About Us

Our clients

Our staff

Finding us

Contact us

Jobs

Downloads

Playscheme bookings quicklink

Press releases

Our staff

Please click on the names below to read their profile.

Sammy Fugler, Company Director
Nadine Abrahams, PA to the Company Director
Susannah Alexander Trainer, Assessor and Life-long Learning Specialist
Riffat Alidina, Central Services Manager
Mary Bartram, Training and Assessment Coordinator and Child Protection Specialist
Kiersty Cesar, Play Strategy Manager
Ariella Eshed, International Director and Workshop Leader
Caroline Elliot, Arts Management Consultant
Laura Evers Johns, Creative and Technical Writer
Louisa Griffiths, Support Manager
Debra Green, Finance Administrator
Janis Griffiths, Children's Services Manager
Kelsi Harris, Trainer and Assessor
Valerie Jackson, Strategy, Improvement and Development Consultant
Malvis Kline, Psychoanalyst, Mediator, Trainer
Vanessa Louzon, Graphic Designer
Danielle Lyons, Lead Consultant and Internal Verifier
Perla Mitrani, Project Manager
Nadya Nicola, Training Resources Coordinator
Deanne Reynolds,Children's Services Coordinator and Assessor
Clare-Rose Thompson, Children's Services Operations Manager
Jade Swain, Training and Development Manager
Kasia Kwiatkowska , Artistic Coordinator/ Curator
Henry Timms, Children's Services Coordinator, Trainer and Assessor
Anna Walnycki Funding Co-ordinator
Boris Witzenfeld Projects and Partnerships Co-ordinator
Priya Visavadia Play Strategy Coordinator

Sammy Fugler, Company Director
Sammy is the founder of Mapalim, and provides strategic leadership across the company, overseeing quality of services delivery, and line-managing the senior management team. With a dynamic approach to business planning, Sammy has increased Mapalim's annual turnover by more than 500%, in just one year. Sammy has a high profile in the community and arts sectors, with a track record in research and innovative policy-making. He is committed to developing new areas of work to increase and diversify Mapalim's services and products, and founding partnerships to reflect Mapalim's objectives and values. Recognising the need for a new structure to support growth, Sammy is implementing a programme for organisational development, moving forward with Mapalim's vision.   This includes creating a new staffing structure, around specific areas of work to create smaller, more focused teams. He recently led the re-branding of the entire company, consulting with key stakeholders to ensure success. Sammy continues to raise the profile of the Mapalim, representing the organisation at community, partner and industry events. He frequently consults on national development work, which includes working alongside the DfES and QCA to develop new National Occupational Standards for Playwork at Levels 3 and 4, co-authoring new qualifications for awarding bodies CACHE, Edexcel, and City & Guilds specifically for practitioners working in the community sectors, and advising on local strategies for Play. In addition, Sammy regularly consults for several local authorities and private organisations, and is an external verifier for CACHE. He holds a BA (Hons) in Drama Education, a PGCE, and is currently completing an MA in Jewish Education. Sammy is a qualified Play practitioner, Youth Worker, assessor, and internal and external verifier. Sammy maintains a high level of face-to-face work across the arts and community sectors. Through Mapalim, Sammy continues his work to support development across the arts, communities and business.

Nadine Abrahams, PA to the Company Director
Nadine provides administrative, organisational and strategic support in all areas of the Director's work. She undertakes research on a range of projects, ideals and possibilities to inform Mapalim's leadership and forward strategy, in-line with the objectives of the organisation. She supports the director in ensuring the quality of projects and manages small projects that fall outside of Mapalim's existing service areas. Nadine is fluent in Hebrew and spent several years studying and working in Israel, where she led a number of youth arts programmes and activities, and managed a youth drama group as the producer and co-director. Nadine completed a 12-month internship in physical theatre with The Body Theatre in Israel and now practices physical theatre, using her skills to work with children and young people in a range of community settings. Nadine holds a BA in English and Drama and continues to develop her puppetry interest through collaborative arts projects.

