OUR NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTOR
Our People
We believe our strength is our people.
We recruit people with lived experience – often whole careers - in the sectors and organisations we serve. They are passionate people, driven to make communities safer.
Our clients work with us because they trust us to deliver quality results with lasting impact.
Chief Executive,
Office of Police and Crime Commissioner
“They’re a passionate team and an organisation that borrows from a range of disciplines and experience. They celebrate their people - and for good reason. They’re credible experts, but they don’t flaunt this. They provide reasons and hear out new ideas, and they don’t overpromise.”
Meet the team
Charlotte Phillips
Executive Director (Communication)
Charlotte was previously Head of News at the Independent Police Complaints Commission, where she led the communications response to the police shooting of Mark Duggan, the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 disorder and the investigation into allegations of a police cover-up over the Hillsborough disaster. Before that, Charlotte was Press Secretary to the Attorney General and a communications officer at the Metropolitan Police. At Crest, Charlotte has provided communications support to a number of statutory and non-statutory inquiries, including the Manchester Arena Inquiry, and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and to technology clients working in policing and justice. Charlotte is Executive Director with responsibility for Crest’s people and culture.
Gavin Lockhart-Mirams
Founder
Gavin has provided communications and strategy advice to criminal justice leaders and the British Government for over twenty years. He founded Crest in 2011, following a period in government as home affairs advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron after the 2010 election. In this role he presented communications and policy advice to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and other Cabinet-level Ministers about ways to modernise public services (developing both drug recovery and reducing re-offending schemes), shift power to individuals and communities (introducing legislation paving the way for Elected Police Commissioners) and increase transparency (publishing local crime data). Previously, he helped establish a crime reduction research unit at the Policy Exchange think tank authoring reports on serious violence and reoffending. CEO until 2017, Gavin is now Chair of Crest with responsibility for providing strategic advice to central government and for our roster of senior advisors from policing, the civil service and the wider criminal justice system.
Jon Clements
Executive Director (Development)
Before joining us, Jon was a broadcaster for ITN and a reporter for the Daily Mirror. He specialised in home affairs and crime, reporting and commentating on major events, including the 2011 riots, and public inquiries and other legal proceedings, including the inquests into the July 7 bombings and the Stephen Lawrence murder trial. After leaving journalism, Jon became Head of Policy and External Affairs at the national charity Victim Support. At Crest, he has advised statutory public inquiries and arms length bodies, overseen research into public perceptions of the Prevent programme and the use of stop and search, and led Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s independent review of disorder at Wembley during the Euro 2020 Final. Jon is Executive Director with responsibility for Crest’s business development and marketing.
Rod Brenninkmeijer
Chief Financial Officer
Rod manages Crest’s financial operations and oversees the human resources, contracts and office management areas of the business. Before joining Crest, Rod was director for a major European retail company working to improve organisational culture and expand its operations.
Sam Cunningham
Executive Director (Strategy)
As the former Director of Criminal Justice Commissioning and Policy at the Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime (MOPAC), Sam led major transformation programmes across London’s justice services. Sam oversaw the devolution of victim and witness support budgets to London, the development of the Mayor’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and the creation of the London Violence Reduction Unit. This followed roles in crime reduction operations and commissioning at Westminster Borough Council. At Crest, Sam has led a major programme of work at the Crown Prosecution Service improving outcomes for victims and helped 43 police force areas to prepare for the Home Office serious violence duty Sam is Executive Director with responsibility for Crest’s consulting practice.
Neil Basu QPM
Senior Advisor (Policing)
Neil Basu QPM is a former senior British police officer, who was the Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism, the Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard with responsibility for Royal and Diplomatic Protection and led the policing contribution to the UK Government’s CONTEST Strategy. Most recently, Neil led the national strategic command course which prepares police officers and staff for promotion to chief officer ranks in the service across the UK.
Ian Dyson QPM, DL
Senior Advisor
Ian Dyson QPM, DL is one of the UK's leading experts on financial crime. He is a former senior British police officer and was the Commissioner of the City of London police and the National Police Lead for Fraud, Economic Crime, Cyber Crime, Financial Investigation and Business Crime. He also led the national roll out for the 101 non-emergency number. Ian is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours 2016 and became a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London in 2022.
