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 too, 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’.

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.  Tracey is an advocate for the unique way Brilliant Beginnings matches intended parents and surrogates, feeling that the detail and time spent over this fundamental step of the journey is invaluable and that the ongoing relationship she has with her intended parents is testimony to the fact it works.

As one of our surrogate managers, 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 events.

Teresa Coote

Teresa joined the team in June 2020 after her own surrogacy journey with Brilliant Beginnings. She gave birth to healthy twins in 2018 and, after a complicated delivery, found the support she received from the team (who she says ‘always had my corner’) hugely valuable.  She became passionate about offering the same to other women.

As one of our surrogate managers, Teresa now supports women becoming surrogates. With a calm nature and strong sense of practicality, she helps them to understand what surrogacy is like and whether it is right for them, as well as guiding them through what they need to consider and put in place so we can make the right match for them.

Prior to working with us, Teresa was a teacher of Business Studies at a further education college.  She has two daughters with her long-time partner and is currently matched with another couple to embark on a second surrogacy journey.

Stephen Ashe

Level-headed, methodical and down to earth, Stephen has a varied background in management and as a police detective. His warmth and generosity in enabling others to achieve their dreams of having children stems from his own surrogacy journey.

Stephen offers support and guidance from start to finish, and ensures that relationships with intended parents, surrogates and their professional partners flourish effectively. He believes passionately in helping to drive surrogacy law reform in the UK.

Stephen has two children through surrogacy in the UK.

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 offers bright optimism to surrogates and intended parents and offers new surrogates guidance and a sensible grounding.

Gemma has one young child and another on the way.

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 one young child.

Laura Clarke

Laura’s warmth and kindness shine through her career as an NHS nurse for over 15 years and now as a client manager with Brilliant Beginnings.  She has a degree in Public Health, has successfully carried two children through surrogacy and is now on her third surrogacy journey.  With her combination of surrogacy and medical experience, she adds practicality and understanding to any journey.  She has two beautiful children of her own and believes passionately in making surrogacy easier.

Kirstie Porter-Smith

Kirstie runs both our offices and supports all our client work, providing invaluable administrative support to the team.

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 she is also knowledgeable about all areas of our work, and is 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.

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.

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.

The NGA Law legal team

NGA Law is the UK’s leading surrogacy law firm, with unparalleled practical experience of managing the legal issues in UK and international surrogacy.  The NGA Law team provides legal advice to our intended parents as part the Brilliant Beginnings service.  As well as giving legal advice about surrogacy in the UK, USA and Canada, the team helps with reviewing documents and any legal questions which arise along the way, as well as wills, immigration processes and parental order applications.  The team is currently:

Natalie Gamble, solicitor

Jade Quirke, solicitor

Kelly Blaxall, paralegal and trainee Legal Executive

Heidi Burrows, paralegal

Nicola Scott

Nicola Scott is a solicitor who specialises in fertility law.  Her passion for creating families through surrogacy began during her law degree in 2004, after which she became the first solicitor to train in a specialist fertility law firm.  She has since dedicated her career to surrogacy and non-traditional family building.

She gives independent legal advice to Brilliant Beginnings surrogates, and helps with preparing their wills.

Jessica Daglish

Since joining us in March 2020, Jess has been keen to learn and support our operations team with the integral work that they do.  Jess has an eye for detail and research, and enjoys facing new challenges. She looks forward to coming to work every day, not only to assist the team, but to support people through their journeys. 

Jess helps with the administration of our client work, liaising with clients and other professional organisations, and supports Kirstie and Rebecca to ensure the smooth running of our offices.