Meet the Brilliant Beginnings team

Natalie Gamble

Driven, passionate and approachable, Natalie is widely known as the UK’s leading fertility lawyer. With her gentle tenacity, she has been pivotal in much of the change in UK surrogacy law over the last 15 years and has helped to shape it through her numerous published legal cases and lobbying work. She has also contributed to the Law Commission’s review of the UK legal framework.

Natalie is a regular voice on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme and Woman’s Hour and has been quoted in Parliament, ranked in the Independent’s Pink List, invited to meet the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street and nominated for Stonewall’s Hero of the Year Award. She is a former trustee of Fertility Network UK, and speaks regularly at national and international events.

She has two donor-conceived children as a same-sex parent, and has been an altruistic egg donor.

Tracey Sims

Tracey came to Brilliant Beginnings in 2015 as a surrogate, having previously been an egg donor, and she gave birth to a surrogate baby in 2018.  With four daughters of her own, she felt lucky to be a parent and it meant so much to her to help another couple experience parenthood, something she feels is ‘the most rewarding thing I have ever done for someone else’.

Having experienced first-hand how the team supported surrogates and managed each part of their journey, she wanted to be part of helping others too and has been our Surrogate Manager since 2019.

Tracey is an advocate for the unique way Brilliant Beginnings screens, prepares and matches, feeling that the detail and time spent over the match is invaluable and that the ongoing relationship she has with her intended parents is testimony to the fact it works.

As our Surrogate Manager, Tracey guides and supports new surrogates as well as raising awareness of surrogacy. Calm and clear, she provides invaluable reassurance to women at all stages of their journey. She loves talking about surrogacy in general and answering any questions, whether on a call, in conversation or when speaking at our regular surrogate meet ups.

Particular areas of interest and expertise:

• Supporting and caring for surrogates throughout application, screening and match
• Special interests in colostrum harvesting, expressing milk for surrogate babies and making birth better
• Personal experience as a Brilliant Beginnings surrogate, and previously as an egg donor

Get to know Tracey

What our surrogates say about Tracey:

‘Tracey is an absolute star and was invaluable to us during our surrogacy journey. During the screening process she was so kind, personable, and thorough and we felt so well informed and validated because of this. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and she is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet.’

‘I was matched with my Intended Parents, probably better than I could have done myself. Getting to know them more and more, I understand why we were matched. Little bits that we were matched on, I don’t even remember telling Tracey about. I would just be waffling on, on calls to her and generally chit chatting about life and then the tiniest bit of information would be picked up on and turned into a matching point for me and my intended parents. That’s just how well Tracey and Brilliant Beginnings do this job’.

‘Tracey is very easy to talk to and very flexible, which was great for me as I have a toddler, so it was great that she was available at different times of the day’.

‘I have just finished screening with Tracey, who was super helpful the whole way through. Answering all my questions, I liked that she broke everything down into smaller manageable chunks – that was really helpful’.

Olivia Chan

In 2023, Olivia joined our team as a paralegal and works as part of the NGA Law legal team . She completed a law degree and LPC LLM before joining the team. She has experience in private and public family law and risk and compliance.

She has always been interested and passionate about helping people to build families and helping families navigate through challenging times.

Olivia is trilingual, speaking both Cantonese and Mandarin.

Robyn Jones

Having joined the team in 2022, Robyn is a paralegal in the NGA Law legal team. With a passion for inclusivity and clarity in the law, Robyn supports all our legal work, and in particular works on both domestic and international surrogacy cases. Robyn graduated with a degree in Law before joining the legal team. She has worked with individuals in complex and emotive circumstances through her previous roles with the Crown Prosecution Service and most recently working in donor information at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Xander Gowler

Xander joined the NGA Law team as a Paralegal in 2023 after completing his law degree. In his role, he supports the advancement of our legal work, predominantly in respect of our domestic and international surrogacy cases. Xander’s energetic personality allows him to uphold exceptional client care. He has previous experience volunteering in areas of LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion and feels it important to strive to ensure that all individuals are heard and understood when building their families, no matter what form they take.

Gemma Hart-Dyke

Outgoing and organised, Gemma’s focus is on ensuring that every surrogacy journey is stable from start to finish. Her unending patience and thoughtfulness ensures that intended parents and surrogates (and the professionals working with them) are guided smoothly and sensitively.

Gemma’s background in legal marketing, project management and professional client service shines through in all she does. She guides, educates and supports her clients through their journeys with empathy and integrity, and is committed to establishing meaningful relationships with them and the professional organisations working alongside them.

Gemma has two young children.

