Chance to Change Founder and former Chairman Mick May OBE who died in March 2022 was described by the former prime minister David Cameron as “the only company in the country where you need a criminal record to work there”, Blue Sky was set up as a social enterprise winning work from local authorities and housing associations, and fulfilling the contracts with a workforce of ex-offender employees.

Originating as a few small teams in and around Slough in Berkshire and Hillingdon in west London, the charity grew into a nationwide operation employing more than 2,000 ex-offenders. In 2017 Blue Sky merged with the former Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust to form the Forward Trust, and in 2016 Mick was appointed OBE in recognition of his work with ex-offenders.

Daniel Bird the former Financial Director of the Saïd Foundation is Chair of the Chance to Change Foundation.

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The Revd Jonathan Aitken has had one of the most high profile and colourful careers in British public life.

His career has spanned the worlds of books, newspapers, television, business, politics, Parliament, prison, theology, charitable service, prison reform and offender rehabilitation. He was ordained on 30 June 2018 and is now a Priest and voluntary prison chaplain at HMP Pentonville.

Shaffiq Din is Director of Operations at the Al-Emaan Centre in Bromley, a charity and religious centre.

For nearly twenty years prior to his current post, Shaffiq was a Muslim chaplain working with HM Prison and Probation Service. He has a wealth of experience working within and alongside both Muslim and indigenous communities. He offers consultancy and training to organisations who would like to better engage with Muslim clients, staff, families and societies. Previously Shaffiq has worked within the Pharmaceutical and Financial Services sectors and has a business/IT senior management background.