Meet the Team
Managing Director
Gerard Dooley
I joined the company in December 2021 as a Regional Manager overseeing the Norfolk Care Homes before being promoted to Director of Residential Care in April 2022, and then Managing Director of Cephas Alpha Group in June 2022. My career in the care sector started as a Care Assistant in 2012 before becoming a Registered Manager of a 68-bed Care Home in 2014. I have an extensive knowledge of turning care services around, and developing services to provide exceptional care across multiple sites.
In my spare time I am an avid football fan, and I am a season ticket holder for Norwich City – the one true pride of East Anglia. I love animals, and have a pet dog French Bulldog called Douglas – as well as horses, goats and chickens. You won’t ever meet Douglas, however, as he is not the friendliest dog in the world, and is particularly unfriendly toward me!
A fact about me is that I have served my country in Afghanistan (twice) and Iraq, and have been decorated for this service
Directors and Managers
Charlotte Burn
My working career began as a Support Worker within LDS at Cephas Care, I then completed a degree in Business Management with HR and subsequently secured a HR position with an outsourcing company. I soon began my Level 7 CIPD post-graduate diploma and moved to a Housing Association that specialises in elderly care and LD. Here I worked as a People Partner, partnering with managers across the business to further develop my working knowledge of HR management before re-joining Cephas in June 2022. It has been a pleasure to return as a support function assisting with all employee related matters. A fact about me is that I love to travel, the best experience I’ve ever had is spending over a month in India with a company called World Challenge where I trekked in the Himalayas reaching 18,000 feet, helped to build a new school, and got to travel the breadth of the country.
Sam Smy
I commenced my career with Cephas Care in 2008 as a support worker and have been with the company now for 14 years. During this time, I have carried out a variety of roles under the business operations and most recently been appointed the Director of Business Development. An interesting fact about me is that I am pretty nifty on the pool table and enjoy a game or two.
Shaun Draper
I have worked in care for 25 years, the last 15 with Cephas. I started as a support worker and progressed up to deputy and then Team leader. From there I now do most of the face to face training and recruitment for the company. I have also been going in to local schools, colleges and university explaining about care work, and myth busting the common misunderstandings about what it is. I am also a massive geek, and spend my spare time playing and writing D&D (dungeons and dragons role playing game) for my friends.
Our Staff
Sacha Wilson
I have been with Cephas for 10 years now, I started out as a support worker supporting the service users to live a happy and fulfilled life which I loved, I came up to head office August of this year as a Business Support Admin to support the managers in their role and was promoted to Trainee registered Manager in September of this year – I love that I still get to interact with the service users I have supported over the last 10 years as well as support the staff team I have worked alongside of for so long. A bit about me, I’m a mum of two and have two Labradors – my spare time is spent with my husband and children and we enjoy going on long walks with our dogs.
Anna Szmal
Hi, my name is Anna, I joined Cephas Care in November 2022 as a Payroll Administrator. In January 2023 I was promoted to Payroll Manager. I have started my journey with Payroll at the beginning of 2019 and this is when I realised there is no other job I would rather be doing. Having to run my everyday tasks within firm deadlines and having to structure my days to manage my workload, and to make sure everything will be done swiftly, is what I like the most about my role. Stepping into the care industry, where I was asked to complete multiple pay runs has given me additional motivation to perform at the highest possible level, to make sure all our hardworking carers are being paid correctly and on time.
I am addicted to listening to music, and I happen to sing along, way too often, so if you will ever come across a finance team member with a headache – I could be the reason. My music of choice would range from alternative to rock, but unfortunately (for my colleagues) I know songs from all sorts of genres
Lynsey Leeks
I joined Cephas in March 2023 having worked in finance for the last 22 years. As the Management Accountant for the business, I lead the finance team and am accountable for delivering accurate and timely financial accounts that enable the senior leadership team to make strategic decisions. Throughout my career I have gained experience in many sectors such as hospitality and financial and insurance services. I’m now excited to continue my career in this dynamic business and share my knowledge with the team.
Outside of work I enjoy working out, socialising with friends, and travelling as much as possible with my partner. Jamaica here we come!
Charleigh Goodchild
I have worked for Cephas for almost 5 years now starting as a domiciliary carer supporting the elderly in their own homes. I then explored further, beginning to work with adults of various ages in supported living. I did this for 3 years before receiving a promotion to Deputy Team Leader then further onto a Trainee Registered Manager. I enjoy being able to have a positive impact on people’s lives and support that’s received. I believe this job is a lot more suited to me than my previous role in retail and I feel so supported in my everyday work and have expanded my knowledge so much further. I enjoy spending time with friends and family outside of work and working on my future.
Abby Davies
I joined Cephas in October 2023 as a Care Coordinator, recently I have started to oversee the Homecare and Community Services with the support from the Care Management Team. Previously, I worked in a Dementia Specialist Care Home and then at Ipswich Hospital as a Healthcare Assistant. I have grown as a person within this role and have a very supportive network within the workplace. Although I am new to the role, I can see myself working for Cephas for many years in the future. In my free time, I like to spend time with my family and see my friends.
