Carolyn Sims

Banking Director

Carolyn began her banking career with National Westminster Bank before moving on to MLA Bank Limited where she had responsibility for property investment and development lending.

After Dexia Public Finance acquired MLA Bank in the early 1990’s, Carolyn went on to become responsible for the bank’s social housing activities. She arranged finance for the first housing PFI scheme and also worked on project finance and limited recourse financing deals.

Carolyn is a trustee of a number of charities.

Peter Hughes

Regional Manager, Midlands

Peter is our Regional Manager covering the Midlands with responsibility for the development of the bank’s support to Charities, Civil Society organisations and Social Enterprises in the area.

Peter joined Charity Bank in 2007, he has worked in the banking sector for over 30 years where he has been a relationship manager primarily involved with the organisations who operate in the social economy.

Peter is a trustee of one charity.

In his spare time he enjoys walks with the family’s dogs in the countryside.

Julie Evans

Lending Manager

Julie joined Charity Bank in June 2014, working with charities and social enterprises to secure loans. She works with organisations in London and the South.

Lisa Gilbert

Loans Administration Officer

Lisa is responsible for the administration of Charity Bank’s portfolio of loans after they are approved. She helps guide and assist the bank’s charitable borrowers through the loan process and assumes responsibility for the team in the absence of the Head of Loans Administration.

Lisa has over twenty five years of banking experience. She spent most of her career in management positions for the Woolwich and Barclays.

Prior to joining the Charity Bank in 2010, Lisa was Woolwich Operations Manager for Barclays responsible for all Woolwich account back office processing and a team of over 200 playing an integral role in the migration of Woolwich customers into Barclays the Woolwich.

Sharon Gooch

Deal Manager

Sharon joined Charity Bank in June 2015 after taking a short career break to spend time with her children.

Prior to joining Charity Bank, she worked for Barclays. She has spent the last 15 years working in corporate finance risk, specialising in structured project finance and managing real estate, PFI/PPP and renewable energy assets.

Sharon’s role at Charity Bank is to assist borrowers to draw down their loan, following its approval, as seamlessly as possible.

Sharon says: “It is fantastic to have found an opportunity at Charity Bank to draw on my experience in finance to help others make a difference in our communities.”

Stacey Goodrich

Loans Administration Assistant

Stacey joined Charity Bank in April 2017 after working for 18 years in high volume administrative and customer-focused roles within different industries including travel, hospitality and care.

Stacey is responsible for assisting Charity Bank’s Loan Officers with administrative duties in the Loans department. She says: “I’m passionate about working with a team of people for a bank that does good for charities and social enterprises.”

Debbie Harmsworth

Loans Administration Manager

Debbie joined Charity Bank after 23 years with a high street bank.

A relocation to Kent prompted her decision to move outside of mainstream banking and she has not looked back on that decision, enjoying the satisfaction which comes from knowing the work she is doing is helping other people.

In her spare time Debbie enjoys sailing and skiing.

Mark Herbert

Banking Officer

Mark started his banking career spending 15 years with NatWest Bank, before moving on to Unity Trust Bank. During his eight years at Unity Trust he worked with the charity and social economy sectors providing banking and advice services.

A five-year spell at the Co-operative Bank then followed where Mark worked with several the UK’s largest charities in its Charity and Social Enterprise team. Mark played a key role in establishing a loan fund for Responsible Finance Providers in conjunction with Unity Trust and the Regional Growth Fund.

Away from work Mark is a qualified youth football coach.

Mark says, “Having joined Charity Bank in early 2017, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with and supporting charities and social enterprises.”

Jeremy Ince

Regional Manager, North

Jeremy joined the Charity Bank team in 2008 as Lending Manager, bringing with him over 20 years of business experience after a successful career across a range of senior management roles with one on the major high street banks.

He is passionate about the community and voluntary sector and uses his skills to assist organisations help evaluate the benefits of social finance as part of their funding mix.

In addition to his work with Charity Bank, Jeremy is trustee of a major youth charity in Yorkshire. As such he is acutely aware of the funding challenges and opportunities organisations face in the delivery of their mission.

Martin McCarthy

Regional Manager, Northern Ireland

Martin joined Charity Bank in January 2018 and is our Regional Manager in Northern Ireland. A Graduate in Banking and Finance from University of Ulster, Martin spent more than 30 years with AIB Group/First Trust Bank in various locations around Northern Ireland and in a variety of roles including Customer Relationship Management and Lending Manager. While at First Trust he chaired the Staff Charity Committee which had a number of very successful fundraising partnership with local charities.