Susannah Alexander Trainer, Assessor and Life-long Learning Specialist
Susannah champions educational programmes and initiatives that are widely accessible to communities. Susannah is a skilled presenter with experience on television and radio, as well as face-to-face training, lectures and presentations, working with culturally diverse audiences. Alongside her role at Mapalim, Susannah also works for the Jewish Museum where she manages education and lifelong learning projects, and researches, writes and lectures on the Museum's exhibitions. From designing and implementing interactive workshops for schools, to designing and delivering courses for educators, to organising creative learning events for young people and families; Susannah has expanded the educational provision at the Museum to reach over 5000 learners each year. Susannah holds an Advanced Diploma in Professional Development, a Foundation Certificate in Jewish Education, an Advanced Diploma in Family Education, and a BA (Hons) in Jewish History with Hebrew.

Riffat Alidina, Central Services Manager
Riffat manages all aspects of HR, customer service, business development, finance, and business support, crucial for delivery across all Mapalim departments and projects. She has played a key role in developing the organisation's infrastructure by introducing a series of policies and procedures, cross-service process mapping, capacity building and increasing the quality of internal and external communications. Riffat is responsible for business and continuity planning, managing and implementing business processes to support this. Riffat co-ordinates administrative support for internal and external stakeholders, and implements the fundraising and marketing strategies. Riffat is responsible for company-wide procurement, and she manages company cash-flow and finance processes. In addition, Riffat manages Mapalim Head Office facilities, including letting and space useage and ICT. Riffat holds a BSc in Psychology and she has an extensive portfolio in managing business administration and support services.

Mary Bartram, Training and Assessment Coordinator and Child Protection Specialist
Mary coordinates all Mapalim training and assessment, booking Mapalim's trainer and assessor resource. She has worked in a face-to-face and management role in services for children and young people for 24 years. Mary brings her occupational background in play and childcare to advise the children and young people's workforce on updating qualifications and career progression routes. Mary is a child protection specialist and has campaigned for the NSPCC for several years. She now works with providers across the play, education, early years and youth sectors to train practitioners, championing the rights of children. Mary's management experience spans a number of sectors, including playwork, childcare, education, I.T., and travel, and she has established her own management training programmes for public sector practitioners. Mary holds the PPA Advanced Diploma Playleader, the Playwork NVQ Level 3, D32,3 Vocational Assessor Award, Certificate in Delivering Learning (7302), and Working   Safely.

Kiersty Cesar, Play Strategy Manager
Kiersty is a highly experienced project manager, championing partnership-working and community involvement to inform the development and implementation of 15 individual play strategies across England. Working to establish play partnerships and play boards, she brings together key stakeholders to steer play strategies at a local-level. Last year, Kiersty implemented the largest ever play consultation to be conducted in the Southeast, in a project called Play 4 Play to inform 12 play strategies. This year, she led a consultation with young people as part of the Isle of Wight's Wight to Heard initiative and targeted traditionally hard-to-reach areas of the community as part of sample community consultations across Bradford and Luton. She has delivered community drama programmes in partnership with Battersea Arts Centre, Hampstead Theatre, Streets Alive Theatre Company, and Connexions, and managed theatre for development projects in Nepal and Grenada, working with children, young people and adults.

Ariella Eshed, International Director and Workshop Leader
Ariella delivers workshops and tutoring for National Theatre Education, ALRA Drama School, City Lit, Central School of Speech and Drama, Mountview School of Drama, Ice and Fire Theatre Company, London Bubble, The Actor's Centre, St Matrin's College of Art, Groundling Theatre Company, Polka Theatre, Putney Youth Theatre, Tricycle Theatre, Big Foot and the London Workshop Company. Recent credits include: Ya'akobi and Leidental by Hanoch Levin at Soho Theatre Studio (2006), Privacy In Public Places by Dougie Blaxland at Hen & Chickens (2006), Crocodile Seeking Refuge by Sonja Linden at Lyric Studio, Hammersmith (2005), Kindertransport production for Barnet College at Bull Theatre, Barnet (2005), play-reading of Planet Palestine by Sharon Garfinkel at Gatehouse Theatre (2005), play-reading of Hard Love by Motti Lerner at Hampstead Theatre (2005). Ariella is the core founder of Round Triangle Theatre and Tik-sho-ret Theatre Company. She holds an MA in International Theatre Directing and is currently completing an MA in Cross-sectoral and Community Arts at Goldsmiths College.

