Who We Are
Founded on the belief that everyone deserves a second chance, Liberatus bridges the gap between criminal conviction and meaningful employment.
Our Founding Story
Liberatus was founded by Sushovan Hussain, former Chief Financial Officer of Autonomy plc and founding partner of the technology investment firm Invoke Capital.
During a period of federal custody in the United States he saw first-hand how purposeful work drives successful reintegration.
On release he committed his second career to constructing labour-market infrastructure in which a conviction is treated not as an indelible stigma but as a starting point for rehabilitation.
Our Operational Philosophy
Liberatus positions itself squarely between employer and applicant, absorbing the administrative load and perceived risk that frequently deters companies from second-chance hiring.
Bridge, Not Barrier
We sit between employer and candidate, absorbing administrative and perceived risk.
Temporary to Permanent
Once a worker has completed twelve weeks in the same post, UK Agency Regulations grant pay and conditions parity, making conversion to a permanent contract simple and affordable.
Data-Driven Matching
A secure, AI-assisted matching engine aligns vocational skills, accredited qualifications, geographic availability, and empirically derived risk assessments to identify suitable roles
With 12.3 million people in England and Wales having a criminal record, there is a huge untapped talent pool filled with a wide range of skills and experience. Our assignments are explicitly temporary, encouraging a straightforward conversion to direct employment after successful placements.
Leadership & Governance
Led by experienced professionals committed to social impact and systemic change.
Sushovan Hussain
Founder
Sushovan was the Chief Financial Officer of Autonomy plc for 11 years. Together with the late Mike Lynch, and the former Autonomy management, he was a founding member of Invoke Capital, a technology focussed investment company that, in 2003, founded Darktrace plc. Darktrace was floated on the London Stock Exchange in May 2021 and was recently sold for £4.4 billion. Invoke also founded Luminance Limited and invested in start-ups such as Sophia Genetics and Featurespace. Based on his experiences as a finance chief, an entrepreneur and from the time he spent in prison, his second life is to start a social impact company, Liberatus Corporation, dedicated to investing in new and existing businesses that employ ex-offenders in meaningful numbers.
Nicole Lee-Christie
Chief Executive Officer
Nicole is a seasoned business development leader with over 20 years of experience growing teams, driving strategy, and delivering results across global organizations. Her career includes roles at Darktrace, ServiceNow (formerly Attivio), HP Autonomy, Bupa, and BT. At Darktrace, she led the buildout of its global business development function, scaling teams across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. In the latter part, her focus was on the EMEA region, building teams, strengthening partnerships and expanding market reach. Nicole’s entrepreneurial mindset shines through both in corporate settings and independent ventures. She approaches challenges with creativity, resilience, and a people-first perspective. Now as CEO of Libertus Corp, she’s turning her focus to social impact—supporting ex-offenders through employment and reintegration. Her mission is to create meaningful second chances and foster inclusive growth through employement.
Liberatus is constituted as a social-impact corporation.
Pilot Scheme – Testing the Model
Before expanding nationwide, Liberatus will run a controlled pilot headquartered in Cambridge to verify the commercial viability and the criminological efficacy of agency-led, temporary employment for those with a criminal record.
Operational Parameters
Over a period of X months, we aim to register X candidates with convictions and place them with X regional employers in sectors such as logistics, hospitality, facilities management, and manufacturing. Each participant will receive at least one placement offer.
Evaluation Metrics
| Indicator | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Registrations | X | In Progress |
| Placements Commenced | X | In Progress |
| Conversions to Permanent | X | In Progress |
| Six-month Retention | ≥X% | In Progress |