In the voluntary sector Martin is a Director of Building Change Trust where he is a Board member and Chair of the Finance sub-committee. Martin also chairs his local church Finance Committee.

In his spare time, he describes himself as a music aficionado, and a sideline consultant for his youngest son’s football team.

Sue Potter

Loans Administrator

Sue is responsible for guiding and assisting Charity Bank’s borrowers through the loan process from sanction of the loan to drawdown, ensuring the process is as smooth as possible.

Sue has over 29 years’ previous experience in the banking industry building her varied career with NatWest. Sue’s expertise lies with lending; “I feel joining Charity Bank has been very rewarding, enabling my wealth of knowledge to be put to use in an ethical banking environment.”

Tim Preston

Lending Manager

Tim spent the first 33 years of his banking career at NatWest before joining Charity Bank in February 2017.

Tim says; “I’m excited to be using my experience as a Senior Relationship Manager assisting charities and social enterprises in London and the South East to achieve their financial goals.”

In his spare time, Tim enjoys attending the London NFL games and spending time with his family and two grandsons.

Adam Ruffinato

National Lending Manager

Adam is our Senior Lending Manager covering the whole of the UK, with a particular interest in helping our customers with more complex or specialist borrowing needs.

Prior to joining Charity Bank in 2015, Adam worked at Unity Trust Bank for 7 years specialising in banking provision and lending to charities and social enterprises. His most recent role was Head of Social Economy.

In his spare time he enjoys cooking, going to the gym, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Chris Strang

Regional Manager, Eastern

Chris has over thirty years’ experience in banking. He has worked in structured loan origination, credit approval and portfolio management, with a focus on the financing of social infrastructure projects, property, renewables and transportation.

Prior to joining Charity Bank, Chris spent 17 years with a Japanese bank, latterly heading teams involved in compliance, governance and portfolio management, whilst also running the bank’s UK infrastructure fund unit.

Chris has always sought to participate actively in the charity and voluntary sector and sits on the committees of a number of local charities.

He says: “While I have always endeavoured to work in areas of banking where ethics matter, I find the passion and drive of Charity Bank staff to make sure that the customers’ wellbeing is paramount, a refreshing and motivating experience.”

Bernie Teggart

Lending Manager

Bernie joined the Charity Bank team as a Lending Manager in December 2017, having spent ten years at the forefront of Business and Corporate Banking in Ulster Bank Limited (Part of the RBS group).

During her career at Ulster Bank she has managed a large portfolio of high net worth corporate and property customers both as a Manager in the Business Banking NI team before moving across to the Capital Resolution/Global Restructuring team.

Bernie has significant experience in corporate and property lending, restructuring and capital resolution.

Simon Thorrington

Regional Manager, North West and Scotland

Simon is our Regional Manager in the North West and Scotland having been with the bank since 2006.

His working life began with a 15 year career in lending with Midland Bank, followed by a further 15 years in the charity sector, working for a large faith charity and then establishing two new charities in the region involved in regeneration, and in the provision of support and accommodation for homeless people.

Simon is a trustee of two charities and has a passion for helping charities to realise their full potential, ultimately to serve their beneficiaries. His hobbies include fell-walking, running, listening to and playing music, and spending time with his growing family.

Chris Tweedie

Regional Manager

Chris has been in banking for 30 years.

Before moving to Charity Bank, she managed a customer portfolio of small and medium sized businesses, providing support, guidance and a range of funding options. In addition, she specialises in finance for social and affordable housing providers.

In her spare time, Chris enjoys travelling and walking in our beautiful countryside.

Justin Hort

Head of Savings

Justin spent sixteen years of his banking career with National Westminster Bank where he led teams with the responsibility for meeting the savings needs of businesses and charities. While at National Westminster Bank he arranged sponsorship for Lashings All-Stars to support its fundraising in support of local cricket clubs, schools and charities through legends cricket matches.

Justin joined Charity Bank in December 2014 where he has developed suites of deposit accounts for private individuals, businesses and charities that can be applied for online. These accounts allow the banks savers to earn a fair return and support the extraordinary work of charities and social enterprises across the UK.

Claire Springett

Savings Manager

Claire joined Charity Bank in 2013 following nine years in a small family run financial services firm. In this time she gained the key skills for a role in the Savings Team.