Caroline Elliot, Arts Management Consultant
Caroline uses creative problem solving and powerful communication skills to establish durable relationships with clients, colleagues and the public. Caroline's expertise and specialist knowledge originate from her work as a Designer and Art Director. Working within multi-disciplinary arts clusters as a Project Manager, she has scheduled and launched arts programmes, developed artistic milestones, benchmarks, forward-strategy and policy-making for development. Caroline has also researched models of best practice within art organisations and flagships within the art and design worlds, and developed fundraising, marketing, events and publicity strategy. Caroline also manages a creative workshop programme for private and public clients.

Laura Evers Johns, Creative and Technical Writer
Laura works on a series of projects to extend and diversify the work of Mapalim and it's partners. She works with project managers and consultants to create project proposals and co-write, proof and refine bids for funding and new work. She has developed a definitive house style, and works alongside the in-house creative team to deliver targeted marketing campaigns, communicating the messages and values of Mapalim. Laura regularly produces press releases and works on diverse advertising and promotional materials, including a series of leaflets, flyers, posters, brochures, fact sheets and web copy. Laura has co-authored nine units for the Edexcel Technical Certificate in Early Years Level 3, and created an Early Years Foundation Workbook for entry-level practitioners. Laura has also co-authored an Inclusion Toolkit for community organisations as they take steps towards inclusive practice and she has co-produced supporting literature for the development and implementation of local play strategies, across England.

Louisa Griffiths, Support Manager
Louisa supports the business development aspect of Mapalim through the on-going development, review and implementation of the company's marketing strategy. She works across Mapalim's departments and with a range of external stakeholders to support the realisation of their departmental objectives through marketing and promotion work. Louisa leads on and attends events promoting the company and it's services, and meets with a range of potential clients and users to promote it's activity. She uses her experience as a photographer and technical writer to lead the production of targeted and up-to-date booklets, leaflets and relevant materials to support the promotion of projects and services. Liaising with our associate consultants at the Charlotte Street Agency, Louisa provides briefs and co-ordinates activities for promotional materials. She researches market potentials for the company's areas of work to support the marketing strategy, and maintains a marketing and sales database.

Debra Green, Finance Administrator
Debra has several years experience of working in Finance, General Management and Customer Service environment. She holds the operational responsibility for Mapalim's financial systems and procedures. Debra monitors cash flow, income and expenditure, and provides financial information to the Director and Funding Officer. Debra works with the Director to strategically plan budgets, and identify and pursue opportunities to develop and deliver new activities, and she assists in preparing and managing the company wide budgets and resources. Debra liaises Mapalim's accountants on a regular basis and manages payroll for core staff, and payments to freelancers and suppliers according to financial systems and procedures. Debra raises invoices for clients as requested and according to Mapalim's financial systems and procedures. Previously, Debra has worked for Tricycle Theatre, Vodafone and MGM/ABC Cinemas.   She holds a BSc in Accounting and has trained in Sage Line 50, Sage Payroll, Excel for Sage Users, Excel and Access Courses.

