About Beacon
At Beacon we employ a national team of specialists who deliver a range of services from higher education support to Access to Work coaching.
Our management team has a background in leadership in higher education and business and were keen to bring best practice to the company. Daily operations are managed by our amazing core team.
Our Vision
We believe in putting our students first and achieve this through a consistent level of quality in our service provision. We subscribe to the social model of disability and believe that any 'problem' is not in the learner but in the wider environment. It is our responsibility to address external barriers to enable our students to succeed.
We are committed to a holistic approach which includes being proactive in relation to our students’ wellbeing. Every student is valued and will never become just a ‘number’ at Beacon. We are also fully committed to supporting our staff and believe that together we will continue to deliver an outstanding service through a positive culture and encouraging the achievement of professional goals.
Meet the Core Team
Beth
Managing Director
Hi, I’m Beth, Managing Director at Beacon. Whilst I like nothing better than a good chat (cue eye rolling from my team) I’m not quite so comfortable when it comes to talking about myself. Soo, deep breath, quick sentence: Mum of 3 sons, animal lover, author, diagnostic assessor, passionate reader of fiction, not so passionate DIYer and gardener. Done! Moving away from me I'd love to take a moment to share with you my real passion in life which is supporting neurodivergence and in particular ADHD. Cue personal confession: ADHD – combined presentation. ADHD was my specialist subject for my Master’s dissertation where, in spite of an impressive number of productive procrastination activities (including refurbishing a coffee table the weekend before hand-in) I took a deep dive into the ADHD strategies being successfully utilised with college students in the USA. From this research came our ADHD coaching programme, which has had incredible feedback from our students and clients. This was followed by our equally successful ASC coaching programme. The natural step from this was to develop an app and I’m delighted to say that after 5 years of blood, sweat and tears (and, let's face it, a lot of shouting at a computer screen) our sister company, My-Prompt, launched a shiny new executive dysfunction app. I had thought that I might consider semi-retirement around now, but hadn’t realised that one app surely must lead to another….. I must say one more thing before signing off. I genuinely work with the loveliest bunch of people you could ever hope to meet who almost manage to remove the dread of the alarm going off on a Monday morning (almost).
Sesi
Team Leader
Name: Sesi. Diagnosis: Capricorn. Superpowers: Empathy and organisation. What she won't admit: Both her browser and her brain have 50+ tabs open. How to lure her: Mental health content, Castles, and Colour-coded planners (equally). Hi everyone! Need I say more? Well, I am a Mentor and Team Leader for the superb Beacon team which must be fate because I grew up in a lighthouse in Greece (see selfie)! I studied psychology and currently in Counselling training. My journey in the DSA sector started 7 years ago and I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with amazing individuals. I am passionate about neurodiversity, equality, increasing self-awareness and empowerment and I believe that all we need is the right environment and tools to bloom. Being one of Beacon's little helpers in the development of our Executive Functioning app, MyPrompt has been one of the most inspiring projects I've ever been involved in. Mind you, I have been in poetry and dancing competitions, author of a psychological thriller, and a bucket-list traveller so I know a thing or two about passion! I find serenity in libraries, nature, arts and crafts, petting cats, and...metal music! Yes, I'm cupcake-sized and keeping it profesh but you guessed it (hints: hair, piercing, tattoos) my room looks like a Halloween wonderland all year long!
Graeme
Finance Director
Good day one and all! I’m Graeme, finance director. People often check if that’s how my name is spelled, but yes, it’s the Scottish version. A bit about me: I’m a chartered accountant with over 25 years’ experience in audit, governance and risk management, as well as 10 years within the DSA sector, including time as a Needs Assessment Manager. All serious stuff which is why I need to have some light hearted interests such as being a wig connoisseur. I’m also a karate blackbelt (which does come in handy when invoices aren’t paid on time) and a longsuffering, lifelong Notts County supporter. My best moment at Beacon to date is overseeing the development of our Pathway operations system which has removed the toil of manual invoicing and now much of the work is automated (which leaves me with more time to shop around for interesting hair-pieces). I would like to acknowledge the journey we have been on since Beacon first began and celebrate how we have grown. We have a great team that work hard to continue that growth. As some vanity published management guru might say: “Guys, the Beacon story feels like it’s just beginning. Guys let’s embrace it!”
Dan
Finance and Admin Team
Hi! My name is Dan, or Daniel if I'm in trouble - which might have something to do with being the most junior member of the team :-) . I work in the finance and admin department part-time whilst studying veterinary medicine and surgery at Harper-Keele. I like to joke that I'd choose to face down an angry bull over the Finance Director when invoices are sent late, but, in all seriousness the Beacon team is understanding that I have a lot to juggle. In my spare time I enjoy martial arts, working out, horse-riding, reading, learning Spanish and playing chess. I started at Beacon in 2023 and have been privileged to be part of a growing and incredibly successful team. Thanks to Beacon, I've been able to personally learn many financial skills and contribute to a fantastic sector benefitting disabled students across the UK.