An ambition to further her career in alternative financial services brought her to Charity Bank. Claire is passionate about supporting people who save with the bank and keeping their best interests at heart.

Nikki Goodrich

Savings Officer

Nikki joined Charity Bank in January 2015 after working for the high street bank Santander for eight years. Within Santander she did various roles which ranged from cashiering and personal banking to service and control manager which focussed on customer service and risk and controls.

She decided to leave mainstream banking as she felt that it was more about sales and targets rather than doing what was right for the customer. She is passionate about providing good customer service and is happy to now be working for a company that puts savers at the heart of its mission.

Philippa Calver

Savings Officer

Since 1979 Philippa has been employed in financial and customer services roles, ranging from city banks to international banking in HK.

return to the UK in 1993 Philippa began a career in the charitable sector when she joined CAF working for CafCash which later became CAF Bank. After 13 years service Philippa joined Charity Bank in the role of Deposits Administrator in 2005.

Coming to work is a pleasure, says Philippa as I have the best of all worlds; enjoying the personal contact with clients, working with figures and knowing that Charity Bank is making a difference.

Andrea Collard

Savings Administrator

Andrea joined Charity Bank in March 2017 as Saving Administrator after working for a major high street bank. She has 30 years’ experience in various customer service and real estate finance support roles.

Andrea says, “joining the Charity Bank family has been a breath of fresh air, with everyone focused on doing the right thing for the customer and the local communities they serve.”

Ben Hale

Savings Support

Ben has been with Charity Bank since 2014, first as the Office Administrator, then as a receptionist and most recently as Savings Support. He is the youngest member of the Charity Bank team, and says he is proud to be learning the ropes at a bank for good.

In his spare time Ben can be found playing football and reading fantasy novels.

Nick Murray

Savings Administrator

Nick joined the Charity Bank team as a Savings Administrator in March 2018, having worked in the Banking and Finance industry for over 30 years. He has spent the last 16 years working for The Royal Bank of Scotland Group in various customer service roles, including working with a portfolio of Charities, Housing Associations and Social Enterprises.

Nick says: "I was pleased to accept the role at Charity Bank as it offers a refreshing approach to Banking."

Malcolm Elliott

Deputy Chief Executive

Malcolm joined Charity Bank as Deputy CEO in September 2012 and was appointed a Board Executive Director in January 2014.

Malcolm’s career has been mainly in risk and regulatory roles, initially in banking at RBS and Chase Manhattan, followed by a period in banking supervision at the FSA where he was involved with the authorisation of Charity Bank in 2002. He has also spent time working in the insurance sector holding positions as Risk Director with Legal & General, in its Mortgage Distribution Company and in its Wealth Management division, before joining Just Retirement as its Head of Risk Reporting.

Malcolm was also a co-opted member of Charity Bank’s Audit and Compliance Committee between 2003 and 2009. He is a Trustee of Allergy UK.

Gillian Howell

Finance Director

Gillian worked closely with Charity Bank in 2009, covering a number of line and project roles. In February 2016 Gillian was appointed Acting Finance Director.

A Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants body, Gillian has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector. She has covered a diverse range of roles from Management, Financial and Strategic accounting through to large scale Programme Management for a range of banks and financial institutions including Deutche Bank, Bankers Trust, Mitsubishi Finance Dean Witter and GT Asset Management.

Since moving into ethical finance, she has used her skills to support Charity Bank’s banking for good model, using finance to support charities and social enterprises across the UK.

Caspar Mackay

Head of Credit

Caspar started his career at HSBC as an International Manager, working for seven years in a variety of commercial and retail banking roles in Asia and the Middle East.

After graduating from INSEAD with distinction, he founded and managed a retail business which he sold in late 2009.

Caspar worked for over four years for Big Issue Invest Limited, before joining Charity Bank in June 2014.

Caspar was made Head of Credit and became an Executive Director of Charity Bank in February 2015.

Carolyn Sims

Banking Director

Carolyn began her banking career with National Westminster Bank before moving on to MLA Bank Limited where she had responsibility for property investment and development lending.

After Dexia Public Finance acquired MLA Bank in the early 1990’s, Carolyn went on to become responsible for the bank’s social housing activities. She arranged finance for the first housing PFI scheme and also worked on project finance and limited recourse financing deals.

She then worked for the Charities Aid Foundation briefly in 2005 in its business development team before joining Charity Bank in October 2005.

Carolyn is a trustee / treasurer of a number of charities.