Janis Griffiths, Children's Services Manager
Janis oversees the operational management of fifteen childcare provisions across the Southeast. She plays a key role in establishing future provisions, specialising in developing opportunities for play through capacity building across children's services. Janis works closely with the Children's Fund, local play partnerships, management boards and childcare agencies to develop play opportunities and collaborations, and improve the skills base of the children and young people's workforce. She is a qualified assessor, early years and play practitioner, in addition to her degree, Janis is a qualified Play Therapist, In her previous role as Development Manager for Southwark Play Partnership, Janis met with management boards and community groups to develop play opportunities and collaborations, coordinating a workforce of volunteers. Janis also operated as an Out of School Development Officer for the London Borough of Southwark where she managed sizable budgets, and grants and funding bids programmes, and she was responsible for quality assurance borough-wide.

Kelsi Harris, Trainer and Assessor
Kelsi works with learners and candidates in a range of settings across the childcare and play sectors. She delivers training and development sessions for practitioners at every stage of their career, to develop their knowledge and understanding, enabling them to progress towards vocational qualifications, as well as improving their skills in practice. Kelsi also works with parents and carers to support their understanding of the child development process. Kelsi trained as a teacher, and has taught early years classes in the UK and America. She specialises in progressive education and uses specialist approaches such as Steiner and Highscope in mainstream education. Kelsi conducted most of her education and training in America, but she has recently completed an MA in the UK, focusing her research on change management and leadership in education. Kelsi previously managed a large North American summer camp for several years.

Valerie Jackson, Strategy, Improvement and Development Consultant
Valerie has an evidential track record in policy making and influencing national agendas in early years, play and education. She leads on high profile projects to inform local strategy, impacting local services for children and young people. Valerie is a qualified early education teacher and she previously managed a large nursery chain, focusing on quality improvement management. Valerie is an elected member of an advisory group for Care and Education, and she is a published author of books and articles to achieve best practice in children's services. Valerie provides her knowledge and expertise to organisations and practitioners to improve the skills, knowledge and understanding of the children and young people's workforce, and direct service provision for children and families. She has worked collaboratively with Mapalim for several years now, providing specific expertise on first and second tier support in childcare, education and early years provision.

Mavis Kline, Psychoanalyst, Mediator, Trainer
Mavis has conducted training, workshops and lectures across Europe, Canada and Australia in transactional analysis and it's applications to education and organisational development. She is a published author of six books and a range of theoretical papers and articles for popular magazines, covering psychological topics. Mavis practices as a psychoanalyst, mediator and team-building consultant for several organisations, specialising in conflict management. Mavis also works with couples and families in her capacity as a psychotherapist to counsel inter-relationships. Mavis obtained her degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and is certified as an Advanced Member (Clinical) of the International Transactional Analysis Association, and Founder Member of the British Institute for Transactional Analysis, and of the European Association for Transactional Analysis. Mavis has undertaken additional training at the Tavistock Centre and the London Centre for Psychotherapy, and she trained and qualified as a teacher before working in schools across London for several years.

Vanessa Louzon, Graphic Designer
Vanessa is a conceptual graphic designer with experience in print, video, installation, typography, illustration and exhibition design. She designs and develops a range of print and electronic marketing tools for Mapalim such as leaflets, flyers and e-flyers, posters, banners, brochures and website. Vanessa has also edited a training DVD for the company, to support their Inclusion Toolkit for community organisations. As a freelance designer, she has produced work for clients including Fabulish, Perfectrad and Kagami Gallery in Paris, Visual Logic in Poland, This is a Magazine in Milan, and Cent Magazine, Marmalade Magazine, Circus Gallery, Royal College of Art, BBC, and Tate Gallery in London. Vanessa provided art direction for "MAP: Music Art Performance" at Royal College of Art (2004), from conception and design, to direction and co-ordination and direction of the multi-disciplinary artists involved. She also led the conception, organisation, curation, design and promotion of the "Early Works" Design Exhibition also at the Royal College of Art (2003), with sponsorship from Cadbury's.

