I have worked in both the private and voluntary sectors, with more than 20 years’ experience for charities and over 12 years supporting unpaid carers. My career has given me the opportunity to develop and deliver work across a number of counties including leading services across four London boroughs, providing valuable insight into the different challenges carers face and the importance of local, community-based support.

I joined Carers Support in 2021 and am passionate about delivering high-quality services that help carers feel recognised, valued and supported. As a values-led leader, I am committed to ensuring carers remain at the heart of everything we do and that our services continue to evolve to meet their changing needs.

When I’m not at work, you’ll usually find me spending time with my family and friends, walking my two dogs, reading or watching football.

After training as a Chartered Accountant in accountancy practice, I moved into the charity sector following a life-changing experience when my son became seriously ill with meningitis and was left profoundly deaf. The support my family received during that time inspired me to use my skills in a role that makes a difference to others.

Before joining Carers Support West Sussex, I spent 11 years as Head of Finance at Impact Initiatives, supporting a wide range of community services and projects across Sussex.

My connection to caring is also personal. Looking back, both my grandmother and my mum were carers for loved ones, although we never thought of them in that way at the time. Through my work with Carers Support West Sussex, I have come to appreciate the enormous contribution unpaid carers make every day, not only to their families but to the wider health and social care system.

Outside of work, I am a keen runner, love live music and going to gigs and festivals, and enjoy walking my dog on the South Downs.

I have worked for the NHS for over 24 years, specialising in ensuring the voices and experience of those that use NHS services, and their carers, are sought, heard and effectively influence change and improvement. I’m particularly passionate about ensuring the involvement of some of our most marginalised people and communities in local health services. I left the NHS in October 2024, taking up a role in Brighton and Sussex Medical School as a lecturer- educating the clinical leaders of the future!

I am a carer for my mum; whilst in my NHS role I was proud to champion the important role of carers across my work and the local health and care partners, and to see the great work of this amazing organisation.  I am delighted to now become a Trustee, and look forward to using my knowledge, skills and experience to support the charity in the future.

In my spare time, I enjoy musical theatre, visiting museums and gardens, doing my own gardening and looking after my two granddaughters who keep  me on my toes!

It’s a privilege to become a trustee of CSWS – a Charity doing such remarkable work on behalf of the thousands of unpaid carers of West Sussex.

My background is in the travel industry, where I led sales teams for various airlines and cruise lines, including Virgin Atlantic and P&O Cruises. For the last 20 years I have been a volunteer and then an employee at a homelessness charity in Sussex, specialising in drug and alcohol work as part of their outreach team. Since 2018 I have looked after fundraising, partnerships and income generation in order to keep the Charity thriving. Our success has been based on building and nurturing strong relationships across the community. I hope that some of this experience can be useful on the trustee board at CSWS.

I spend free time holidaying with my wife, playing football and tennis (badly), enjoying time with my 3 children and 3 little granddaughters, and watching the great Crystal Palace FC.

I always thought that when I retired from full time work, I’d have lots of time to enjoy myself, of course, but also take up some opportunities to contribute to the work of some of the fantastic organisations on my doorstep in Sussex. Life took a different turn when my husband John had a major stroke while we were on holiday in Wales, just a few months into my retirement. I’m now a registered carer, grateful for the support and resources available through Carers Support West Sussex, but also intent on continuing to contribute and enjoy life.

I’ve spent my life working in health and social care services with a strong emphasis on volunteering as a way to get things done and make sometimes radical changes to improve services. I’ve enjoyed director roles in UK wide charitable organisations with hundreds of staff and thousands of volunteers and latterly was a hospice chief executive. Supporting families and carers through illness, death and into a different future is a particular focus for me.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the talented and experienced board of trustees, staff and volunteers of Carers Support West Sussex and look forward to being able to learn from them as well as share some ideas of my own.

I am a resident of West Sussex and live with my elderly parents. As a carer, I wanted to support Carers Support West Sussex as a Trustee since I appreciate the joys and challenges that caring can bring and how the right support can make all the difference.

I am a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). In my professional life I have focused mostly on internal audit, risk management, governance and controls, largely in the Financial Services sector both in the UK and overseas. I have also worked for a charity supporting the homeless in East London. I am currently a Trustee and Treasurer for CancerWise, a local charity based in Chichester which supports adults and children living with cancer by providing counselling, support group, social and complementary therapy services. It is very rewarding to see the difference this can make for people on an often difficult journey.