Sabah Kaiser
Senior Advisor (Engagement)
Sabah Kaiser is an expert in safeguarding women and children from violence and supporting ethnic minorities to overcome barriers to accessing public services. Sabah has been a Senior Consultant for two national inquiries: as an Ethnic Minority Ambassador for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, travelling around England and Wales to advise on engagement with survivors of child sexual abuse, and to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, helping to establish an authentic voice representing the five protected characteristics most impacted by the pandemic in consultations for the Inquiry’s terms of reference. Sabah is a leading voice in the barriers that language can cause, speaking eight languages and acting as an interpreter across medical, judicial and social care environments. Sabah has served as a language and culture consultant for the Ministry of Justice for more than ten years and Vandu Language Services, an ethnic minority-led community organisation working to empower the people that it serves. Through this work, Sabah ensures women and children can navigate the justice, health and social care systems. She holds multiple safeguarding qualifications accredited by Rape Crisis England and Wales, OFQUAL and Brighton and Hove Council, focusing on the protection of women, children and those from ethnic minorities and LGBT+ groups who have experienced sexual abuse, violence, honour-based violence, forced marriage, female mutilation and exploitation. Sabah is also a Luther King Advisory Fellow and visiting professor at Regent’s Park College, Oxford. Sabah supports Crest on safeguarding, victim and survivor engagement, inquiries and violence against women and girls.
John O'Brien CBE
Senior Advisor (Inquiries)
John O'Brien CBE has unique experience of leading programmes of work involving vulnerable or traumatised people or safeguarding issues. A civil servant for more than two decades, John was Secretary to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) from 2015-2023, with overall responsibility for its administration and governance. Before being seconded to lead the IICSA, John was Director of Safeguarding at the Home Office, with responsibility for policy on public order, public risk and safeguarding and public protection. He joined the civil service as Director of the Criminal Records Bureau with responsibility for the implementing the recommendations of a the public inquiry into police vetting procedures following the 2002 Soham murders. John was awarded an CBE in 2023 for his services to child protection. John supports Crest on safeguarding, public inquiries and independent reviews.
Mary Calam
Senior Advisor (Public Safety)
Mary Calam is one of the UK's leading experts on governance and strategy across policing and public safety. Mary was Director General for Crime, Policing and Fire in the Home Office, responsible for all policy, legislation, strategy and funding for policing, crime and the fire service, between 2013 and 2016. Previous civil service roles included Director of National Security at the Home Office, Deputy Director of Knowledge at the Serious Organised Crime Agency and Regional Director for the Independent Police Complaints Commission. On leaving government, Mary joined McKinsey & Company, where she was part of the UK public sector practice leadership team and served law enforcement and other government clients around the world. Mary is a Non Executive Director of the National Crime Agency and a trustee of the Police Foundation. Mary supports Crest on government contracts in policing, violence reduction and public safety.
Tony Fuller
Senior Advisor (Policing)
Tony Fuller has unique experience of delivering major change programmes in policing, both as a serving senior officer and a consultant managing transformation for clients. As police lead for the PURSUE strand of the government's CONTEST strategy, Tony led the development of the police counter terrorism infrastructure following the 2005 London bombings. He had previously led investigations into serious and organised crime and police corruption during a 30 year career at the Metropolitan Police Service. After leaving, Tony joined PwC's public sector practice as a director, overseeing operations and major change programmes. Tony is currently the Vice Chair of the Road Safety Trust which is the UK’s biggest independent grant provider for research into road safety. Tony supports Crest on major policing transformation and strategy programmes.
Sunder Katwala
Senior Advisor (Engagement)
Sunder Katwala is Director of British Future, an independent and non-partisan think tank, which works on identity and immigration, integration, and race relations, focusing on engaging the public constructively in issues which can be polarising and divisive. Sunder was previously an Observer journalist and General Secretary of the Fabian Society. He is a member of the Commission for Countering Extremism's advisory group and a regular commentator in national media and broadcast. Sunder supports Crest on engagement, diversity and inclusion.