Sue
Team Leader
Hi. My name is Sue, aka 'super Sue!' and I'm fortunate enough to be one of the Team leaders here at Beacon. I've worked as a Study skills tutor and specialist mentor within Higher Education for the last 8 years and am dedicated to supporting Neurodivergent individuals throughout their academic journey and beyond. My particular area of interest is Autism, with many years of experience both personally and professionally, I strive to be one of many voices educating others of the strengths and challenges that individuals face on a daily basis. My interests include all things history, especially WW1 and WW2, spending quality time with my family and Beagle Fern, watching movies/documentaries and holidaying, most recently in Sardinia which I must say was superb! I'm not known for my organisational skills and have very questionable time management skills, however, I make up for these with strengths in being caring, approachable and passionate about my work, alongside confusing certain 'core team' members with my out of the box thinking! We warmly welcome you to join us on our journey!
Caroline
Senior Manager
I’m Caroline Harris, senior manager at Beacon Support. Working for Beacon is like coming home, or cynefin in Welsh. Art and creativity are at my core; my neurodivergence allows me to think outside the box and find creative ways to overcome barriers. I am passionate about equality, inclusivity and equity. I have over 18 years’ experience working as a study skills tutor and mentor in higher education. I use empathy, adaptability, integrity, and organisational skills to help students develop independent learning strategies and build on their unique abilities to find their place in the world.
Lucy
Consultant
I am proud to say that I have been with Beacon from its start and it’s been an absolute joy to see it flourish and grow. I thoroughly enjoy my role as a specialist study skills tutor and mentor, and being part of the learning experiences of the students who I have the privilege to support. As well as providing student support, I am also a consultant for the Beacon team. I’m not sure how much of a guru I am, but I am available to lend the knowledge that I have gained from years of experience in the sector and at Beacon in a management role. On a personal note, I am an advocate for life-long learning and don’t seem to go too long without enrolling on another course. However, I also like to get out and about for lovely walks over hill, vale and coast; as long as there is a decent café or pub to keep me motivated!!
Ella
Admin and Recruitment Team
Hello! I’m Ella, I’m part of the Admin and Recruitment teams at Beacon. I’m also a Specialist Study Skills Tutor and Mentor. I studied English Language and Literature, which I’m obliged to say means I enjoy reading. I adore getting my hands on a chunky Fantasy or Sci-Fi novel that I can disappear into. I’m a bit of a tech nerd and a PC gamer, with my genres of choice being FPS and sandbox games. I also enjoy creative hobbies, like crochet, baking, and journalling. My role with Beacon started three years ago now, and one of my favourite things about working for Beacon is that I can truly say I feel the entire team are genuinely improving the educational experience and wellbeing of students – the passion is tangible. My favourite project at Beacon so far has been exercising my creative muscles and creating content for both Beacon and My-Prompt. I do also find recruitment oddly satisfying; I love a good spreadsheet!
Alastair
Finance Team
To clarify, I am the redhead on the left. Outside of Beacon I can be found spending quality time with my young family or covered in sawdust. I love a hands-on project, whether that’s renovating my own house, lending a hand on someone else’s, or hiding out in my workshop!
Whilst there’s not enough page space to introduce all of our wonderful support workers, here’s what a few of them think about working at Beacon:
I have been working with Beacon since 2021, and what I value most about this service is how genuinely flexible and student-centred it is. From the feedback I receive from students, one of the biggest strengths is the flexibility of the support. There is a large team of mentors, which means students can often be matched with someone who fits around their availability, location and individual needs. Beacon also takes the student's course and subject area into consideration when making an allocation, so students are not simply given a mentor – they are matched with someone who can understand and support them in the context of their studies. I have also seen how much thought goes into making sure communication feels comfortable for each student. For example, as I am a Polish-speaking mentor, when Polish-speaking students are referred to Beacon, they are asked whether they would feel more comfortable working with a Polish mentor or an English-speaking mentor. This is a small thing, but it shows how much emphasis Beacon places on what works best for the individual student. For me, this is what makes Beacon different. The focus is not simply on providing support, but on finding the right support for each person. Having worked with Beacon for several years, I genuinely believe it offers one of the most flexible, accessible and student-centred forms of non-medical support available to students in the UK.
Working as a Specialist Mentor for Beacon has been one of the most rewarding roles of my career to date. The team at Beacon have such a thoughtful and caring attitude towards the students we support and for us in our roles. Nothing is too much trouble for them. I also feel very fortunate and privileged to work with students in my role as mentor and to assist them in navigating through their University journey. The sessions I have can be challenging and thought provoking, but also fun and enjoyable. I am always encouraged to hear the positive feedback from students who feel able to confide in me and gain the support needed to overcome various obstacles in their way. We set targets, goals and objectives together and it is a thoroughly rewarding position to be in when I see the confidence increase and the achievements grow.
I'd like to take a moment to extend my gratitude to the core management and admin team for their continuous support over the years. It truly makes a difference to work with people who are so approachable, supportive and clearly passionate about the work they do.
Working for Beacon is a privilege. That said, "working" isn't quite the correct word, more "passion" In my 6 years with Beacon, I have always felt valued, respected, heard, appreciated, trusted, empowered - the list could go on!
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