Danielle Lyons, Lead Consultant and Internal Verifier
Danielle has made significant contributions to the strategic development of Mapalim,   establishing the beginnings of Mapalim's Southeast programme, for children, young people, and the practitioners who work them. With a proven track record in management, training and assessment, she champions inclusive practice for practitioners and employers working in services for children and young people. Danielle has developed a range of training and development programmes in partnership with local authorities and trusts, and her input begins with writing bids to secure funding, to programming, to delivery. Danielle holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology, a PGCE in Primary Education and an MSc in Health Psychology, and she is trained and qualified in Clinical Hypnosis and Assessment. Danielle is an experienced lecturer and trainer, and has delivered a range of cross-sector learning programmes in America and the UK over the last fifteen years. She has an occupational background in playwork, early years and children's care, learning and development. Prior to working for Mapalim, Danielle taught in primary schools across East London for five years, before moving into corporate training at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Perla Mitrani, Project Manager
Perla is currently based in Israel to implement and manage a skills exchange programme for Israeli managers, in the UK. The first phase of this programme is a series of intensive workshops with Mapalim to develop English language skills. The second phase is a management internship with an accredited partner organisation to improve management practice, and champion best practice. Prior to establishing this project, Perla acted as an interim service manager within a local authority on behalf of Mapalim, for six months. Since joining Mapalim, she has delivered training, co-ordinated programmes and individually tutored candidates, as well as implementing creative, learning and development programmes in schools. She has managed many activities and events across the community sector in Israel and the UK. Perla was the regional coordinator of the Israeli Scouting Movement for a number of years.

Nadya Nicola, Training Resources Coordinator
Nadya is an experienced trainer and assessor, with an occupational background in education. She is responsible for developing high-quality and up-to-date tools for learning and development, such as trainer packs, presentations, and handouts. She has a career history in establishing effective relationships and supporting professional development. Nadya has taught children, young people and adults in a variety of education settings, drawing on her law, religious education and linguistic skills. Nadya is fluent in Hebrew, Afrikaans, Spanish and French. Alongside her role at Mapalim, she works for Leo Baeck College, where she coordinates events, fundraising and publicity in order to promote opportunities for learning and development. Nadya has also tutored EAL students for CELTA and privately tutored adult learners in Hebrew and English.

Deanne Reynolds, Children's Services Coordinator and Assessor
Deanne is an experience face-to-face practitioner and manager working across our play and childcare settings as a resource co-ordinator and qualifications assessor. She makes sure Mapalim's settings and projects are appropriately staffed and managed according to company policy, and that they hold the right skills to work with and care for children, in a way that supports their creativity, learning and development. Deanne holds a BA in Drama, Theatre, Film and Television Studies, and with six years experience in performing arts, she has established her own theatre company and runs workshops with young people culminating in performances and productions in venues across London. Deanne enjoys planning projects and activities for children and young people for her own workshops and those for Mapalim, and she leads new opportunities for working with children and young people in partnership with community groups. As a qualified and experienced assessor, she continues to monitor the standards and practice of the children and young people's workforce.

Clare-Rose Thompson, Children's Services Operations Manager
Clare-Rose provides the management for the delivery of Mapalim's play activities and childcare for children, young people and families.   Throughout the school term, she manages an extended schools project working with five schools in South London to set up breakfast and after school care provision. During the school holidays, Clare-Rose manages playschemes across London, Essex and Hertfordshire. With her in-depth knowledge of Ofsted and related legislation, Clare-Rose provides regular CPD training for practitioners, and attends the National Chain Conference, annually. With a decade of experience as a face-to-face practitioner in children's services, Clare-Rose is well placed to manage and develop the company's large resource of play and childcare specialists. She has also worked with Foster Carers, in helping them to develop home-based care practice. Clare-Rose is a qualified assessor, and she champions learning opportunities for Mapalim's play and early years practitioners, co-ordinating in-house CPD programmes.