Miriam Rich
Senior Advisor (Communication)
Miriam specialises in communications around policing and social welfare issues such as institutional racism and child protection. Before Crest, Miriam worked for the Metropolitan Police Service and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, now advising inquiries and educational bodies. Miriam has managed the media on a number of high profile inquiries, including during the 1999 Paddington Rail Disaster, 2005 London bombings and 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Miriam has worked with Crest on managing media for public inquiry opening statements for the the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Baroness Louise Casey DBE CB
Senior Advisor
Baroness Louise Casey DBE CB has advised five prime ministers on social welfare and criminal justice, and led the UK’s most high profile independent reviews and inspections. A former senior civil servant, Baroness Casey most recently led an independent review into the standards and culture of the Metropolitan Police, and conducted an independent review of disorder during the Euro 2020 final at Wembley. During her time in government, Baroness Casey reviewed community cohesion and integration, conducted an independent inspection into Rotherham Council and its handling of child sexual exploitation, and led the Troubled Families Programme. Before that, Baroness Casey was the first Victims Commissioner and held leadership positions at the national Anti Social Behaviour Unit, the Respect Task Force and the Rough Sleeper’s Unit. Baroness Casey, now a Crossbench peer, left the civil service in 2017 to establish the Institute for Global Homelessness before returning to support the government's Covid-19 rough sleeping response.
Savas Hadjipavlou
Senior Advisor (Analytics)
Savas Hadjipavlou spent more than 30 years in government combining data with policy at the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and the Department of Health. He finished his civil service career at the Ministry of Justice, leading reforms in the provision of prison health and mental health services. After leaving government, Savas led the creation of the Probation Institute as an independent centre of excellence for practioners. He subsequently founded ‘Justice Episteme’, which provides analytical services and computer simulations to support policy and service reforms in criminal justice. With Crest, Savas developed the Poliscope methodology for analysing demand and performance within policing. Sunder supports Crest on data science in justice and policing.
Katrina McKeever
Senior Advisor (Communication)
Katrina is a communications professional skilled at creative campaign delivery, managing international news events, and reputation management. Having previously worked as a journalist, a senior media advisor to Kensington Palace, with the Metropolitan Police Service, and the Manchester Arena Inquiry she is experienced at working with multiple stakeholders across government, charities, and public bodies to provide media advice and deliver projects with global reach.
Sarah Kincaid
Director
Sarah joined Crest from the Department for Communities and Local Government after a 20 year career in government. During this time, Sarah was policy lead for the Troubled Families Programme, an independent inspector of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s response to child sexual exploitation and worked on numerous taskforces addressing social exclusion and vulnerability. At Crest, Sarah oversaw our two year research programme into the causes of serious violence and has led our support to local violence reduction initiatives. Sarah was the lead reviewer for Baroness Casey of Blackstock's independent review of standards and culture at the Metropolitan Police Service.
Sophie Davis
Director of Research
As a former Head of Home Affairs and Justice at the Behavioural Insights Team, Sophie has experience working with government departments, police forces and senior audiences across the criminal justice sector. Before this, Sophie worked as a Political Advisor to the Shadow Justice Secretary and Shadow Leader of the House of Lords, advising on crime and justice policy. Alongside her role at Crest, Sophie is an elected councillor and previously served as Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Lewisham Council. Sophie is a qualified solicitor, having trained at Hogan Lovells LLP. Sophie leads Crest Insights, Crest’s in-house think-tank.
Beth Mooney
Head of Research
Before joining Crest, Beth was a researcher at the Serious and Organised Crime Unit at Home Office, specialising in county lines, child criminal exploitation and drug trafficking. Beth had previously been a researcher for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse after completing an MPhil in Criminological Research from the University of Cambridge. At Crest, Beth specialises in qualitative research on county lines, vulnerability and exploitation, having co-authored published research on county lines. This research included an in-depth analysis of 13 young people involved in county lines and concluded with a presentation of the findings to over 180 local partners and research area experts.