Particular areas of interest and expertise:

* Client manager at Brilliant Beginnings since 2015

* Specialist expertise in UK surrogacy, US surrogacy and Canadian surrogacy

* Particular interest in professional relationship building

* Attending and speaking at BB information events

* A trusted point of contact for other professional organisations in the US and UK

Get to know Gemma

What our intended parents and surrogates say about Gemma:

“Your support and involvement in this process are greatly valued, Gemma.”

“Thank you for all your amazing efforts to make this happen for me.”

“Thanks Gemma, you are an amazing supporter.”

“Thank you for all your help and support this year – we’re so grateful to you and the team.”

“Thank you so much for all of your support this year, we really appreciate it and it’s been so helpful to know you’re just at the end of the phone. You’ve been there every step of the way for us, through all the many ups and downs! It’s certainly been a year we will never forget!”

Esther Ezquerro

Empathetic and positive, Esther ensures the teams she supports have a smooth surrogacy experience, whatever their situation. She is always a step ahead to help navigate the myriad of choices available and goes the extra mile to ensure that the best choices are to hand.

Esther’s background in a family law team, at an adoption and fostering agency and as a volunteer at Refugee Action and Citizen’s advice give her the drive and tenacity to help create families. Her zest and professionalism ensure that her teams feel secure and actively supported.

Esther is mum to two young children.

Particular areas of interest and expertise:

• Client manager at Brilliant Beginnings since 2017
• Specialist expertise in UK surrogacy, US surrogacy and Canadian surrogacy
• Particular interest in providing emotional support
• Personal experience of alternative family building through friends and family
• Fluent in several languages

Get to know Esther

What our parents and surrogates say about Esther:

“I honestly couldn’t have done it without you as part of BB and the support you’ve given and continue to give, you totally understand my feelings and the whole surrogacy process.”

One set of parents even named their daughter after her! “We love the name – and even more so to remind us of the person who brought the three of us together to make our little one happen.”

 “Just wanted to say thank you for all your support for my surrogacy journey – the most complex part is building professional ties and it’s your support in managing this as well as the processes that has been invaluable.  It is NOT an overstatement to say that I could not have managed this remotely without you.”

Kirstie Porter-Smith

Kirstie is our Operations Manager.  She runs both our offices, supports our HR function and provides invaluable support to the whole Brilliant Beginnings and NGA Law team as well as our clients

Often the first point of contact for clients and new enquiries, she is warm, understanding and personable. Having been part of the team since 2014, Kirstie is extremely knowledgeable about all areas of our work, and is also exceptionally well-organised with a keen eye for detail.

Rebecca Albrow

Becky is an intrinsic part of the daily running of our office, with particular focus on supporting our finances.  Always positive and keen to assist, Becky has a Zoology degree and a meticulous approach to detail. She volunteers with the RSPB and her effortless kindness is often called upon. As a team member who answers initial calls, Becky is a font of knowledge, as well as being relied on for her sensitive and calm nature.

Donna McParland

Donna is a perinatal practitioner and doula which she re-trained in after her children were born, and following a background in IT support and service management.

She first became aware of Brilliant Beginnings in 2021 when she was back up doula support for a Brilliant Beginnings Surrogate, she was impressed by the support the doula had from Brilliant Beginnings.

Donna’s role is to support the Surrogate and Client Managers with administration and information to allow them to provide exceptional support to Brilliant Beginnings Surrogates and Intended Parents.

She brings with her experience and knowledge from the work she does outside her Brilliant Beginnings role where she works with families through pregnancy birth and the postnatal period in many capacities; such as doula support, birth trauma support, postnatal recovery massage, babywearing and sling/carrier support, baby massage, and facilitating antenatal and postnatal courses.

Alejandra Rodrigues Ramones

Alejandra joined the team in June 2022 and is a paralegal with the legal team as well as supporting our operations team. She advances cases forward, keeping track of case progress and collaborating with the team overall. Previously a project manager, she has always gravitated towards family, medical, equality and diversity in her study and volunteering work. Alejandra is trilingual, speaking both Spanish and Portuguese, and she loves being a small (yet big) part in one of the many pages of the stories of each family we help.

Jerome Tierney

Jerome is a registered clinical psychologist with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London.  He seeks to understand why we do the things we do, with the aim of helping others live meaningful and rewarding lives.  His warm and understanding nature immediately puts people at ease.

Jerome plays an invaluable role in minimising the risk of any psychological distress as a result of a surrogacy journey. His psychological assessments and recommendations help us make sure all our Brilliant Surrogates are safe and fully supported, so they have a rewarding and life-enriching experience.

