Trustees

I have been a Director/Trustee of Crossroads Care Surrey since March 2018. I have witnessed first-hand the excellent services it provides to those in Surrey and I wish to continue to support the executive and fellow trustees in delivering an exciting vision for the future.

I have worked in the charity sector for more than 30 years. The last 13 as a Chief Executive or Chief Operating Officer. I have used my strategic and change management skills to guide my current organisation through a period of major transition and these skills will be beneficial for Crossroads. In addition, I have raised more than £100m through various fundraising campaigns and hope to support Crossroads in increasing its fundraising income streams.

I am currently chairman of trustees of the Young Lives Foundation in Kent, a charity which is facing similar challenges.

With the growing carer population in the UK, more pressure will be placed on those who selflessly provide this critical service. I am indeed most privileged to serve as a Trustee and Treasurer on the Board of Crossroads.

I moved away from the world of international banking, which has provided me with some skills that I can apply in this role. Originally from South Africa, I served on boards of charities there, structured to care for children and adults with learning disabilities for more than 10 years.
I have served as a past vice chair and chair of the finance committee of Aspens Charities, caring for adults with learning disabilities and those on the autistic spectrum.

Coupled with my commercial background, I am also a non-practicing barrister. I am married to Margaret and have two adult children. Andrew has a learning disability, and my daughter Megan is an architect.

Recently retired, I have worked in a variety of NHS organisations as a senior executive, Chief Finance Officer and Chief Executive. I also have experience of working at the Department of Health and Social Care and immediately prior to retiring I spent nearly 5 years with Hamad Health Corporation, the largest provider of health and social care in Qatar. Since retiring I have been a tutor and a volunteer at a COVID vaccination centre.

I am married with two adult children and have lived in Surrey for over 30 years. As a family we have experience of caring for elderly relatives with dementia and others with long term health conditions. My wife who has also retired was a Diabetes Specialist Nurse and has returned to help with the COVID and flu vaccination program.

I am retired now but during my working life I worked for British Aerospace in procurement. I have two hobbies which are gardening and swimming.

I undertake voluntary work for the following organisations:

Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network – I serve as a Patient Experience Ambassador.

I am the co-chair for Surrey Coalition of Disabled People and I mentor many executives for NHS Surrey Heartlands.

I believe in fairness and well-being of all carers of any age, paid or unpaid. I think I can bring experience and knowledge to the board of trustees having a wealth of experience commercially and also from my experience working in the voluntary sector, in particular working with Surrey Chief Executives.

With the UK Government increasingly leaving care to local communities to support and fund, Crossroads will become a bigger and more vital support organisation for Surrey. The demand for good quality care will increase substantially the coming years and therefore support for organisations such as Crossroads are extremely important.

I joined Crossroads as a Trustee in early 2021. I have had a long career in Shell International, spanning many senior and executive positions globally and at various countries’ level. Since leaving Shell 10 years ago, I started a new successful company in The Netherlands and more recently, am advising young entrepreneurs and boards of a number of small start-ups (tech and other). My business experience can help Crossroads at the commercial fund raising end particularly, and help the management team define strategy with a renewed focus on community based fund raising and awareness.

I am originally from The Netherlands but have lived in Surrey since 1997. I am married to Wendy who is South African and have two adult children, one a singer songwriter and the other a Solicitor.

I joined Crossroads as a Trustee in 2019 and with a background in business and finance, became part of the Finance Committee.

As a management accountant, my career in both large and small enterprises took me to Asia and continental Europe. My husband and I eventually settled in Surrey and brought up our children here. In 2008 my father was diagnosed with dementia and my grandmother also needed care. I experienced first-hand the difficulties of caring for elderly relatives whilst bringing up my own children. The story is one experienced by many families who are helped by Crossroads. This experience helped me understand and appreciate the vital role that Crossroads staff play in the lives of many people and I am glad to be able to play a small part in that.

I have always been involved in the local community having been a School governor, a Trustee of St Nicolas Church and Bookham United Charities.

I am a certified and experienced operational excellence manager and a doctoral candidate in operational excellence at the University of Buckingham. With core expertise and qualification in continuous improvement, I have been consulted by directors, managers, and frontline staff in leading strategically relevant and structured improvements of real business value. With many years of experience in leading transformation programmes and projects in service and manufacturing environments in the United Kingdom and across Europe, I have developed deep expertise in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating quality risks and building technical and social innovations for process improvement.

Having had first-hand experience of unsupported carers, I joined Crossroads Care Surrey as a Trustee in the Governance and the Quality Assurance committees. This allows gives me the privilege to support the essential humanitarian services offered by Carer Support Workers (CSWs), Volunteers, Managers, Staff, and Trustees of this charity.

I have lived in Surrey since August 2020, and I am glad to contribute to the further development of the communities within the county as a Trustee of Surrey Crossroads Care.

I am delighted to join Crossroads Care Surrey. Originally from New Zealand my background spans over 40 years of nursing and midwifery across five countries with over 20 of those in senior NHS management. I am passionate about quality and safety in healthcare and am currently working as Head of Quality and Governance with a Surrey GP Federation.

I believe the values I have held as important throughout my career are similar to those held by Crossroads Care Surrey, with a focus on individuals, dignity and safety and seeking to improve the quality of life for others.

I briefly lived in Surrey in the 1980s and moved back with my partner in 2013.  I have an adult son and enjoy gardening, orienteering and choral singing as pastimes.