Marie Begasse
Business Manager
Marie provides general and strategic business management support to the Crest team and Directors, ensuring our accounting, human resources, procurement and IT operations function effectively. Before joining Crest, Marie was personal assistant to directors at a major UK packaging manufacturer. Marie is currently on parental leave.
Callyane Desroches
Head of Policy and Strategy
Before coming to Crest, Callyane was a researcher at the Police Foundation thinktank and a volunteer at Only Connect, a desistance charity for ex-offenders. Since joining us, Callyane has worked across our research and consultancy practices on justice devolution and reform, counter extremism, sexual violence and other gender-based violence. She has managed major service transformation projects at the Crown Prosecution Service and the London Mayor's Office of Policing and Crime, run evaluations of sensitive policy areas including the Prevent programme and delivered training on strategy to analysts at the Ministry of Justice.
Ellie Covell
Director of Operations
Before joining Crest, Ellie was a civil servant at the Cabinet Office and at the Department for Housing Communities and Local Government. Prior to her career in government, Ellie was an officer in the Metropolitan Police, where she researched and implemented a methodology for preventing the exploitation of vulnerable adults by organised crime groups. Ellie also worked at Barnardos supporting children and young people at risk of involvement in serious violence. At Crest, Ellie developed the PoliSCOPE police performance methodology delivering it to five forces across England and Wales. Ellie now oversees our internal operations, training and programme management function.
Oli Hutt
Head of Analytics
Before joining Crest, Oli was manager of the Jill Dando Institute Research Laboratory at University College London which was set up as the first research lab in Europe to hold and analyse highly classified police and intelligence data in collaboration with academia. He was previously analytics director for a market research company before moving to Sky TV and designing and implementing an in-house capability that enabled them to test and measure the performance of their brand and communication work. At Crest, Oli manages quantitative analysis across the business, having esablished the in-house capability to design and run surveys for a range of different clients and research projects. Oli also holds a PhD in Crime Science modelling the deterrent effect of police foot patrol in micro-places.
Delene Adams
Analyst
Delene first joined Crest in 2021 during a five-month internship before completing a MPhil degree in Criminology at the University of Cambridge. After graduating, Delene was a policy advisor for the Baroness Casey Review of Standards and Culture at the Metropolitan Police and completed training as a Detective Constable with City of London Police. Delene has authored published work on body-worn video and memory within policing, published during her time as a Research Assistant in Forensic Psychology at the University of Sydney, and was also the recipient of the British Psychological Society Undergraduate Award at the University of Kent.
Catrina Bomford
Analyst
Catrina is currently an analyst at Crest, joining us from the University of Cambridge where she completed her BA and MPhil in Classics. During her time at Crest Catrina has worked on serious violence reduction projects, supported Violence Reduction Units to improve their operational sustainability, and supported on reviews into safeguarding in the Church of England and the culture of Welsh fire services.
Louis Dean
Intern
Louis is currently an intern at Crest whilst also studying a part-time MA in Terrorism, Security and Society at King's College London. Louis has previously worked as a project officer at the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project, where he led on organisation and analysis of a joint inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty into the effects of UK immigration, asylum and refugee policy on poverty.
Serina Fuller
Senior Strategy & Insight Manager
Serina was a research officer at His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, supporting PEEL inspections, thematic inspections, and super-complaints, and an intelligence researcher at the Metropolitan Police Service before coming to Crest. A chartered psychologist, Serina has completed a PhD examining identity processes and threat in the context of policing mental health. She holds a professional certificate in Evidence-Based Policing Analysis from the Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing and has been a Life Skills Recovery Worker for East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Teresa Hulme
Analyst
Teresa joined Crest from Advance Charity, which helps women who have experienced domestic abuse and the criminal justice system rebuild their lives, where she worked as a community keyworker. Before Advance, Teresa completed the Police Now graduate scheme, and was a police constable and a trainee detective constable for the Metropolitan Police Service. Teresa holds an MA in Terrorism, Security and Society and King's College London. Throughout her MA Teresa specialised in radicalisation, and her MA thesis focused on the link between education and radicalisation.
