Trustees of Citizens Advice Shropshire

Chris has lived in Shropshire for 24 years. He is now retired but spent 30 years in the social housing sector was Director of Operations for a Herefordshire based housing association where he had responsibility for strategy, policy development and the performance of key business functions including housing management services, supported housing, building maintenance, stock investment and business development. He managed annual revenue budgets of c£6 million, a team of 50+ staff and a development programme of up to 80 new homes per year. His successes included leading the first installations of PV panels and renewable energy solutions for the housing association as part of an investment strategy aimed at tackling fuel poverty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the housing stock.

Chris has a strong and long-lasting commitment to the voluntary and community sector. He has held a variety of voluntary sector governance roles in Shropshire and Herefordshire and was Chair of the Herefordshire Citizens Advice Bureau Trustee Board from 2007-2013. He joined Shropshire Citizens Advice as a Trustee in 2016 and took on the role of Chair in 2020.

His other interests include walking, travel, museums and galleries as well as good food!

Joanne moved to Shropshire from south Manchester in 1992. Prior to moving, she worked for the NHS in general management and HR, and then latterly for 27 years, she worked for a large national charity as an HR manager, covering England, Wales and N Ireland. In this role, she was a member of various management teams, making strategic decisions about resources and capacity, planning priorities and projects, at a regional and national level.

Joanne joined the Trustee Board shortly before retirement in 2019, and has found it a challenging and worthwhile experience. In working with CAS, she feels she has learnt a lot, and also brought some of her own skills and experience to the table.

Other interests include gardening, travelling and cycling.

My background is almost entirely in public sector. My first 30 years were in education, over half in school leadership roles where I had responsibility for curriculum, staffing and staff development, finance, premises, etc. of a large comprehensive school (some 100 employees and around £5m budget 20 years ago).

Also I conducted a successful research programme into service improvement for a large national organisation and later co-ran a management training centre for school leaders. I was also a school governor for nearly 20 years – a role rather similar to that of a trustee for CAS.

Following three years as an education advisor, I led a corporate transformation programme for a West Midlands council, where I was responsible for creating a successful customer service organisation. I introduced service transformation (including ‘lean thinking’), working closely with the Cabinet Office on a number of national initiatives in this area. Subsequently I have worked for the Local Government Association as an external consultant, providing information and support to councils around the country on service improvement.

I believe I bring to the Board of Trustees for CAS wide experience in a variety of public sector areas, strong interpersonal, organisational and communication skills and attributes such as being analytical and thorough, challenging, independent, objective – all underpinned with integrity.

Now retired, with four grandchildren and a set of golf clubs, I still have time and a desire to put some of my experience and expertise to good use in a voluntary capacity in an organisation in which I believe and to which I am committed.

I am retired and live in Shrewsbury.

I have been a Trustee of Citizens Advice Shropshire since 2014.

I used to be an employee in Local Government and the Sports Council working in roles that helped to develop and manage community participation in cultural, sports and leisure activities. I remain interested and enjoy participating in a range of such activities.

I like working alongside others in a number of local organisations, groups and bodies that I believe make a contribution in their own particular ways to empowering and enabling people of all ages to enjoy their lives and improve their life chances.

I live with my wife, Isobel, just outside of Whitchurch on the Shropshire / Cheshire border and have done so since April 2011. At the end of 2012 I decided to take a year out from my career of 18 years as an accountant in the Life insurance industry to look after our 4 horses so that Isobel could focus on her new role working out of Edinburgh. 13 years later, I am still on my year sabbatical, but now look after our 12 horses and 2 dogs and work with a young dressage rider, not the rider on the horse but her mother, who competes some of our horses in both the UK and Europe.

I have been a trustee for CAS since 2013 and my focus has been on supporting the Finance Manager given my accountancy background.