Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow OBE, Chief Executive Officer

Magnus is the founder and CEO of Mary’s Meals International, a global charity providing daily meals to over 3 million of the world’s poorest children in their place of education. His journey began in 1992 when, moved by the Bosnian conflict, he and his brother delivered aid from Scotland to Bosnia. This effort grew into the registered charity Scottish International Relief, which later evolved into Mary’s Meals in 2002 after a pivotal encounter with a family in Malawi.

Magnus started his career as a fish farmer in Argyll, Scotland. His vision that every child should have enough to eat and access to education has transformed Mary’s Meals into a worldwide movement operating in 16 countries. He has received numerous honours, including being named a CNN Hero (2010), receiving an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list (2011), and being recognised as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2015). Magnus is also the author of bestselling books, including The Shed That Fed a Million Children (updated as The Shed That Fed 2 Million Children) and Give: Charity and the Art of Living Generously.

Magnus remains deeply committed to ending child hunger through education.

Cheryl McGechie, Chief Growth Officer

Cheryl joined Mary’s Meals in 2024 to lead our global Growth teams, spanning Communications, Marketing, Affiliate Development and Partnerships. In this role, she drives the organisation’s ambitious growth strategy, focusing on expanding our supporter base, securing sustainable funding and strengthening Mary’s Meals’ global presence through innovative marketing and strategic partnerships.

Cheryl brings extensive experience in purpose-driven leadership and growth strategy across both the private and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to Mary’s Meals, she served on the global leadership team at Education Development Trust, where she led growth initiatives to reform education systems and improve teaching capability in some of the most challenging countries. Before that, Cheryl spent 10 years at the Fairtrade Foundation, heading Public Engagement and delivering major advocacy wins, corporate commitments and public support for farmers in low-income countries.

Earlier in her career, Cheryl held senior roles in the private sector, driving brand growth for leading companies such as Mattel, Kimberly-Clark, the BBC and Camelot. 

Cheryl holds a BA (Hons) in International Marketing and Spanish and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Development. She is a passionate advocate for values-driven leadership, ethical storytelling and leveraging marketing to create meaningful societal change. Cheryl has spoken at major events, including the Youth Marketing Conference and the Ethical Business Forum, and has appeared on Sky News and ITV News.

Cheryl is committed to inspiring global support for Mary’s Meals’ vision of feeding every child in their place of education.

Graeme Little, Chief Operations Officer

Graeme took on the role of Chief Operations Officer at Mary’s Meals International in August 2025. The role is responsible for the broad oversight and effective delivery of several functions including Finance & Procurement, People & Governance, Programmes, and Technology & Projects. In this capacity, Graeme works on strategic planning, delivery excellence and continuous improvement alongside the Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team colleagues, and other leaders across the organisation.

Graeme’s career with Mary’s Meals began in 2014 as Head of IT & Operations, moving to Director of IT & Operations in 2016 leading IT, fundraising administration, security, risk, and operations; while serving on the MMI Senior Leadership Team and contributing to organisational strategy and building capacity. In 2018, Graeme transitioned to Director of Programmes, providing oversight to, and quality delivery of, our global school feeding programmes. He was promoted to Chief Programmes Officer in 2021, leading the strategic development and implementation of programmes that reach millions of children every school day.

Before joining Mary’s Meals, Graeme held senior leadership roles in the private sector, including Eaton, where he managed global teams, with start-up, acquisition integration and expatriate experience in this large, fast growth, global organisation.

Graeme holds a BSc (Hons) in Statistics and Postgraduate Diplomas in Information Technology and in Business Administration. Graeme has held several board trustee positions throughout most of his time with Mary's Meals, both internally and externally with local community groups.

Graeme is dedicated to ensuring organisational excellence and growth that enables millions of children to receive a daily meal in their place of education, underpinned by a strong commitment to Mary's Meals vision, mission and values.

Rhian Cooke, Chief People & Governance Officer

Rhian became Chief People & Governance Officer at Mary’s Meals International in February 2025, leading global People, Culture, Governance, Risk, Safeguarding and Strategy functions. Her remit includes shaping strategic HR initiatives, strengthening governance frameworks and fostering a values-driven culture across the organisation.

Rhian joined Mary’s Meals in September 2021 as Director of People and Culture, bringing 19 years of HR experience. Prior to this, she held senior leadership roles in values-led, social justice organisations, including 13 years at Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a global mine clearance charity operating in 21 countries worldwide. As Director of HR at MAG, Rhian was responsible for strategic and operational people-related activities globally, ensuring compassionate, values-based support for individuals and robust assurance for organisational growth.

Her earlier career includes roles such as Head of HR at Refugee Action and Interim HR Director for the Falkland Islands Government, giving her extensive experience in leading People teams in complex international contexts.

Rhian holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in Law and Sociology, a Master’s in Strategic HR Management, and a CIPD Advanced Award in Organisational Design and Development. She is currently studying towards a Masters in Organisational Psychology.

Erin Pratley PhD, Chief Programmes Officer

Erin joined Mary’s Meals in 2020 and became Chief Programmes Officer in August 2025, leading the strategic development and delivery of school feeding programmes that reach millions of children every school day. Her remit includes programme implementation, global policy development, research and impact, and strengthening partnerships to ensure operational excellence across 16 programme countries.

Before joining the Executive Leadership Team, Erin served as Head of Programme Development before transitioning to Director of Programme Development and Operations, overseeing two key teams: one supporting the delivery of school feeding programmes and another focused on global policy, strategic planning, government relations, research and impact, and grant reporting. Erin has played a pivotal role in expanding Mary’s Meals’ reach and influence, including the launch of new programmes and shaping global advocacy efforts.

A published researcher and respected voice in international development and food systems, Erin brings extensive experience in operational strategy, research and policy development. She is known for her ability to communicate complex information in an accessible and engaging way and is a sought-after speaker at international forums. Her work champions collaboration to drive interventions that create lasting, generational change.

Erin holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Western Ontario and has a wealth of professional experience across academia, not-for-profits and government. Her expertise spans food security, nutrition programmes and the role of school feeding in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Erin advocates for evidence-based solutions to tackle child hunger worldwide.