Dr Alyssa Knisley
Analyst
Before joining Crest, Alyssa completed a PhD in Criminology and an MPhil in Criminological Research at the University of Cambridge. As part of her PhD Alyssa designed and conducted an in-depth qualitative research project with 51 children and young people in alternative education provision across four regions of England about their experiences carrying weapons. She has also conducted comparative research on prisons and the rehabilitative ideal in the US and Norway and worked on a project on data-driven librarianship in prison libraries across the US.
Ben Morris
Civil Service Fast Streamer
Ben joins Crest as on a six-month secondment from the Finance Fast Stream where he held vairious roles across several government departments. As part of the Fast Stream, Ben served as a Finance Business Partner at the Home Office, where he was instrumental in setting up the Victims of Terrorism Support Fund, and as a Commercial Finance Business Partner at the Department for Work and Pensions. Ben also worked as a Financial Strategist at the Cabinet Office. Ben holds a BA in Politics and French from the University of Bristol and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).
Millie Paine
Senior Analyst
Millie joined us from We Are Futures, a social impact agency focused on young people. Before that she was the Head of Sixth Form and History and Politics teacher at an academy in West London. Millie holds an MA Hons in Human, Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in European and Global Governance with Distinction from the University of Bristol. She was the winner of the SPAIS Prize for highest score for her MSc thesis, which was focused on attitudes towards neoliberalism in European populist party discourse.
Alex Ranson
Analyst
Alex has experience in both micro and macro quantitative analysis, having completed an MSc in Finance and Economics at the University of Southampton. During a placement year at University, Alex was an Analyst Intern for Warner Brothers where he developed a daily Covid-19 case tracker to monitor global Covid-19 trends to facilitate the international company response.
Madeline Rolfe
Strategy & Insight Manager
Maddie originally joined Crest as an intern after completing an LLB in English Law with American Law from King's College London. At Crest, Maddie has managed projects including the Youth Endowment Fund Annual Review on Youth Vulnerability and Violence and an evaluation of victims' experiences of the criminal justice system as part of the criminal justice joint inspection led by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.
Alex Stacey
Senior Analyst
Before Crest, Alex was a management trainee at Southend City Council as part of the Local Government Association graduate scheme. He worked across four departments including community safety, where he co-wrote the Council’s Strategic Intelligence Assessment investigating trends in crime and community safety. At Crest, Alex has supported the delivery of the PoliSCOPE methodology to five UK police forces, helping them better understand and manage their demand. Alex is also involved in evaluating the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme and has led quantitative analysis for HMICFRS on misconduct within fire and rescue services in England and Wales. Additionally, Alex has facilitated workshops that offer tailored support to local partnerships, helping them develop strategic needs assessments and evaluation capabilities in line with the Serious Violence Duty.
Alice Woolcock
HR, Recruitment & Systems Administrator
Before joining the team, Alice was an office administrative assistant at investor MML Capital Partners and also worked as a Lettings Administrator at Knight Frank. Alice is currently studying for a level 5 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development qualification.
Danielle Banks
Intern
Before joining Crest as an intern, Danielle has previously worked as an administrative assistant at the Children Heard and Seen, supporting children with imprisoned parents, as well as gaining expereince in a range of research and support roles. Danielle also holds an MSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford.
Sabha Chaudhary
Finance and Procurement Intern
Sabha joined Crest on the Micro Placement Programme from City University, before rejoining Crest as an intern whilst taking a year out from her BSc in Economics and Accounting. Sabha is part of the business support team, focusing on finance and procurement.
Tara De Klerk
Junior Analyst
Before joining Crest, Tara completed an MSc in Crisis and Security Management at Leiden University and a BA in European Social and Political Studies at UCL. Tara worked as an Assistant Analyst at the Hague Centre of Strategic Studies. Tara's interests include prison reform, gender-based violence, and national security policies. As an analyst, Tara will be working across our consulting and insights portfolios.
