Emily Cherry – Chief Executive

Emily has spent over 25 years in the children’s sector, largely at the NSPCC, but also at the Children’s Society and Barnardo’s. She has experience of running safeguarding services, policy, comms and is a well-known media voice on children, especially in the field of online safety. Emily has worked in practice in Young Offenders Institute, New Traveller sites and with children in care. She is also strategic advisor to the United Nations Peace One Day campaign, Trustee of My Black Dog (peer–to–peer mental health charity) and Chair of the Breck Foundation (online safety education). Emily lives in Cambridge with her primary teacher husband and two children.

Fun fact: Emily is a keen scuba-diver and especially enjoys diving with sharks.

Michelle Argent – Director of Operations

Michelle is our Director of Operations and is responsible for the operations and administrative functions of Bikeability,ensuring the organisation runs easily and effectively. She manages all daily aspects of the operations team, reports to the board on operation activities, and helps to ensure all staff are supported in achieving the Trusts’ strategic vision and goals.  

Fun fact: Michelle enjoys long walks with her three dogs in the countryside and can sometimes be found paddling her kayak down the River Stour. She is also part of a busking group, singing to raise money for local charities.  

Benjamin Smith – Director of Development

Benjamin has the pleasure of leading the brilliant development team, working on lots of the new projects as well as reviewing existing products to ensure they are the best they can be. Whether it’s new research, instructor training or alternative ways to develop or improve the reach and quality of national standard cycle training, it all comes through the development team. 

Fun fact: Benjamin’s likeness can be found on the Battle of Britain monument on the Victoria Embankment, a sculpture he modelled for and helped (a little bit) artist friend Paul Day to create.

Caroline Dawson – Director of Promotions and Communications

Caroline leads a great team of professional communicators who produce engaging content and campaigns for the Trust.  This includes everything from social media platforms, website, newsletters, industry communications and marketing campaigns.  She works with active travel partners and organisations to promote the benefits of cycling and cycle training for a healthy lifestyle and environment. 

Fun fact: Caroline enjoys balancing work with fitness and wellbeing and is completing her Reiki training.

Sue Brown – Director of Finance and Compliance

Sue looks after the finances and compliance of the Trust ensuring that all the boxes are ticked. She joined the Trust in July 2021 and has worked in the charity sector since 2010.  She works with the grants team to ensure that all funds are spent efficiently and effectively to maximise the number of places available for cycle training. 

Fun fact: Sue loves animals and is often found knee deep in mud whilst tending to various livestock.

Dr Dan Bishop – Director of Research

Dan is an applied psychology researcher at Brunel University who has published widely on attention, perception, and cognition. He is also a practitioner psychologist who has helped hundreds of national- and international-level athletes to achieve their ambitions.

As our Director of Research, Dan is responsible for ensuring we add to the growing body of evidence which shows the effectiveness of the Bikeability programme and how the training increases parents’ and carers’ confidence in their child’s cycling ability. Specifically, he will help us to demonstrate how Bikeability training supports riders to cycle in accordance with the National Standard for Cycle Training, how it develops their confidence to cycle independently on roads, and how it increases their cycling propensity.

Fun fact: Dan ran the 2006 London Marathon in 2 hours 44 minutes and 33 seconds – and then won a trail marathon 11 years later at the age of 42!

Tamara Dkaidek – Virtual Reality Project Manager

Tamara is not only our Virtual Reality Project Manager, but also a doctoral researcher at Brunel University London, working with Dr Dan Bishop. Her research is focused on the effects of cycling exercise on brain function – and we are pleased to note that it is a positive one!

Tamara’s role at the Trust is to manage the delivery of immersive cycle training research and testing, supported by Bikeability training providers and instructors nationwide. She is helping us to collect high-quality data so that we can better understand how to utilise immersive technology to complement and augment Bikeability training – at all levels.

Fun Fact: Tamara spends a lot of her time playing football for Hammersmith FC – sponsored by Chase & Status; they are also the first grassroots club to be sponsored by Kappa!