Staff

Brenda McMullan, Chief Executive Officer

Brenda began her career at Proteus NI Ltd in 2002, supporting projects funded through the Peace II Programme, before moving to the Lloyds Foundation for NI. Brenda’s passion for the Third Sector has seen her progress from Grants Officer in 2008 to holding Grants Manager and Foundation Manager positions and more recently being appointed as Chief Executive Officer. During her employment, Brenda managed the transformation of Lloyds Foundation for NI to the Halifax Foundation for NI, leading new and innovative initiatives to give small charities not only financial support to deliver projects aiding the most vulnerable in society, but direct support to enable growth, build confidence and capacity of charity leaders. With a strong background in monitoring and evaluation, Brenda has introduced new monitoring and evaluation systems, which best capture the impact of grants awarded.

Joanne Byrne, Grants Manager

Joanne joined the Foundation in 2005 after completing a BSc in Psychology at Queen's University, Belfast in June 2004. She has held various roles within the Foundation over 18 years, including 13 years as Grants Officer and was recently appointed to the role of Grants Manager in July 2021. She is currently acting up in the role of Executive Director whilst Brenda is on maternity leave. Joanne has gained a strong knowledge of the Community and Voluntary Sector throughout her career with the Foundation and has a passion for supporting charities who are working on the ground to help the most vulnerable in society. Previous employment included the Housing Executive and various companies in the private sector. She is an active member of her local PTA, acting as Co-Secretary for the organisation.

Niall Corry, Grants Officer

Niall originally joined the team as a Grants Officer in 2016 and has rejoined us again in 2017. He has over 16 years’ experience in the sector having previously worked as a Case Officer for a European Union Funding Body. During this time he has gained an in-depth knowledge of the third sector and the issues that they face in the current funding climate. He has a passion for his work and likes to ensure that all funds are distributed in a fair and equitable manner.

Caroline Fulton, Grants Officer

Caroline commenced employment with the Foundation in 2008 after completing a degree in Business Studies from the University of Ulster in Jordanstown. She has had previous experience in the private sector with organisations such as First Trust Bank and The Europa Hotel.

Callum McCartney, Administrative Officer

Callum joined us in August 2022 on Secondment from Lloyds Banking Group where he works in the Personal and Online Banking Team. Although he has only worked with Lloyds since January 2020, he has already made an impact by taking on a Lead Role with the Inclusion and Diversity Team to help spread awareness for numerous causes and charities. Prior to working in Lloyds, he has dealt first hand with the third sector by utilising resources that charities have to offer, especially ones that have been funded by the Foundation. Such matters include Autism, Mental Health, and Multiple Sclerosis which he has used to educate himself and to help those affected in his personal life and in the working environment.

Debbie Taylor, Grants Officer

Debbie joined the Foundation in May 2019 as a Grants Officer. She has a strong background in financial services, having started her career in 1994 with Northern Bank where she spent 16 years, primarily in the debt recovery field. She completed a Financial Services Degree in 2006 and is also a qualified Mortgage Advisor. She then spent 10 years in Local Government as a Policing and Community Safety Partnership Officer and Community Development Officer where she gained significant project management experience within the community sector. Debbie has significant experience in the monitoring and evaluation of projects and enjoys working with groups to ensure that key objectives are met and projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Programmes

Closing Date

Contact Us

Clifton House Heritage Centre
2 North Queen Street
Belfast BT15 1ES

T: 028 9032 3000
E: grants@halifaxfoundationni.org

Registered in Northern Ireland Number 19019

Company Limited by Guarantee

Charity Number: NIC101763

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