I have also spent many years volunteering with a charity to take children and adults living with disabilities on holiday to France, providing one-on-one care for them and giving families some respite back at home. This gave me a real appreciation for carers and it has been a truly formative and life-enhancing experience for me.

I love living in West Sussex and enjoying everything the county has to offer. I am really delighted to have the opportunity to join Carers Support West Sussex, and I am looking forward to contributing to their valuable work in any way that I can.

I am an experienced IT professional with over three decades of diverse experience in both enterprise and SME organisations within Finance, Technology and Professional Service sectors. I am used to working with complex systems to deliver business objectives, ensuring business outcomes, and driving innovation and efficiencies. As a business strategist, I am excited about what we can achieve in Carers Support West Sussex and the difference we can make to the lives of unpaid carers.

My goal is to make sure that we do that safely and effectively for everyone. Three out of five us will at some time be an unpaid carer and my role as a Trustee is to support the Charity to make a difference to those people.

I am excited to have joined a dedicated and compassionate team.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I enjoy cycling and skiing when I can, am a keen sports fan and enjoy following cricket, football, rugby and motor sports.

I am a member of the Board of Trustees which is responsible for ensuring that the charity operates properly and effectively. I take a lead on financial aspects of the charity on behalf of the other board of trustees.

The role and positive impact of unpaid carers is huge but largely hidden from view. I believe CSWS has a critical role in supporting carers; giving them a strong voice and influencing how services for carers are designed and run. Like many families, mine has carers looking after elderly relatives with dementia, long-term conditions and life-limiting illnesses. I have worked for the NHS for over 30 years and held several senior finance posts across London, Kent and Sussex.

I enjoy watching sport, paddle boarding, gardening and reading golden-age crime novels.

I became a Trustee of Carers Support West Sussex in 2021 as I wanted to support a charity benefitting my local community, whilst also supporting a cause very close to my heart.

I have experience being a carer to close family members affected by learning disabilities and dementia, and have many friends in unpaid caring roles. So I’m very aware of the important contribution unpaid carers make and the challenges they face. Carers Support West Sussex makes such a difference to help people in their caring roles, providing vital information and support.

I bring over 20 years’ senior leadership experience in the charity sector with significant experience of governance, compliance, HR, finance, safeguarding and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with family and friends, making the most of the nearby coast or walking in the South Downs.

I was delighted to join the team at CSWS in 2018, having known the Charity for a number of years, and admired and respected the work which they do. I became Vice-Chairman in 2021.

My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease at around the time that I joined, and I have since become a registered carer for him.

My family business is in Funeral directing, another caring profession and I hold a non-executive role. My career has been spent in local politics and public service. I held a variety of roles across all tiers of local government with a primary interest in health and social care, in which I hold a professional qualification. I also served as Chairman of an NHS Trust and worked with a range of charities and voluntary organisations.

I joined the charity in 2016 to use my Board and management expertise and skills to give something back to society.

I ensure there is a clear purpose, vision, strategy for, and proper governance of, the charity. My wife and I have been voluntary helpers and befrienders for elderly vulnerable people in the community for many years – making regular visits and phone calls, helping with errands and shopping, and trying to alleviate loneliness during lockdown.

This has been rewarding and life-enhancing for me. I have held senior Group HR Director roles at The Rank Organisation, Gala Coral Group, Inspiring Learning, and other organisations. I moved into HR Consultancy and Executive Coaching in 2009 and ensure a proportion of my work is in the Third sector. I am a Trustee Board Director of two FTSE Pension Schemes, Chair of a Gibraltar Pension scheme and a Mentor for students with Momentum Mentoring at the University of Brighton.

I live in Kemp Town with my wife, have two grown up children, three grandchildren and am a keen animator, cyclist, and Harlequins Rugby FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC supporter.

I trained and worked as a nurse in Brighton and after time off to bring up my family, I returned to work in a charity as a volunteer and then managed carer support teams across multiple counties and boroughs before working here at Carers Support.

Knowing our work makes a real difference to friend and family carers across the county is particularly important to me.

My children, grandson and husband, my three dogs, and cat are important parts of my life. I enjoy music and theatre. I love travelling and visiting cities, especially in Italy.