Charles Godec
Intern
Before joining Crest as an intern, Charles completed an MSc in Countering Organised Crime and Terrorism at UCL. Charles also holds a BA (Hons) in Geography with proficiency in French from the University of Sussex.
Jess Hull
Strategy & Insight Manager
After completing an MSc in Gender from the London School of Economics and working with the menstrual health charity Irise International as a Communications Officer, Jess now manages Crest's policy and governance work. Jess has drafted instructions for new legislation on public inquiries and developed statutory guidance for the Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022, each for the Government of Jersey. Jess co-authored published research on county lines and maternal imprisonment and led the qualitative research for a report into domestic abuse perpetrators for the Home Office.
Rosie Margolis
Senior Analyst
Before joining Crest, Rosie was a data analyst at Advance Charity, which helps women who have experienced domestic abuse and the criminal justice system rebuild their lives. At Advance, Rosie supported service implementation, delivery, contract management and evaluation of services commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime and the London Violence Reduction Unit. Rosie holds an MSc in Public Policy from UCL. In her MSc dissertation, she focused on the importance of preserving family relationships for women to desist from reoffending.
Bheena Natarajan
Office Manager and Executive Assistant
Bheena joined Crest after five years working in executive and personal assistant roles for drug research companies including Aztrazeneca, RxCelerate, Amphista Therapeutics. Before this, Bheena spent 18 years working for the Civil Service across various departments and a further 10 years working as a personal assistant to the executive for adult health and social care organisation De Vere Care.
Helena Procopis
Junior Analyst
Helena joined Crest as an intern, while she was studying for an MSc in Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, writing a dissertation which explored body image concerns in men, using a meta-analysis to assess psychosocial treatment options. After completing her Masters, Helena has rejoined us as a junior analyst. Helena also holds an MA in Philosophy & Theology from the University of Edinburgh. She has experience working in SEN education and is a trained volunteer at UK eating disorder charity BEAT.
Fernanda Reynoso-Serna
Analyst
Fernanda joined Crest after completing an M.Phil in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Before this, she worked at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) where she evaluated the implementation of public policies aimed at addressing the root causes of migration in Southern Mexico and Central America. Fernanda has also worked as a protection officer in a migrant shelter in northern Mexico where she provided humanitarian aid to women, men, boys and girls. She holds a second masters in Conflict Resolution from the University of Essex.
Isabella Ross
Analyst
Isabella joined Crest via our internship programme from a drug harm reduction think-tank, where she worked on policy and communicatons content. At Crest Isabella has co-authored two reports on Black perspectives on crime, policing and stop and search and has created an online toolkit for practitioners in youth justice on delivering effective trauma-informed practice. Isabella has also worked on a Home office project, supporting on the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty and delivering workshops to support local areas improve their community engagemnt to reduce serious violence. Isabella works across our inquiries, research, and consultancy practices.
James Stott
Senior Strategy & Insight Manager
James originally joined Crest as an intern after completing a BA in law at Kings College London. Following several promotions, James now manages projects across violence reduction, justice policy and governance. He's worked for violence reduction units, police and crime commissioners and local authorities, specialising in quantitative analysis and advice on partnership working. James has also managed projects translating ministerial commitments into legislation for the Jersey Government and is leading an assessment of police force areas' readiness to implement the Serious Violence Duty.
Anna Bennett (maternity leave)
Communications Manager
Before joining us on our intern programme, Anna worked at the African Child Trust, managing its communications and marketing. At Crest, Anna has managed the press office for statutory and non-statutory public inquiries across England and has faciliated the media on the publication of inquiry reports. Anna also supports the publication and media for Crest Insights reports and other publications.
Sam Craigie
Junior Communications Officer
Sam focuses on the communications portfolio at Crest, including with public inquiry clients. Before Crest, Sam studied History at Queen Mary, University of London, with a year abroad at the University of Copenhagen, where he achieved First Class Honours. Sam wrote his dissertation about housing policy in Atlanta, Georgia.
