OUR TEAM

13 years ago, trapped in the relentless cycle of addiction, life no longer held any hope for Steve Dixon.A Father, a husband, a son consumed with the heavy weight of the shame of addiction; years of repeated attempts to reach out to the limited avenues of support available to him, propelled a desperate young man into getting up close and personal with the belief there was no other option than suicide.

Today, Changes UK is recognised as a leading recovery model in the UK, a ground – breaking model of innovative recovery services, social enterprise and community re generation and transformation born out of the hopelessness of that very same day.

Steve’s ethos “Changing Pain Into Purpose” underpins the culture and social conscience of his driving dedication to restore the dignity of those and their families affected by addiction; to empower communities to be part of the solution, bringing recovery services into a whole new dimension, with a passion to ensure that no one is suffering alone without knowing that they too are entitled to a life with love and purpose.

Runner up at the EY 2016 Entrepreneur of the year awards Steve’s entrepreneurial passion extends to ensuring those on the road back to recovery are given every support and encouragement to not just live a life existing but one of purpose, connection and value.

An engaging and charismatic speaker Steve is regularly sought out as an authority on change and transformation, demonstrating (his conviction) that every challenge is an opportunity for innovation has led to working with leading organisations on issues of strategy, innovation management and anticipatory strategic change. Steve believes that real change occurs when you work from the inside out, that it begins with each of us and our relationships with one another.

Steve lives with his wife Debbie, 4 children and 2 Labradoodles in Birmingham. He is a staunch Birmingham City fan who listens to Bob Marley and occasionally plays golf badly.

Anthony first came to Changes in 2009 seeking recovery, he progressed from service user to volunteer to paid staff member employed as Care Coordinator. He went on to develop our successful Recovery Academy and was instrumental in developing both our staff and peer mentor training.
Anthony left us in 2016 to go onto project manage various initiatives in the voluntary sector, designing and developing an award winning digital platform for children and families with special education needs and disabilities. During this time Anthony remained closely involved with the design and delivery of the service at Changes UK as an active Trustee. We are delighted to welcome Anthony back full time to Changes UK as Operations Director, his knowledge of the sector, and passion for ensuring that clients are at the very heart of recovery services qualifies him to take Changes UK into the next stage of our development.

Javed is delighted to be a part of Changes UK as Finance Manager. He is a qualified Associate Certified Public Accountant and Master in Business Administration. He has completed various certifications in management accountancy. He has joined us with a wealth of experience in multiple sectors of the industry. He is professionally exceptional in financial management, financial reporting, strategic planning and decision-making after a 15-year career.

He has been warmly welcomed to the Changes family. He values the incredible work Changes UK does and how we make positive changes in people’s life. He aims to see Changes UK at the new heights of financial and business growth. He fully believes in the principles of quality work and continuous improvement.

Javed lives with his wife Tanzeela and Daughter Amira in Birmingham and occasionally plays cricket, listen music and watch movies in his leisure time.

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Ben had a history of drug use for over 20 years and he came to Changes after he completed a residential rehabilitation and wanted to continue on in recovery and to find a bridge to normal living. He came into the service and began volunteering within the Recovery Academy and our stage 2 property. He eventually began assisting within the office and was successful in gaining employment within the organisation.
Ben is our Peer Mentor and is responsible for assisting our service users with their benefit claims, debt management and facilitates weekly house groups with the service users to check in on their weekly progress and deal with coping strategies and how to build upon their recovery capital.
Ben says “I was so grateful to finally be clean that I wanted to help others achieve the same, the greatest part of my job is seeing people come into the service who have lost everything, are broken inside. get clean, get some hope back in their lives and go on to turn their lives around and achieve their dreams.”

Nicky started his journey within ChangesUK as a volunteer in 2012 and went on to develop and deliver a programme at New Leaf recovery. After 3 years he moved on to a management role at Bayberry Clinic, returning to Clarity House in 2017. Nicky is a father to two beautiful little girls and took a little time out of his addiction foundations degree to spend time with his family, but has now picked back up with his studying and is engaged in a Psychology and Counselling degree through university.

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Karen recently joined Changes UK to manage two of our latest business ventures, Changes Coffee and Small Changes; a charity shop selling pre-loved items and clothes for babies and toddlers. Karen is an expert in this field and proof that well-managed retail outlets can provide long term sustainable income for a charitable cause, alongside invaluable volunteering, training and work experience opportunities for people in recovery; “This is an exciting time for Changes and for me and, as Changes Coffee and Small Changes are next door to each other, it’s a great opportunity to bring people together and unite the local community and the recovery community.”