Ken Cowen - CEO Expand Ken Cowen devised the School of Hard Knocks concept in 2007, and has been CEO of the charity since is creation in 2012. His background is predominantly in the creation and development of bespoke training solutions across a wide range of settings. He has worked in the private, public and charitable sectors and has a rich background in public speaking and communications.
Jack Lewars - COO Expand Jack Lewars served as a trustee of two charities and worked for a democratic education charity before University. He was SOHK's first hire in 2012 and has worked most jobs across the charity since. His current role encompasses finance, all operations and logistics of the charity and he works closely with Ken on strategy, vision and culture. He also referees for the RFU in the National Leagues.
Rosa Innes - Programmes Manager, Scotland Expand Rosa has worked in training, facilitation, fundraising and events management for a number of charities in Scotland. She joined SOHK as Programmes Manager in March 2017 and is responsible for executing the charity's strategy north of the border. She’s a terrible rugby player but loves cycling and tennis.
Catryn Grundy - Programmes Director, Cymru Expand After a 10 year career in social housing, writing social regeneration programmes for some of Wales’s most deprived communities, Catryn started work as the Director of SOHK Cymru in August 2016. Catryn recently retired from playing rugby for Pontyclun and Cardiff Blues after becoming the first woman in Wales to receive her club cap for playing over 300 games for Pontyclun Falcons. Her focus is now on growing the Charity’s presence in Wales and sustaining our work in the region through new partnerships and funding opportunities. She’s also not against putting her boots back on for the odd SOHK charity match when called upon…
Nathan Persaud - Programmes Director, England Expand Nathan Persaud is a trained sport psychology consultant with a background in sport for social change. Having also worked within education, he brings a unique knowledge of effective employability delivery and how to have maximum positive impact on a person’s behaviour.