Our people

Tricia is a chartered certified accountant who joined ABS in November 2023 from her role as a Deputy Director at London’s Air Ambulance where she led the finance team for 6 years.

Her extensive twenty five years’ experience in charity finance spans various organisations including the Museums Association, BASSAC, Community Music and the Amateur Boxing Association of England (now England Boxing) where Tricia developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within the charity sector.

The experience Tricia brings in financial management and strategic planning helps to ensure that our financial operations align with our mission to support architects in need.

Diego joined ABS as Marketing and Communications Executive in October 2023, bringing with him a background spanning the charity, NGO, and academic sectors. He was promoted to Marketing and Communications Lead a year later.

Over the course of his career, Diego has built expertise in strategic campaign delivery, brand management, social media, and data-driven storytelling – working across organisations such as the Law Society, UCL’s Multimedia Anthropology Lab, and LaMiSol NGO in Lyon.

With a Master’s in Urban and Visual Sociology from Goldsmiths and a First Class degree in Photography from Budapest Metropolitan University, Diego combines a strong research and creative background with the communications skills needed to grow ABS’s reach and deepen its connection with the architectural community.

John has been a Trustee since 2017 after being inspired to join ABS by his dad, a Trustee for a small local charity for over 40 years, and his good friend Simon. Simon, his wife Kacka and their youngest child Amelka died in tragic circumstances some years ago. ABS stepped in and provided much-needed support for his two eldest children and their grandmother.

“I always wanted to show my gratitude to ABS by helping them support other Architects in times of need” – John.

Sangeeta is an architecture professional and works for FBM Architects on award-winning projects in the public & private sector. She is currently a volunteer at the Islington division of: Keep Our NHS Public, looking after long and short-term IT needs. She has also been a committee member at GSS UK for three years.

“I joined the ABS team as a Trustee because it gives me great satisfaction to contribute to worthwhile causes, and I believe I could add value through my diverse experiences. I enjoy meeting new people and forming meaningful connections. ” –Sangeeta

Kuljeet is the founding Director of Diverse Dialogues, a consultancy focused on embedding design quality, equity, and social sustainability into how we shape and deliver cities, by advising local authorities, developers, and design teams on commissioning places with social value.

Kuljeet brings over 15 years of cross-sector experience spanning architecture, urban regeneration, planning, public realm delivery, housing, and research. Her approach is shaped by lived experience, deep empathy, and a commitment to negotiating the often-complex dynamics of inclusive city-making. An advocate for gender-informed and inclusive design, she has delivered high-profile work for the Mayor of London and LLDC. She contributes strategically through her roles on Design and Quality Review Panels and is a UN Women UK CSW ’69 participant.

Kuljeet is an Associate Lecturer on the BA Architecture programme at Central Saint Martins, UAL, and through the CSM Insights Programme, supports students from underrepresented backgrounds to dismantle barriers and access sustainable creative careers.

Deborah Kearns is a recently retired NHS GP with over 35 years’ experience in primary care. Alongside her clinical work, she held leadership roles in clinical commissioning, supporting service improvement and change management across health services in Hertfordshire. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners, recognising her long-standing contribution to general practice. Deborah has a strong personal connection to architecture through her family, which has given her a deep appreciation of the profession and it’s challenges.

She is honoured to support the work of the Architect’s Benevolent Society and is committed to contributing her healthcare insight and governance experience to further the charity’s mission.

Andy is an Architect, running a practice in Scotland. Though he had been aware of ABS, it wasn’t until he suffered an accident in 2014 that he truly appreciated the value of the support ABS provides.

“[ABS] were of great moral and financial support to myself but more importantly to my family immediately following my accident and during my recovery. It is a privilege to now be an ambassador for this fabulous society and be able to share my experience from my family’s time of need and what the ABS can offer us all” –Andy.

Rick is an Architect with nearly 20 years of experience in private practice, and is a director and owner of Smith Scott Mullan in Edinburgh. Prior to fulfilling the role as Trustee, Rick also served as an ABS Ambassador for several years.

