Franka is a senior fundraiser who is passionate about leading teams through change and developing people to achieve their best.
With 12 years’ experience in fundraising and leadership in environmental campaigning, international development, and humanitarian aid, she has a track record of growing income and facilitating new ways of working.
She spent 8 years at international disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, where she created a direct marketing programme from scratch, growing it to a multimillion-pound income stream and launching innovative new products like ShelterBox Book Club.
Franka now heads up public fundraising at environmental campaigning charity, Surfer’s Against Sewage, and supports First Light with developing their strategy to fund their vital services.
With a passion for insight-led decision making, she is also Treasurer for the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s (CIOF) special interest group, Insight in Fundraising.
Originally from Germany, Franka has lived in Cornwall, UK, since 2010. And despite her efforts, she is yet to find a more beautiful place to live.
Adrian is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) having qualified with Ernst & Young (EY) in London.
Adrian spent 20 years in senior finance and leadership roles at blue chip financial institutions including Flemings, Cazenove and Standard Chartered.
He was a top ranked equity research analyst and lived in Asia for a number of years. He also co-founded and acted as treasurer of an industry linked charity.
In the past 10 years Adrian has focused on supporting growth companies and on sustainability initiatives. He has a BSc (Hons) from Exeter University and has three nearly grown-up children.
Helena Frumson operates at the intersection of capital, innovation, and governance — where outcomes are tested under pressure and structure determines what endures.
With nearly three decades of experience across financial markets, technology, and international ventures, she has built and led commercial and delivery systems in environments defined by scale, scrutiny, and consequence. Her work centres on aligning growth, execution, and governance as exposure increases.
She is Co-Founder of NeoClear, a financial markets infrastructure initiative, Co-Founder of Invarix, a post-trade data and reporting platform, and Founder of Infinita Club, where she advises boards, investors, and leadership teams on sustaining performance and preserving investment integrity under pressure.
Earlier in her career, including her role as Managing Director at Numerix, she operated at the core of institutional decision-making, shaping strategy, partnerships, and growth across global markets.
Alongside her commercial work, Helena contributes to selective mentoring and academic environments, including international MBA programmes and the Founder Institute, and supports the next generation of leaders as a mentor with The Female Factor.
Her involvement with First Light reflects a continued commitment to supporting individuals and communities facing structural vulnerability, contributing to efforts that address domestic abuse and strengthen pathways to safety and recovery.
Sophie Dupre-Echeverria is a governance, risk and compliance practitioner with over 20 years of experience in the financial services. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and, in particular, gender equality.
She is the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer and Chair of the D&I forum at GIB Asset Management, a boutique sustainability asset management in London, where she lives with her husband and her younger daughter, whilst her eldest studies at Exeter university.
Sophie joined the board of trustees to advance First Light’s mission to support the victims of, and raise awareness about, domestic and sexual violence.
Paul is currently the Chief Information Officer at Delt Shared Services Ltd in Plymouth and lives locally with his wife and children. He has spent over 30 years working in Information Technology roles which included 10 years in the Royal Air Force and over 20 years in private and public sector Information Technology companies.
Paul joined the board of trustees to use his experience to help First Light achieve its mission.
Vikki is a partner at a local law firm and is the head of their Family Department. Vikki provides legal advice to clients who are separating and has particular specialism in helping clients who are victims of Domestic Abuse.
Vikki returned to Plymouth in 2006 to pursue her legal career after spending time studying in Cardiff and in France.
In her spare time, Vikki enjoys the theatre, live music and travelling to far-away places.
Ali is an Assistant News Editor at BBC Southwest, responsible for producing Spotlight, the regional news programme. She lives in Plymouth with her two teenage children.
During her time as a journalist she has covered numerous court cases and interviewed the victims of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence. She joined the Board of Trustees to support the valuable work conducted by First Light.
Michelle is a Director of Partnerships on the VAWG Task Force, she co-wrote the VAWG Strategy and lead on the development of the VAWG Digital and Education Strategy. As a previous Strategic Lead for Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Michelle lead the first DASV Strategy that included violence against men and boys, and also commissioned First Light to deliver the integrated DASV Services in this area.
Michelle is also a Trustee for a Police Benevolent Fund, and has a wealth of experience leading whole system transformation on a local and national platform. She is relentless in her pursuit of improving accessibility and standards of services for victims, early identification and intervention, crisis management and recovery programmes, and sustained behavioural change programmes for perpetrators.
Michelle is step mum to two wonderful children, and in 2018 took a career break to work and teach in a Scuba Diving Centre in Cyprus. Prior to that, she is proud to have been awarded an MBE for services to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence in 2017.