George Blunden

Chairman

George joined Charity Bank as Chair in May 2010. His full-time career has ranged from adventure playgrounds to investment banking and fund management. He retired as senior vice president and director from AllianceBernstein Ltd in December 2009. He had previously been chief executive of Union plc; a director of SG Warburg Securities, Seccombe, Marshall and Campion plc; and a non-executive director of Meridian Investment Performance Services.

George is the senior independent director of the insurer, Beazley Plc. In addition, he has always been involved in charitable activities, social housing in particular. He was the Chair of Southern Housing Group from 1993 to 2006 and is now Chair of Stonewater.

Robin Budenberg CBE

Non-Executive Director

Robin joined Charity Bank in February 2015 as a Non-Executive Director. Robin is London Chairman of Centerview Partners, a US based corporate advisory firm and is also a Non-Executive Director of The Big Society Trust.

Robin was previously Chief Executive and subsequently Chairman of UK Financial Investments, the body responsible for managing the Government's investments in the UK banking industry.

Before that, Robin spent 25 years with S G Warburg/UBS advising major UK companies on strategy and corporate transactions. He also advised the UK Government on a number of issues, including the 2008 bailout of the banks.

Robin holds a degree in Law from Exeter University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse.

Mike Crabb

Non-Executive Director

Mike was appointed as a non-executive director in January 2017. He has been an advisor to the Charity Bank board credit committee since June 2014.

Mike recently retired from Standard Bank where he served as Chief Executive of Standard Merchant Bank (Asia) Ltd., based in Singapore, and also managed the bank's principal investment management portfolio.

He has a wide experience of corporate and investment banking having previously been the head of origination in Europe for CIBC World Markets, and of coverage for Standard Bank globally. As well as the business development side, he has also sat on risk committees for both institutions and managed several large recoveries. Mike has worked in the Middle East, Asia and UK.

Malcolm Elliott

Executive Director

Malcolm joined Charity Bank as Deputy CEO in September 2012 and was appointed a Board Executive Director in January 2014.

Malcolm’s career has been mainly in risk and regulatory roles, initially in banking at RBS and Chase Manhattan, followed by a period in banking supervision at the FSA where he was involved with the authorisation of Charity Bank in 2002. He has also spent time working in the insurance sector holding positions as Risk Director with Legal & General, in its Mortgage Distribution Company and in its Wealth Management division, before joining Just Retirement as its Head of Risk Reporting.

Malcolm was also a co-opted member of Charity Bank’s Audit and Compliance Committee between 2003 and 2009. He is a Trustee of Allergy UK.

David Godfrey CBE

Non-Executive Director

David Godfrey was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank in August 2013.

David recently retired from his position as Chief Executive of UK Export Finance (ECGD). Prior to taking up the role of CEO, David had been Chief Risk Officer at Pension Insurance Corporation, a speciality insurer of defined benefit pension schemes.

He has extensive experience of corporate banking and insurance, having held posts as Head of Risk for the Wholesale Banking Division at Lloyds Banking Group from 2009 to 2011 and as a member of the Executive Board of Swiss Re. At Swiss Re he was also Chief Risk Officer for the Financial Services Group.

David has also held positions with JP Morgan in London and New York and prior to that, with Bankers Trust Company.

Sir John Low CBE

Non-Executive Director

John is Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and became a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank in February 2011.

Before joining CAF, John was Chief Executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), the national charity for deaf and hard of hearing people. John is also an Independent Member of Council at City University of London.

John moved to the voluntary sector after pursuing a twenty year career in the technology industry.

He holds a PhD in Bio-Medical Physics, is a Chartered Engineer, a Companion of the Institute of Management and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. John was awarded a CBE for services to the voluntary sector and to deaf people in 2008 and Knighted in 2017 for charitable services. He was previously an Independent Member of the House of Lords Appointments Commission, Chair of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and President of the Euclid Network of European social entrepreneurs and civil society leaders.

Sara Llewellin

Non-Executive Director

Sara became a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank in August 2010.

She is Chief Executive of the Barrow Cadbury Trust, a philanthropic grant making foundation working in the fields of public policy and social justice and one of the charitable trusts pioneering social investments. She is on the Governing Council of the European Foundation Centre, the membership body of European Foundations, and is Vice-Chair of the Association of Charitable Foundations.

Sara has had a 35 year career in the not-for-profit sector.

