Meet the team behind TNB
Tutors who have run their own salons, assessors who started out as our learners, and the people you will speak to first. We have been delivering training from Folkestone since 2004, and these are the people who make it happen.
Who leads TNB?
Sarah Abel
Founder and Director
Sarah bought a struggling nail salon in Folkestone in 2000 with a £20,000 government loan, grew it to five salons and sold them all in 2020. She's been training people since 2004 and wrote "The Power of Funding: In the Hair and Beauty Business", so if you want straight talk on funding, she's the one to ask.
Outside work, she loves reality TV (purely to analyse people), a good bit of fiction and anything to do with personal development.
Read Sarah's story
Julie Donoghue
Managing Director
Julie leads TNB's strategy, direction and performance, and has been with us since 2011 after running her own bookkeeping business. So if you want money or a budget for something, Julie is the person you need to convince. In her spare time she swings between two extremes: management books and trashy novels.
Lewis Anderson
Operations and Compliance Manager
Lewis keeps the day-to-day at TNB running, looking after operations, compliance, our systems and data, and checking learners are eligible for our funded programmes. Five years in, he's the go-to for funding rules and pretty much everything else. Outside work, he's a self-confessed nerd who loves video games.
Rebecca Jeffrey
Training Team Leader
Rebecca leads our training team and oversees quality assurance, making sure tutors feel supported and every learner gets teaching that suits the way they learn. She joined TNB in 2022 after more than 20 years in hairdressing, including 12 as Artistic Director and Colour Specialist. Outside work, family is everything to her, especially time with her daughter, brother and sisters-in-law.
Danni Instance
Quality and Curriculum Manager
Danni oversees the quality of our training and curriculum, working closely with our tutors and assessors and keeping us ready for awarding organisations and Ofsted. She still owns her own salon, so she brings real industry and business experience to everything she develops, and she's the go-to for anything quality or apprenticeship related (plus anyone in need of a good spreadsheet). Outside work, she loves travelling and exploring new places whenever she can.
Donna Young
Tutor and Assessor, Senior Marketing Manager
Donna heads up marketing at TNB and teaches our Multi-Channel Marketing apprentices, mentoring them as they put it into practice in their own businesses. She still runs her own successful hair salon alongside TNB, so she knows what works in the real world. Outside work, she loves walking, a good podcast and time with her two little boys.
Who will teach and assess me?
Rebecca Whitney
AI Implementation Expert
Rebecca Whitney wrote the AI training our business learners follow, and works alongside them every week while they build. She has helped hundreds of business owners and their teams streamline their time using AI and automation, and before that was part of the leadership team that scaled a healthcare technology firm from $12M to nearly $100M, developing a patented AI product along the way.
Kerry Hopper
Tutor and Assessor
Kerry brings 25 years of hairdressing to TNB and joined in 2024 to do what had always been the plan: teach. Haircutting demos are where Kerry shines, and learners often ask for the demo to be done on their own hair. Outside work, Kerry gets lost in cooking and experimenting with flavours.
Gina Thomas
Hairdressing Tutor and Assessor
Gina teaches and assesses our Level 2 hairdressing students, helping them build the practical skills, theory and confidence to be industry ready. Before joining TNB in 2026, she spent over 20 years as a hairdresser, including 16 running her own salon. Outside work, she's kept busy with her family and two boys, and loves a family holiday.
Nicole Jones
Tutor and Assessor
Nicole delivers a range of courses at TNB and joined in 2025 after teaching Level 2 and 3 hairdressing elsewhere. Around the office, Nicole is known for never being afraid to ask a question, and for always hunting for a stapler. Outside work, you'll find Nicole with family or cooking good food.
Olga Ghosh
Trainee Tutor and Assessor
Olga knows TNB from both sides of the classroom: she started as one of our Level 2 hairdressing students and now works as an assessor. Having faced the same fears our students have, she's great at showing them it's not as hard as it looks, and she's a big fan of all things healthy hair. Outside work, she's a self-confessed killer of mess and a Zumba teacher.
Who will I speak to first?
Rhys Abel
Business Development Manager
Rhys looks after sales at TNB, helping people find the right course and getting them booked on. He's spent the last six years in sales. Outside work, he's all about his partner and two kids, and he and his youngest sneak off fishing whenever they can.
Aarushi Gawande
Business Development Lead
Aarushi is often the first person a business owner speaks to at TNB, opening conversations and introducing them to our free AI & Team Audit. Before joining in 2026, Aarushi was an Account Manager at Estée Lauder in Cambridge. Outside work, it's travelling, trekking, stargazing, horror films, badminton and running.
Who keeps TNB running behind the scenes?
Jayne Anderson
Lead IQA and Compliance Officer
Jayne wears a lot of hats at TNB: alongside leading internal quality assurance, she's our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Health and Safety Officer, Exams Officer and Invigilator. She's been with the business since 2000, starting as a beauty therapist and nail technician before becoming a tutor and assessor and completing her teaching degree, which is why the team calls her the TNB Oracle. Outside work, her family is her biggest priority and she loves spending time with them.
Martyna Trzepizur
Senior Marketer and PA
Martyna keeps TNB ticking behind the scenes, supporting the team with everything from marketing and design to organising whatever needs doing. She joined us from a company making handmade greeting cards, and has since earned a Distinction in her Multi-Channel Marketing course. Outside work, she's a gym-goer and proud foodie who trains hard so she can eat well.
Gracie Jones
Office Administrator and Marketing Apprentice
Gracie joined TNB straight from sixth form in 2024 and splits her week between admin and creating our content. She's the one to ask about our Level 2 students or anything that needs capturing for social. Outside work, she's always up for a little retail therapy.
Ellie Cross
Learner Journey Coordinator
Ellie joined TNB in summer 2026 and sits in on our apprenticeship meetings, learning the ropes before leading them. Before TNB, Ellie worked in retail, and has already become the person who happily picks up whatever needs doing. Outside work, you'll find Ellie horse riding or fixing up the car.
Ethan Howard
AI & Automation Practitioner Apprentice
Ethan builds the automations and sales funnels that make sure every enquiry at TNB is followed up quickly and properly. He joined us in 2026 after working in sales, and he’s already the person the team goes to when they want to get rid of boring, repetitive tasks. Outside work, cars are his main passion, and he loves anything with a bit of adrenaline, from mountain biking to skiing.
Want to talk to one of us?
Tell us what you are trying to do and we will point you at the right person. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.