leadership
TEAM

shaping the future

THE SOHK TEAM

Our talented team operates across England, Scotland, and Wales. SOHK is led by Founder & CEO Ken Cowen, Director of Programmes Torran Macdougall, Head of Fundraising Francesca Keynton, Director of Finance and Operations Peter Grant, and three regional managers, alongside a highly experienced Board of Trustees led by our Chairman, Jim Cameron.

Our Delivery Teams are made up of a Regional Manager, an SEL Lead, a Facilitator and a Coach. We have Delivery Teams in London, Hertfordshire, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Wales. Our central team includes an Evidence & Impact Manager, a Head of Partnerships, a Marketing team, Events team, and Operations and Administrative teams.

About Us

“It is hard to express how proud I am of all our team: those who work brilliantly day-to-day with our young people, those who tirelessly work behind the scenes to enable growth, and of course our brilliant trustees. I am biased of course, but for me, SOHK is the living embodiment of the word ‘TEAM’.”

— KEN COWEN, SOHK FOUNDER

Senior leadership team

KEN COWEN

SOHK Founder & CEO

Ken Cowen devised the School Of Hard Knocks (SOHK) concept in 2007, and has been the charity’s CEO since its creation in 2012.

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Since formally establishing SOHK as a charity, he has made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of individuals. In 2025, Ken was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to sport and charity.

Cesca Keynton

Head of Fundraising

Cesca joined SOHK after successfully piloting the charity’s first young people’s programme while leading an alternative provision setting in London. In 2015 she became a founding member of the schools delivery team, helping to develop the programme.

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She later led SOHK’s social and emotional development work across London before moving into fundraising in 2024. As Head of Fundraising, Francesca combines a deep understanding of SOHK’s programmes and impact with extensive experience across education, alternative provision and safeguarding. She previously worked in psychiatric services, trained in CBT, and held senior leadership roles in education. Having been part of SOHK’s journey from the beginning, she brings a unique blend of frontline expertise and passion for the charity’s mission.

peter grant

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

Peter joined SOHK in 2024 as a qualified Chartered Accountant with more than 30 years of cross-sectoral experience. He drives the continuous improvement of business systems and techology to enhance decision-making and operational assurance across SOHK.

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Outside of SOHK, he is a dedicated rugby fan who serves as Club President and Treasurer at Garioch RFC.

torran macdougall

director of programmes

Torran holds a degree in sports coaching and development, is an RFU Level 3 coach with over 12 years of rugby coaching experience, and joined SOHK in 2015.

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Having previously overseen school programmes across the UK as National Schools Manager – working with over 1,000 students weekly – he now serves as Director of Programmes, leading strategy development and delivery to expand the charity’s reach nationwide. He also continues to play and coach at Hertford RFC.