Amber Evans
Senior Strategy & Insight Manager
Before joining us, Amber was an advisor specialising in health and education policy at the Behavioural Insights Team, which she joined following a previous role as a psychologist at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Amber trained as a psychological researcher at University College London and has a BSc in Neuroscience and an MSc in Psychology. At Crest, Amber has managed evaluations of the Police Education Qualifications Framework and our research into black views on policing, crime and the use of stop and search powers.
Sarah Hibbert
Senior Analyst
Sarah joined Crest from Black Box Research where she specialised in researching modern slavery, child criminal exploitation and county lines. Sarah holds a BA and MRes in Criminology from the University of Manchester and during her studies she contributed to a social network analysis of corporate bribery and corruption networks. At Crest, Sarah recently led the quantitative analysis of national vulnerability and violence trends for the Youth Endowment Fund Annual Review of youth vulnerability and violence.
Anousha Karim
Junior Analyst
Anousha joined us as an intern after completing her BA (Hons) in Human, Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Anousha has worked across a number of high profile projects at Crest, supporting on engagement and analysis.
John Milik
Senior Communications Analyst
John joined Crest as an intern after completing an MA in European Politics from University College London and working in education, spending time as a teaching assistant and co-founding a tuition business for school-age students. At Crest, John leads media and stakeholder analysis for statutory and non-statuory inquiries, including the Grenfell Tower, Manchester Arena, and Lampard Inquiries. He has played a key role in press office operations, managing media lock-ins and supporting with commemorative hearings. Additionally, John has supported various consultancy projects, including audience segmentation and stakeholder engagement for nationwide initiatives such as the Covid-19 Inquiry and the Home Office's Serious Violence Duty.
Harry Ogden
Senior Analyst
Harry was previously an associate at public affairs agency H/Advisors Cicero, where he acted as a political adviser to the Police Federation of England and Wales, supporting their political engagement and helping drive a series of campaigns to improve policing across the UK.
Nishat Rahman
Senior Analyst
Nishat originally joined Crest on our internship programme and now works across our inquiries and reviews projects, having most recently provided administrative and analytical support to the Baroness Casey Review of the Culture and Standards of the Metropolitan Police Service. Nishat also project managed an independent review into disorder at major international sport event. Nishat also supported the development of statutory guidance for the Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022 for the Government of Jersey and delivered a strategic demand assessment for the States of Jersey Police. Nishat has a BA in International Relations from SOAS University London.
Manon Roberts
Senior Strategy & Insight Manager
Manon originally joined Crest in 2018 as a Senior Analyst and has now returned as a Senior Manager. She holds a BA (Hons) in Experimental Psychology and an MSc in Forensic Psychology. Manon has worked as a Research Associate at the Wales Centre for Public Policy, where she conducted large-scale reviews on poverty, social exclusion, and race equality for the Welsh Government, and as a Senior Policy Officer at Public Health Wales, focusing on the public health impacts of the cost of living crisis. Manon has also previously worked as a Family Worker at HMP Wandsworth. At Crest, Manon has co-authored reports on topics including online fraud, children of prisoners, and listening to British Muslims on policing, extremism, and Prevent.
Freya Smith
Analyst
After completing an MA in International Politics and completing an internship at Human Rights Watch, Freya began an internship at Crest. Since joining the team, Freya has worked on literature reviews for His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services inspection on how victims are treated throughout the criminal justice system and survey design for the Office of National Statistics.
Dr Sophie Wilkinson
Senior Analyst
Sophie completed her PhD in Criminology from the University of Southampton, where she focused on the factors driving modern slavery offences and prevention measures. Before joining Crest, she worked as a Research Assistant on a project supporting British victims of modern slavery. At Crest, Sophie has co-authored the College of Policing and NPCC National Policing Statement on Violence Against Women and Girls for 2024 and supported the development of the VAWG 4P Delivery Framework for 2024-2027. She has also co-authored the published Hadley Devolution Report and contributed to the MOPAC Domestic Abuse victims’ needs assessment. Sophie is the author of a chapter in the upcoming Palgrave Handbook of Modern Slavery.