Alice has been involved in community development for over twenty years, firstly in a voluntary capacity, then in 1999 after gaining qualifications in IT, administration and finance she joined Interaction Belfast where she worked for six years on cross-community and cross-border projects.

In 2005 Alice completed her degree in Professional Development through the University of Dundee, before joining Trademark in September 2006 as Office Manager with responsibility for financial planning, systems, procedures and fundraising. As part of the Trademark team she also helps with the coordination of education, research and evaluation.

In 2012 Alice was awarded a Masters in Education having undertaken a study on the reintegration of ex-political prisoners. A founding member of the Belfast Cleaning Society, Northern Ireland’s first cross-community worker-owned cooperative and winner of the inaugural Living Wage Award, Alice is the lead for Trademark’s co-operative economic development programme. She is a member of Unite the union.

Contact
alice@trademarkbelfast.com

Mel is a former textile worker from Lurgan. He returned to learning as a shop steward in the Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU) and became a volunteer tutor with the union’s education department, delivering the full range of courses offered by the union as well as modules outside of core provision. Since 1999 Mel has worked as a part-time lecturer in Trade Union Studies within the Further and Higher Education sector.

For a period Mel worked as a full-time official with the TGWU in Mid-Ulster, servicing the needs of 3,000 members, and sat on the Irish Executive of the union (now Unite) for six years. Mel has vast experience of representing workers across different industries and of dealing with the specific issues affecting migrant workers. He has been with Trademark since 2007, combining his role as the organisation’s core community relations worker with the delivery of anti-sectarian and anti-racist training in the public and private sectors as well as political education for a number of trade unions.

He continues to play an active part in the trade union movement as a Unite member and delegate to Craigavon Trades’ Council, and continues to offer advice, guidance and representation to workers on employment related issues.

Contact
mel@trademarkbelfast.com

Stiofán has been with Trademark since 2001, having previously worked for Counteract, the anti-intimidation unit of the ICTU where he had responsibility for anti-sectarianism and anti-racism in the public sector. Before this he worked in the former Yugoslavia as co-ordinator of the SAVA (Service Civil International) Working Group on Ex-Yugoslavia. Stiofán has a range of experience in formal and informal training, education and mediation including extensive experience of work interventions in the context of sectarian disputes and community tension.

His PhD was on the theme of republican and loyalist political discourse and, following a Masters in International Human Rights Law with a focus on labour rights, he represented the labour movement on the Bill of Rights Working Group on Economic and Social Rights. Stiofán is closely involved with all aspects of Trademark’s work, with particular responsibility for its political education programmes, international collaboration and co-operative economic development.

A keen Gaeilgeoir, he has served as a trustee for Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta (the fund for Irish-medium education) and is an active member of Unite the union.

Contact
stevie@trademarkbelfast.com

Seán joined Trademark in 2014, having completed a PhD at the University of Ulster the previous year. He contributes to Trademark’s education programmes but is principally responsible for the organisation’s research projects.

Seán has authored a number of widely cited reports and provided research support to various trade union and campaigning organisations, and continues to work collaboratively with various the Irish and European partners on projects relating to economic and political strategies for a just transition.

He is an active member of Unite the union and Belfast Trades’ Council, as well as sitting on the board of Financial Justice Ireland and the 50th Anniversary Civil Rights Committee.

Contact
sean@trademarkbelfast.com