Our Values
Partners in Practice
We don't deliver reports and walk away. We build your governance together and stay until you are ready to take it forward.
Effective Today, Enduring Tomorrow
We are experts in creating governance structures which will serve your organisation for years to come - practical today and resilient tomorrow.
Personal and Professional
We truly know our clients. We are personable, accessible, and genuinely invested in your success - whilst maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards.
SOLUTION ORIENTED ADVICE
About Governance & Legal
At Governance & Legal we work with our clients as partners in practice - building your governance with you and staying until you are ready to take it forward. We deliver practical, compliant governance and legal advice to not-for-profit organisations in the social housing, charity, and health and social care sectors. We are small enough to know you personally and experienced enough to create frameworks that are practical, fit your organisation, and are built to last.
Our principal consultant and founder, Jana Zacheva, is a qualified solicitor with over 18 years’ experience of working in the not-for-profit sector. Throughout her career she has led a number of functions, including governance, legal, data protection, risk, internal audit and policy for one of the largest social housing and care providers in the West Midlands and also for several other organisations in different parts of the country.
This has provided her with a well-rounded understanding of the range of services required to be in place and working effectively to enable businesses to meet the needs of their customers. She has worked as an Associate in the Governance and Commercial team in Anthony Collins Solicitors and her legal experience covers a wide variety of legal work, from housing advice and litigation to a range of commercial legal work. In more recent years Jana has advised clients on the delivery of major projects such as joint ventures, collaboration arrangements and business growth. Jana continues to be registered as a solicitor of England and Wales and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Currently Jana serves as a non-executive director on the Board and Remunerations and Nominations Committee of Nehemiah Housing Association and was until recently a trustee on the board of Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid. As a governance practitioner and a non-excutive director, Jana has the ability to see the issues from both perspectives - the executive and the non-executive, and to find the most effective balance for each of our clients.
“Our aim is to help our clients develop and implement governance systems, which are “right sized” to the shape and complexity of their organisations. We believe that simple and transparent organisational and governance models are generally most effective. At the same time we have good understanding of the importance of regulatory compliance and how an organisation needs to organise itself to both deliver and evidence this.
Our experience in working with executive and non-executive teams across the country has given us the ability to develop a multifaceted understanding of what good governance looks like, of what it should and what it should not be.
We enjoy working with our clients and aim to ensure that they feel supported in finding and implementing best governance models, which are sustainable, ensure compliance and support business strategy and development.”
20 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Associate governance specialist
Andrew Foster is an associate governance specialist with 20+ years of executive level experience and 15+ years of experience of working in a regulated environment. He is a qualified solicitor whose career started in a large corporate law firm.
“I have a strong belief in the importance of good governance in providing the foundations for a well-run business, and for business success. My executive and non-executive experience has given me the knowledge and confidence to be able to identify a “right sized” approach to compliance and good governance, which ensures that such matters are given enough focus, whilst ensuring that the business is not impeded by bureaucracy or over-engineered processes. I always aim to provide my clients with rounded advice and to find solutions, which reflect understanding of the needs of both executives, non-executives and company secretaries.”
Andrew Foster - Associate governance specialist
Andrew has acted in executive leadership roles for a significant period, with direct responsibility and leadership for a broad range of functions including corporate strategy, business planning, governance and company secretarial, risk and audit, legal services, procurement, health and safety, insurance and facilities management.
Following a successful executive level career in IT and housing, Andrew set up as a consultant in 2019 and has so far provided governance advice and support to over 50 organisations from the housing, charity and legal sectors.
Andrew’s work has been varied and includes governance reviews, development of risk frameworks, board and chair appraisals, board training and facilitation, coaching of company secretaries, corporate strategy development support, advice on improvements to governance documents, IDA preparation, governance code compliance reviews and consolidations of group structures to achieve governance efficiency. Andrew has 12 years experience as a non-executive. He was previously Chair of the Community Housing Group and is currently Deputy Chair of Settle Housing Group.
OVER 25 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE
Governance Associate
Katie is a senior healthcare and charity sector leader with over 25 years’ experience supporting non-profit organisations to strengthen governance, manage risk, and improve performance. Her expertise spans corporate governance, clinical quality, and organisational development, with a particular focus on helping organisations operate with confidence, compliance, and clarity.
Having held senior roles across the NHS and the non-profit sector, Katie has led the review and development of governance and risk frameworks that are proportionate, effective, and aligned to organisational purpose and scale. She brings a pragmatic, assurance-focused approach, supporting Boards and executive teams to meet regulatory requirements, improve decision-making, and embed robust risk management without unnecessary complexity. Katie is a strong advocate for practical governance - believing that "it does not need to be complex, only robust, fit for purpose, and consistently applied.”
I truly believe that governance is more than just rules and making sure the boxes are ticked. It is a daily organisational commitment to do the right thing.
Getting your governance right not only protects your organisation, but it empowers growth with purpose, clarity, and integrity, creating a legacy that lasts far beyond any governance framework.”
Katie Wightman - Governance Associate
STRONG VALUES & ETHICS
Executive Assistant
Vikki Brooks is our values-led executive assistant who ensures that our services are delivered efficiently but also as effortlessly as possible and in line with our clients’ expectations.
Vikki has strong values and ethics and her flexibility with clients provides confidence and reassurance. She builds effective working relationships, and her personable approach makes difficult tasks feel a lot easier.
"I am passionate about building strong working relationships with my clients. My 14 years working for a housing association as the primary support for the executive management team has provided me with wide ranging governance experience and an understanding of the challenges within the social housing sector. Having also previously been a charity Trustee for six years and more recently Head of Operations for a charity client, over the past six years, I have found my niche as an executive level business support specialist within the not-for-profit sector.”
Vikki Brooks - Executive Assistant