Contact and spokespeople

SOS Children provides up-to-date news to the world’s media.

We can source features, interviews, pictures and footage on a wide range of topics, and can also provide statements on more general development topics.

Our strength is that unlike many other international charities, we are based in-situ, permanently. We predominantly employ local people and automatically receive regular news-updates from our colleagues on the ground.

If you would like to talk to someone from our press office, please email peter@soschildren.org, or call 01223 365 589.

Spokespeople

SOS Children has a wealth of experts and spokepeople in every area of its work – both in the UK and across the world. If you are researching issues affecting orphaned or abandoned children, we could help you with stories, case studies, interviews from the field and much more. We can arrange visits to our Children’s Villages and projects and secure interviews with our local staff.

If you're looking for comment or analysis on an emergency, contact Peter Law, who will put you in touch with a spokesperson on the ground.

The following people are available for interview in the UK or as they travel. An ISDN link is available. For more information or to organise an interview, contact us. 

Andrew Cates, Chief Executive

Twenty five years ago, Andrew achieved first class honours in maths finals at Cambridge University aged 19, and went on to be awarded the prestiguous Smith's Prize for research, a PhD and a research fellowship, all at Cambridge.

He worked in accident investigation, industrial research and strategy consultancy but more recently has since been a CEO of a series of different commercial energy companies since 1995, including in West Africa, the Netherlands and the UK. He was responsible for Shell's operations in Cote d'Ivoire.

Andrew has edited Wikipedia since 2004 under the username "BozMo" and was elected as an administrator in 2007. His interest in Wikipedia's vision of "free knowledge for all" was central in developing a partnership between SOS Children and Wikimedia to provide free Wikipedia content to schools in the developing world as the offline "Schools Wikipedia"

Andrew joined SOS Children as CEO in 2004. His specialist subject areas include: West and Southern Africa, especially Cote d'Ivoire, education, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on child-headed families.

Kathie Neal,  Director of Development

Kathie Neal  originally trained as an immunologist and moved to Cambridge to do research.  Following her post-doctoral period in academia, she spent many years as a consultant in new product development for biosciences at Cambridge Consultants.

In her spare time, as a founder and trustee of an arts trust, she ran cross-curricular workshops with children of all ages, in music, science and the arts, and eventually worked as a projects manager for 13 primary and secondary schools. 

Kathie joined SOS Children as the Fundraising Director in 2007 and now travels extensively as the Director of Development. Her recent trips include visits to Pakistan, India, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho and Botswana.

Dame Mary Richardson, President

Having retired from HSBC in April 2008, Mary is currently president of SOS Children's Villages;  DCSF Ambassador for the  Boarding Pathfinder for Vulnerable Children (2009); deputy chairman of the English Speaking Union; and a governor of the National College of School Leadership. She serves on several  boards and trusts, including the Marine Society and Sea Cadets, the Dulverton Trust, Vitol Foundation and the Oxford Literary Festival.

Mary holds several honorary degrees and fellowships, and was awarded a DBE in 1999 for services to education.

To find out more

To find out more, get in contact by emailing peter@soschildren.org or calling 01223 365 589.