The Board is responsible for the management and direction of the Association, meeting virtually or in person on a regular basis and working closely together.
APDO Board members and its support team all give their time voluntarily alongside running their own professional organising businesses.
Sian Pelleschi
Sian's love of organising took her on the path she hadn't anticipated when she set up Sorted! in 2016 just after the birth of her first child and came across APDO and its welcoming community of other organisers shortly after.
She had previously worked in the events industry, both in venue sourcing and events management, for over 15 years managing both UK and International conferences on small and large scales and set up her own events business in 2011 which she continues to run in the background to running her decluttering business.
Sian took the chance to combine her love of both events and decluttering and became Conference Director in 2021 managing the first ever Virtual Conference for APDO along with an exciting and new concept face to face Conference in 2022.
Sian’s love of APDO and the organising community saw her step into the Presidents role in September 2022. Her aim is to help APDO continue to grow the PO community, create better connections with International counterparts, allow APDO to be inclusive for all and to create an Association that is seen and heard leading the way when it comes to the Professional Organising industry.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.all-sorted.co.uk
Liz Aitken
Before setting up Carefully Sorted with business partner Julia Durand, Liz had a rich and varied career across many sectors: industrial relations, the music industry, arts education, charitable fundraising and, latterly, financial services and risk.
She has corporate experience managing people and projects as well as monitoring compliance and governance of individuals and departments.
With this professional background, her steadfast resolve coupled with a great sense of humour, the Board felt she was perfectly placed to keep the APDO Board on track with its ambitious deliverables for 2019 and beyond.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.carefullysorted.com
Katherine Harris
Katherine entered the world of professional decluttering after having her first child. Having always believed that decluttering and organising were a vital part of creating a relaxing home environment, or running a successful business, she decided to change career and created A Fresh Start.
Having previously been a teacher, Katherine hopes she will be able to continue helping people improve their lives through the wonderful world of decluttering and organising.
Katherine's interest in IT and technology led her to apply for the role of IT Director on the APDO Board and she enjoys being part of the team.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.freshstartdecluttering.com
Marie Bateson
Marie became a professional organiser five years ago after always wanting to start her own business and having felt immense job satisfaction when organising spaces for friends and family and always being organised herself.
Alongside her decluttering and organising, Marie does part time Project Management work and is the UK coordinator for Home Sweet Home, one of our conference sponsors.
With a background in Sales, Customer Service Management, Training, Business Development and Project Management for corporate companies, Marie is a great fit to manage our volunteers.
Marie says " I am interested in people and after being a volunteer for APDO myself I am delighted to support the association and meet more of the organisers through this role".
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.cut-the-clutter.co.uk
Amanda Biggs
Before becoming a Professional Organiser, Amanda founded and ran her own hospitality and retail business for 18 years. Her love of decluttering and organising eventually led her to change career and become a Professional Organiser.
One of the things which drew her to APDO was the sense of being part of a team. Having experienced how isolating being self-employed can be, she missed having colleagues and their support. She now feels, as an APDO member, that she has those colleagues to share advice and experiences with.
Amanda volunteered to become Membership Director because she loves how collaborative APDO is and is keen to ensure our members continue to experience this.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.professionallyorganised.co.uk
Simon Wigzell
Simon has been a Professional Organiser, running Let’s Get It Sorted since 2013. Having built the business steadily from part time to full time.
During this time he found APDO and the professional organising community and felt right at home.
With a background in the events industry and wanting to support APDO further, he joined the conference team in 2022 to assist in organising and executing the event.
2023 will see Simon join the board as Events Director. He will be directing and leading the conference team, as well as focus on other events throughout the year.
Simon says “I can’t wait to be part of the Board, bringing my event experience to the mix. I’m looking forward to being part of a team who shares the desire of Professional Organising and building our industry further.”
- Website:
- www.letsgetitsorted.co.uk
Jen Childs
Jen joined APDO in 2021 at the start of her business journey as an Organiser.
She transitioned into organising to help people simplify their spaces and detox their admin and digital footprints. This follows a career in various Human Resources roles where she has delivered process improvement projects, streamlined ways of working and delivered development programmes on a range of subjects. Jen occasionally undertakes HR projects and is a Chartered Member of the CIPD.
Jen says “Continuous professional development is hugely important for our members and I’m delighted to be working with the Training team to enhance APDO’s training and development resources”.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.housecalmer.com
Maraki Thomas
Before founding Reset, Maraki built a career in strategic communications, leading large-scale change programmes across science, policy, and public services.
With expertise in behavioural science and diversity and inclusion, she brings a deep understanding of human motivation and how to create environments that support wellbeing and clarity.
She now channels those skills into helping people transform their homes, listening carefully to their needs and tailoring solutions to create space for what matters.
As an APDO Board member for internal communications, she is passionate about strengthening the connection between the Board and APDO’s membership. She listens closely, communicates clearly, and supports a culture of openness, insight, and shared growth.
- Email:
- [email protected]
Gemma Gwynne Stevenson
Gemma founded her business YourOrganisedSpace in 2020 with a mission to help busy people to declutter and organise their homes, giving them more time to do the things they love. Guided by the principle of “real home, not show home,” she brings warmth, practicality, and real-life experience to her work.
Before that, Gemma worked in higher education and local government managing people, projects and programmes in diverse areas such as MBA programmes, quality assurance, online tuition and parenting.
Gemma loves the sense of community within APDO and is delighted to play an active role within the organisation as External Communications Director.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.yourorganisedspace.com