Jerome’s experience is in both private practice and the NHS and he has particular interests in perinatal mental health, surrogacy, the interaction of physical and mental health, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME), and sexual health. His expertise lies in particular in working with those struggling with depression and anxiety-related problems.

Miranda Pilchowska

Miranda Pilchowska is a registered Adult Nurse with a Practice Nurse background. In addition, Miranda is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at a reputable university and currently undertaking a Doctor of Professional Studies (DProf) in Health and Social Care at the University of Chester. Her research focuses on maternity outcomes and accessibility into surrogacy within the United Kingdom.

As a previous surrogate with Brilliant Beginnings in 2021, Miranda has first-hand experience into the surrogate journey which provides her with a holistic and compassionate understanding.

Miranda is involved with the initial medical screening process of surrogates for Brilliant Beginnings and works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team in the implementation of recommendations to support surrogates through their experience.

Ruth Wilde

Ruth is a fertility counsellor with over 18 years’ experience of supporting people affected by fertility issues. Having worked at various leading fertility clinics, Ruth now provides private counselling services.  She is a current board member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, having been appointed to serve for a second term at the beginning of 2019.  She has been awarded Honorary Membership of both the British Infertility Counselling Association and the British Fertility Society for her services to each organisation and to the wider fertility community.

Ruth works with our surrogates, providing confidential surrogacy preparation counselling as part of our screening and preparation process, as well as being on hand to offer confidential emotional support to any of our clients and surrogates who need it at any stage of the surrogacy journey.

Vicky Parkin

Vicky is a very experienced specialist fertility counsellor, she has worked for various fertility clinics around the country and privately since 2005. She is an accredited member of BICA (British Infertility Counselling Association) and is also on the BICA executive committee. Vicky realises when you are considering surrogacy time is often of the essence and with this in mind she offers Skype and telephone sessions making counselling much more accessible, flexible and aims to fit round you and your family. Vicky offers early morning and evening sessions to try and accommodate you as much as possible.

We are pleased to have Vicky as part of our team, to work with our surrogates as part of our screening a preparation process and beyond.

Kelly Blaxall

Approachable, positive and straightforward, Kelly is a qualified lawyer with the NGA Law legal team.

She manages our paralegal team, advises Brilliant Beginnings clients in legal reviews, provides ongoing support and advice and conducts our day-to-day legal representation in parental order applications after both UK and international surrogacy.  She also has a particular interest in managing British nationality and passport applications for children born through surrogacy.

Kelly has a degree in Psychology and has worked with vulnerable children in a children’s home, so has a varied background of experience.  She joined the NGA Law team in 2017 and qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer in 2024. She cares passionately about surrogacy, non-traditional families and providing exceptional client service.

Getting to know BB: Kelly.

Nicky Reid

Caring and organised, Nicky ensures that the clients she looks after are fully informed and supported throughout their journey. Having been screened and matched as a surrogate through Brilliant Beginnings, she has an inside knowledge of the surrogacy process and understands the complexities involved.

Nicky’s previous background in audit and risk management shows through in her diligent approach to making sure those she supports through both UK and US surrogacy are kept informed and updated at each stage of their journey. Nicky works proactively with intended parents, surrogates and the professionals supporting them, working through next steps and helping them overcome any hurdles. With experience of her own personal journey, she brings empathy and reassurance and is committed to helping others navigate the process as smoothly as possible.

Nicky has three boys of her own.

Particular areas of interest and expertise:

• Client manager at Brilliant Beginnings since 2021
• Specialist expertise in UK and US surrogacy
• Personal experience of the surrogate process through being on her own BB surrogate journey

Get to know Nicky

What our parents and surrogates say about Nicky:

“Thank you for being a superstar – always there for us, a rock with your wise guidance and wealth of experience. So grateful!”

“Thanks, Nicky, for all your help and support.”

“We are really pleased with the rapport and support we have with you.”

“Thank you for all your encouragement, advice, help and support along the way. It’s been incredible.”

“Thank you as always for all your help and support – it’s been invaluable and is much appreciated.”

“Thanks so much Nicky and honestly your support has been amazing!!!”

“Thanks again for all your support and guidance this year, and getting us to where we are. We are very appreciative and it’s been lovely getting to know you.”

“Thanks so much Nicky. You guys have been incredible on this journey.”

Nicola Scott

Nicola Scott is a solicitor who specialises exclusively in fertility law.  Her passion for creating families began two decades ago during her law degree, after which she became the first lawyer to train in a specialist fertility firm at NGA Law.  She has since dedicated her career to surrogacy and non-traditional family building.

Nicola provides independent legal advice to our Brilliant Beginnings surrogates and prepares their Wills.