Emma Pears

Emma is the Founder and CEO of SELFA Children’s Charity based in North Yorkshire, supporting over 700 children and young people each year. Over the past two decades she has campaigned on a range of issues, including improving access to services for families in rural communities and championing children and young people’s mental health. This work is deeply informed by her own experience as a parent of a child with mental health support needs and emotionally based school avoidance.

Originally from Belfast, Emma studied Business and Finance at Ulster University before moving to Yorkshire to work for the national charity Mencap. She later transitioned into the public sector before founding SELFA in 2007.

Emma is an ILM-qualified Coach and Mentor through Leeds Beckett University, a West Yorkshire NHS Health Equity Fellow, a Media Spokesperson for the Sound Delivery Network, and a 2026 Acumen Fellow.