She was previously at the City of London’s City Bridge Trust and before that was Chief Executive of St Giles Trust in South London. She has served on Futurebuilders England’s investment committee and on several lottery boards.

Sara’s roots are in social justice activism. She is a Freeman of the City of London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mary O'Connor

Non-Executive Director

Mary O’Connor was appointed a Non-Executive Director in August 2014.

She is currently the Global Head of Financial Institutions at the Willis Group, with responsibility for Willis’ worldwide practice in relation to all financial services clients. Her role encompasses the development of Willis’ strategy and value proposition, and the delivery of innovative risk management and broking services through Willis’ global network. As a leading expert on risk and regulation, Mary has advised clients on all aspects of risk, regulation and financial crime.

Mary’s work at Willis on capital market issues addresses the interplay of capital markets and insurance. This includes the role of capital market products such as derivatives in replacing insurance (and vice versa), the role of credit insurance solutions in obtaining capital relief, the use of insurance derivatives and other related products, and alternative finance areas such as crowd-funding.

Mary is a former Executive member of the Board of Directors of Willis Limited and a member of the world Economic Forum Project in Accelerating Capital markets development, and C5’s European Anti-Corruption Board.

Mary has held senior positions in government in the UK and the US. She joined Willis from the UK Financial Services Authority where she was Group Head of Risk and Compliance. She also served as Head of Approved Persons there, with responsibility for overseeing regulation of executives and client-facing staff working in financial services in the UK. Mary was also a manager in the Enforcement and Financial Crime Division, where she successfully led high-profile investigations into LIBOR-rigging and obtained record-breaking fines against firms and individuals.

Prior to her time at the FSA, Mary was a partner at a major US law firm in London, and an Assistant US Attorney in Washington, DC, where she reported to the current Attorney General, Eric Holder. As a securities litigator she prosecuted numerous market abuse and insider trading cases.

Mary is a dual-qualified U.S. and U.K. Lawyer. She speaks regularly on diversity issues and is active in the International Women’s Federation, Senior Women in Insurance and the Association of Professional Working Parents.

Anna Shiel

Non-Executive Director

Anna Shiel was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank in April 2014.

Anna is currently Senior Investment Director at Big Society Capital. Big Society Capital is an independent financial institution with a social mission, set up to help grow the social investment market, so that charities and social enterprises who want to borrow money, or take on investment, can access the finance they need to do more.

Before joining Big Society Capital in 2012, Anna was a Director in Merrill Lynch’s Financial Institutions Group with responsibility for UK financial sector coverage. She spent twelve years at Merrill Lynch, providing strategic advice to banks, insurers and asset managers and working on an extensive range of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and IPOs.

Kate Sayer

Non-Executive Director

Kate became a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank in January 2015.

She says: “When I started to work with charities and not-for-profits it was like coming home. I love working in a sector where I share the values of my clients and I can truly commit myself.”

Kate is a Chartered Accountant, with a Diploma in Charity Accounting awarded by the ICAEW and Cass Business School. She is also a visiting lecturer at Cass Business School for courses in charity finance. Kate has extensive knowledge and experience of governance, law, VAT and tax law relating to charities, risk issues and implementing strategies. She is a regular expert speaker at conferences and helps not-for-profit organisations improve their performance.

As a member of the Charity Commission SORP Review Committee, Kate works to develop the standards for charity accounting, and she is an active member of the Charity Tax Group, helping the campaign for fairer taxation of charities. Kate has written several popular books on charity finance, including A Practical Guide to Financial Management for Charities.

Kate is a non-executive director of Development Initiatives Poverty Research, a not-for-profit company that conducts research into global funding and effectiveness of international aid. She is also a governor and Chairman of the Audit Committee at Cheltenham College.

Toby Walter

Non-Executive Director

Toby became a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank in December 2016.

Toby is currently Home Insurance Director at Lloyds Banking Group (‘LBG’), where he has led a transformation of the Home Insurance business across LBG’s multiple brands and distribution channels increasing market share and improving customer service.

Prior to this, Toby was Director of LBG’s Chief Executive Office where he provided support and counsel to the CEO during a period of significant restructuring and turnaround of the bank to profitability, dividends and selling government owned shares.

Toby is a Chartered Accountant and has extensive banking experience, having held leadership positions across private equity, leveraged finance, portfolio management, corporate banking, digital, treasury and trading. Toby is an active fundraiser, enjoys mentoring social entrepreneurs and is a keen participant in his local community through managing and coaching rugby teams.