Trustees

Personal Information

I was born and bred in Ipswich and have lived here for almost all of my 30 something years. I have an avid passion for almost all sports, more watching than playing, though I do enjoy playing badminton, tennis and squash. I will quite happily watch almost any sport on TV and can normally convince myself that I am interested! I also volunteer as an Enterprise Adviser in a local Pupil Referral Unit. Perhaps my proudest achievement was trekking the Inca Trail through the Andes as part of a fundraising expedition.

Work / Profession / Skills

I have spent almost all my career in retail, starting as a Saturday boy with Burtons, before working my way up to manage an assortment of different Dorothy Perkins stores. Finally I moved across to BHS and managed both the Ipswich and Colchester stores, responsible for a team of 250 people. Following the company’s sad demise, I moved across to Ipswich Building Society as a Customer Experience Manager, looking after our flagship branch in the town centre and the move across to our new building on the corner of Princes Street and King Street.

Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?

I must confess I had absolutely no real knowledge of homelessness and no knowledge whatsoever of ihAg until joining Ipswich Building Society. There I was fortunate enough to encounter ihAg both as our branch’s nominated charity and also as a couple of my team volunteer with the Chapman Centre. I was incredibly impressed by everyone I encountered and the work they do, and therefore decided to try and get involved in helping out any way I could.

Personal information

I live in one of the many lovely mid-Suffolk villages, with my family and two cats.

We live an active life and love to head out in our VW camper (an ex-AA van called Mr Wendlal) whenever the weather permits. We’ve also been known to travel further afield, visiting family in Kenya and the US.

Work/professional/skills

Since graduating in the 1990’s, I have always held positions in marketing and this experience led me to launch my own marketing consultancy in 2019.

ihAg was one of my first clients and I’m immensely proud of the branding work, web development and literature we created together in 2020.

I believe my background in marketing and relationship management helps ihAg and I can support the management team with ideas as well as helpful contacts within the local community.

Why did I volunteer at ihAg?

After spending time with the team during the branding and web development project, their dedication and enthusiasm for changing people’s lives is contagious. Since the project ended, I have kept up to date with their work and supported them from afar.

I was humbled and honoured to be invited to apply for a trustee position in 2023 and I hope to give back my time and experience to help expand the organisation’s reach.

Personal Information

I have lived in Ipswich for over 30 years and I am overdue in contributing to the local area. 

Work / Profession / Skills

I had a corporate career rising to strategy executive roles in a FTSE100 company and then set up my own consulting business providing expert advice on the telecommunications sector and business mentoring support to scale-up businesses.

In addition to ihAg, I am a trustee at the Raedwald Trust which provides alternative provisions for children who need a different route to education success, and I mentor the CEOs of two national charities through the Kilfinan Group.  I am a non-exec chair of a fair-trade clothing social enterprise and an advisory board member for an agri-tech business.

Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?

I have had the good fortune not to experience being homeless, but I have long felt for those who are. As a society, we can and should do better.  

IhAg does fantastic work here in Ipswich. I hope that as a Trustee I can bring my experience, time and energy to help the team to deliver even more to the local area.

Personal Information

I am born and raised in Ipswich, a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and love reading and watching movies of that genre. I'm also a fan of Comic Books and Comic Book movies, and helped curate an award-winning exhibition and social project based around the costumes from the Blank Panther movie.

I'm also a fan of American football, having followed the sport since childhood and previously played at an amateur level for a decade.

Work / Profession / Skills

I am medically retired after receiving a spinal cord injury which has left me permanently disabled. Before this, I was working as a project worker supporting homeless individuals and helping them towards independent living.

I had previously worked in the Police control room, and also within community engagement, supporting individuals and organisations with community projects. I was actively involved in local politics, serving as a Councillor for a decade, and a term as Mayor of Ipswich.

Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?

I've always been passionate about making a difference in my community, and after my injury stopped me from working, I wanted to find a way to put my skills and knowledge to use. I was familiar with the work of ihAg, and it seemed a logical fit. I'm proud to play my part in the great work ihAg does.