Jade Swain, Training and Development Manager
Jade has secured a number of high-profile contracts with local authorities and trusts that have helped to establish Mapalim as a nationally recognised training and assessment. She is a highly experienced workshop leader, trainer and assessor, with a degree in Drama and Education, she has worked as a teacher and drama practitioner, and children's centre manager. Jade liaises with Mapalim clients to create effective training and qualification solutions to meet their needs and specifications. Prior to working for Mapalim she worked in Singapore for two years where she managed speech, drama, literacy and communication in schools for Julia Gabriel Communications PTE, alongside facilitating music, movement and drama programmes for Chiltern House, a pre-school childcare centre. Jade is now using her experience as a children's centre manager and her specialist knowledge of early childhood care and education to develop direct services for children and families at Mapalim's Early Years Centre North Cray. Combining her new role with her background in workforce, Jade has the skills and the knowledge to ensure that her staff at the Centre receive the ongoing training and support they need to be really good at what they do.

Henry Timms, Children's Services Coordinator, Trainer and Assessor
Henry works in a face-to-face role with people of all ages, to support and promote unique opportunities for individual creativity, learning and development. Henry co-ordinates Mapalim's large resource of childcare and play practitioners to support and deliver diverse programmes such as holiday playschemes, extended schools care, behavioural and arts intervention projects, right across the Southeast. He also delivers training and development programmes within organisations and communities. As an assessor, Henry conducts workplace assessment through direct observation. In his work with children, young people and adults, Henry uses drama as an engagement tool to support learning and development. Alongside his current role at Mapalim, Henry works as a drama facilitator for Open Age where he designs and delivers drama workshops for elders in various informal settings.

Anna Walnycki, Funding Co-ordinator
Anna is responsible for targeted research into funding opportunities and making contact with funding and grant providers to extend and diversity the work of Mapalim, it's clients and partners. Anna works within the parameters of our fundraising strategy to identify and track opportunities relevant to specific areas of work. She plays a key role in assessing the feasibility of potential programmes and services which she presents a weekly report of funding opportunities.. She has developed Mapalim's funding resource toolkit to a high standard, including a funding database containing contacts and potential leads, which has resulted in a considerable successful to Mapalim's fundraising. Anna holds a degree in Anthropology and she is completing her MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development in Developing Countries. Implementing groundbreaking fieldwork and projects in Eastern Europe, India and South America that are influencing strategies for international development, she specialises in grass roots consultative processes.

Boris Witzenfeld, Projects and Partnerships Co-ordinator
Boris champions working in partnership to increase and diversify Mapalim's arts programme. He leads the development and planning of new projects, working closely with local community groups and partnerships, professional artists' networks and arts organisations, securing private and corporate support to successfully deliver a range of high profile projects. In his role with Mapalim, and his previous work with the community voluntary sector, charities and trusts, Boris has established a range of effective relationships with arts organisations and concrete links to communities all over London. He is an experienced director, facilitator and performer, with a portfolio of work across youth theatre and community-based projects. He has worked on documentary film, and directed a production in the Millenium Dome, devised with children and young people. Previously, Boris worked for Creative Partnerships and the European Ballet, successfully implementing aspects of their marketing and fundraising strategies.

Priya Visavadia, Play Strategy Coordinator
Priya co-ordinates Mapalim's role in the development and implementation of 15 play strategies across Essex, Luton, Bradford and the Isle of Wight. From assisting in recruiting and assigning specialist creative practitioners to deliver creative consultation in schools, to managing data analysts, she works to collate substantial reports which will inform policy at a local, regional and national level. Priya ensures that Mapalim's partners and clients are kept informed and up-to-date across several fast moving research projects that inform each of the play strategies, individually. With a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, her expertise lie in designing projects, analysing data and report writing, with excellent numeracy and time management skills. Using her occupational training, Priya has worked in a variety of health and social care contexts. She has worked in the Outpatient Psychology Department at the Royal Free Hospital entering data, and in an early years centre to observe, assess and refer young children who displayed behavourial or emotional problems. Priya also conducted some of her training in the US where she worked in a face-to-face role at a women's shelter to support women and their children who were suffering domestic abuse.