Trustees - Richmond EAL Friendship Group

As a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity, Richmond EAL is governed by a council of trustees, the charity’s board of directors.

Read more about our trustees on the Charity Commission website.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a trustee, please contact us.

View our trustee role description

Trustees of Richmond EAL

Alex Cheung

Using her professional experience as an accountant in industry, Alex was initially attracted to the role of a financial trustee for a charity whose aims are to support migrants with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in Richmond Borough.

Alex now has a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) and has been involved in all aspects of the charity for some years.

As Chair, Alex especially enjoys getting to know our beneficiaries and she takes great pleasure in seeing them develop and thrive as they move onto the next stages of their learner journey.

Alexis Hatto

Alexis has supported Richmond EAL with our website redesign and wider communications since 2023 and became a trustee in 2024. He was appointed as company secretary in 2025.

Also a trustee of Refugees Welcome in Richmond and a CELTA-qualified teacher with over a decade of experience in the non-profit and voluntary sectors, he thrives on helping the charity and our learners to flourish in all their endeavours.

A native English speaker, Alexis also knows some French, German, Spanish, Indonesian and Malay, plus HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, etc.

Azize Hangisi

Having migrated to the UK in 2019, Azize initially joined Richmond EAL as a learner, navigating the challenges of adapting to a new language and culture.

Her journey progressed as she became a volunteer, contributing her skills and experiences to support others in similar situations.

Now, as a trustee, Azize has proudly represented the voice of EAL speakers on the board since 2022.

Azize is a native Turkish speaker and has a TESOL qualification.

Cornelia Costeanu

Cornelia has been in the UK for 24 years and started as a learner, attending EAL classes in 2012. She then became a trustee of the charity and she is now teaching English to EAL speakers.

With a background in education, Cornelia has been wearing many hats, including that of being the owner of two small businesses.

Cornelia is passionate about empowering the community. She learnt to use a sewing machine when she was seven years old and has been sewing ever since. She also loves reading, cycling and designing interiors.

Matilda Atkins

Matilda joined our charity as a teaching assistant and now co-runs our coffee morning. In 2024, she became a trustee, bringing her passion for education and community engagement to the role.

A philosophy graduate, Matilda has experience teaching philosophy to children with The Philosophy Foundation. She is also CELTA-qualified to teach English as a foreign language.

She is a native English speaker currently learning French and Arabic. She loves connecting with our learners and discovering the diversity of their cultures.

Richmond EAL trustees with CEO Ruth Durant and former company secretary Gillian Thorpe

Richmond EAL trustees with CEO Ruth Durant and Fundraising Adviser Gillian Thorpe

Contact Alex Cheung about Richmond EAL's trustees

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