“Being an ABS Trustee is an extremely rewarding role. I use my personal and professional experience to contribute to the governance of the charity and help guide strategy. I also use my time and contacts to spread the word about the work ABS does and the support available for people in our profession. It is great to give back to the industry and be able to help others.” – Rick.

Rick was previously honoured to represent ABS at the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace as a guest of our Patron, His Royal Highness Duke of Gloucester.

Katie Fisher is the founder of CARD (Collaboration, Agency, Research, Design) Projects, a practice which celebrates collaborative design and empowering agency in the built environment. Named a 2024 RIBA Rising Star for her work promoting inclusion in the industry, she is also a former co-chair of the Architecture Foundation Young Trustees. Katie currently sits on the RIBA National Council, where she is part of the Education Committee and the co-chair of the Finding and Accessing Architecture Expert Advisory Group. She also teaches Architecture at Ravensbourne University where she is currently organising and leading an affordable summer school to empower more students to have access to live design and build opportunities. As a passionate advocate for mental health, work place wellbeing and equity across the built environment, Katie has volunteered with the Architects Benevolent Society since 2021 as an ambassador, since 2023 she has sat on the Engagement and Development Committee and in 2025 joined the charities board of trustees.

Katie is a founding member of the Professional Architect Mentors (PAM), a collective of early-career architects dedicated to bridging education and practice. Katie is passionate about mentoring and has mentored across various programmes supporting young creatives and underrepresented talent including the Design Museum’s Ardagh Young Creatives, Built By Us, Open City Accelerate and the Social Mobility Foundation.

Marc is Associate Director of Place, Housing & Economic Investment at Scottish Futures Trust, bringing over 15 years of experience in placemaking, regeneration, and community-led development. Before joining SFT, he co-founded and served as Director of Place at New Practice (now part of Civic), helping grow it into a nationally recognised practice for creative placemaking, public realm design, and meaningful community engagement – with expertise spanning strategic direction, governance, and complex organisational change.

Yet Marc’s connection to ABS runs deeper than his professional credentials: when his team experienced bereavement, ABS provided vital practical and emotional support, an experience that made him a passionate advocate for the Society and, later, an Ambassador. A dedicated participant in the ABS Chicken Run, he has twice raised the highest individual funds. His appointment brings to the Board a voice that is both strategically experienced and personally invested – someone who knows firsthand what ABS means to the people it serves.

Mark joined as a Trustee in early 2024 and was appointed Honorary Treasurer in June 2024.  Mark has a Commerce degree from the University of Queensland, qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Australia and is currently a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers in the UK.  He has over 30 years’ experience in finance and risk management for both the financial services and corporate sectors.

“I bring a different background to the ABS Board of Trustees and look forward to contributing to its benevolent strategy in these challenging times.” – Mark

Robert Bedner is the Director of Cura Design an award-winning architectural practice offering biophilic design since 2012. Originally from Greenwich, Connecticut USA, Robert has spent a life in architecture from working with Sverre Fehn in Norway and Renzo Piano in Paris and the artist Vito Acconci in New York to Cura Designs ongoing residential and community projects in the UK. The practice endeavours to best serve the natural world through integrating design and architectural technology with nature for our well-being and to protect and enhance nature and biodiversity. Cura as a word can be translated in Portuguese as “the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again”. Robert has also found his way towards cultivating practices of folk and devotional singing and meditation as well as interests in traditional spiritual practices based in Brazil. Robert currently lives in Devon with his family, small dog and two cats.

Since his retirement as Director of Finance and Estates at the University of London at the end of 2012, Richard has served in a number of non-executive roles including as treasurer/trustee of Action for Children, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and Amnesty International UK; as a governor of Worcester College of Technology; as a member of the finance committee of Mencap; and as a non-executive director of Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust.

He is currently a trustee of the RAF Benevolent Fund, where he serves on its Finance, Audit and Investments Committee and its Fundraising, Communications and Engagements Committee.  He is also a member of the finance and/or audit and risk committees of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Royal College of Pharmacy, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Richard is a chartered accountant having qualified with KPMG and subsequently spent over 20 years working in the financial services sector in the City of London with a number of European insurers including AXA. Following this he worked as a director of finance in higher education for some 13 years.