 2011 as Programme Lead for Health and Wellbeing she spent a brief time as Deputy CEO then moved to Operations Manager.
Katherine’s background is in community development and area based regeneration. She led the Community Empowerment theme of Sandwell’s New Deal for Communities Programme (NDC) and more recently she was responsible for their Connecting Communities programme. Previous to that she ran a community centre on a council estate in Grimsby.
Katherine has experience of working with partnership and resident led Boards and was responsible for ensuring that those involved were truly representative of the community they served. She was also heavily involved in setting up a Community Development Trust as the successor body to the NDC.
Although her previous work has largely been in the public sector there was always much focus on forging links with the voluntary and community sectors and building their capacity, so her move to the not-for-profit sector was a natural one.
Katherine’s email: K.Hewitt@gatewayfs.org
Head of Operations: Jo Harper
Jo joined Gateway in 2009 as a Programme Lead before moving to Operations Manager in 2012. She is responsible for ensuring all our work achieves its targets and is delivered to a high standard. Jo also manages service improvement and implementing new work to the business.
Jo’s experience includes work within the private sector as well as charities and the Third Sector, though always with a focus on reducing inequalities; she has in the past worked with those affected by long term unemployment and those with disabilities. Jo is keen to increase opportunities for young people, in particular those classed as NEETS.
Jo’s email: J.Harper@gatewayfs.org
Solihull Integrated Lifestyle Programme Lead: Jemma Abbott
Jemma has been a Programme Manager with Gateway since January 2017 and manages the Solihull Integrated Lifestyle Service. Jemma also works on Business Development and created our Workplace Wellbeing offer for corporate clients.
Jemma’s background is in managing Children and Families services. In previous roles, she has been a Youth and Community Worker, a Youth Offending Officer and has managed a team of Community Workers delivering prevention initiatives across a county to disadvantaged young people and their families.
Jemma’s email: J.Abbott@gatewayfs.org
Neighbourhoods Lead: Balvinder Kaur
Balvinder joined Gateway in Spring 2020 to lead our Neighbourhoods work: the Neighbourhood Network Scheme and Social Prescribing Link Workers services.
Before Gateway, Balvinder worked in a range of roles within local authority and voluntary sector settings, which kept her close to the local community. This included a Service Manager role within a third sector organisation, managing projects delivering holistic services to the community – predominantly as part of an NHS contract.
Balvinder’s email: B.Kaur@gatewayfs.org
Data and Monitoring Manager: Debbie Hett
Debbie ensures the successful collection, collation, auditing and evaluation of service data across a range of contracts. She also manages the Triage function of the Solihull Integrated Lifestyle Service, supervising staff training and development, and managing the programme’s data collection.
Debbie has been with Gateway since 2011, working on the Lighten Up and Five Ways to Health & Wellbeing services as programme manager and coordinator. She is currently our Thrive at Work lead, promoting good health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Debbie’s email: D.Hett@gatewayfs.org
Programme Co-ordinator: Marc Baggott
Marc is currently seconded as Manager of the Edgbaston Early Help Programme. He works closely with schools and children’s centres in the Edgbaston locality to identify and support local children and families with emergency food and other hardship issues.
Before the Covid-19 crisis Marc supervised and supported our team of Straight Talking Peer Educators, who visit schools and youth groups to deliver sessions on teen pregnancy, young relationships and other issues facing young people. Marc made sure the team were prepared and confident to deliver in schools, as well as helping to manage bookings and recruit other schools to the programme.
Before joining Gateway in 2019 Marc was a teacher in Primary and Secondary schools for five years. He has seen first-hand the issues facing young people and the boundaries these issues can create when trying to access education, and has a good understanding of the existing services in Birmingham.
Marc’s email: M.Baggott@gatewayfs.org
Office Manager: Maxine Brown
Maxine joined Gateway in 2009 as a Programme Administrator to the Health Trainers, then became Gateway’s Office Manager in 2014.
Maxine has a background in various administration roles in the public and private sector working in HR, insurance underwriting and customer service before her current role in the Third Sector.