Governance
Our Board of Trustees & Safeguarding
The Wafflemeister Foundation is led by a Board of Trustees who are collectively responsible for its governance, strategy and the stewardship of its charitable funds — including its commitment to safeguarding.
Collective responsibility
The Board of Trustees is collectively responsible for the governance of the Foundation, including the determination of strategy, oversight of activities undertaken in furtherance of its charitable purposes, stewardship of charitable assets, and compliance with applicable law and regulation.
All powers of the Foundation are exercised by, or under the authority of, the Board. No individual trustee has authority to act on behalf of the Foundation except as expressly delegated by the Board, and decisions of the Board are decisions of the Foundation.
Standards we hold ourselves to
- Independent judgement
- Trustees exercise independent judgement and must not subordinate that judgement to the interests of any individual, organisation or group with which they may be associated.
- Integrity & transparency
- Decisions must be capable of objective justification by reference to the Foundation's charitable purposes and public benefit, and are properly recorded to provide a clear audit trail.
- Conflicts of interest
- Actual and potential conflicts of interest are identified, declared and managed in accordance with the Foundation's Constitution and Governance Handbook — including conflicts arising from personal or historical connections to the Wafflemeister Group.
- Proportionate governance
- Governance arrangements are designed to reflect the Foundation's scale, complexity and risk profile, without reducing the standard of governance required of trustees under charity law.
Meet the trustees
Mike Lea
Chairman
Rikos Leong-Son
Trustee
Jon White
Trustee
Mark Taylor
Trustee
Piers Zangana
Trustee
Our safeguarding commitment
The Foundation is committed to protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm, abuse, neglect, exploitation and inappropriate conduct. Safeguarding is a shared responsibility — everyone acting on behalf of the Foundation has a duty to promote welfare, act with integrity and respond appropriately to concerns, whether they are a trustee, volunteer, contractor, partner organisation, beneficiary, donor, or participant in a Foundation-related activity.
While the Foundation is primarily a grant-making organisation rather than a direct care provider, we recognise that safeguarding obligations still apply to how we make grants, work with partner organisations, and engage with our community.
Working with partners and grant recipients
Where the Foundation funds organisations that work directly with children or vulnerable adults, trustees expect appropriate safeguarding policies and practices to be in place, proportionate to the nature of the funded activity. Where an individual beneficiary is under 18 or otherwise vulnerable, appropriate safeguarding arrangements and parental or guardian consent must be in place before a grant is made.
Raising a concern
If you have a safeguarding concern relating to the Foundation, its trustees, volunteers or funded activities, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead using the details on our contact page. All concerns are treated seriously and handled in line with our Safeguarding Policy.
Full Safeguarding Policy document available on request.