It’s a pleasure and a privilege to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Chair of Trustees for CAWS.

Although quite new to CAWS, I do have prior experience as a Chair of a Citizens Advice service, having held that role in Barnet, North London for six years until 2019, so I am familiar with the structures and processes of the network. I look forward to working closely with the Leadership Team but hope also to meet staff and volunteers over time as I get the opportunity to visit each of our offices

I joined Citizens Advice as a Trustee around the time that I finished full time work. I worked for 35 years in hospitality and retail in various roles which has given me experience in operational management, supply chain and customer service.

I chose Citizens Advice as it gave the opportunity to use my skills in new areas. One of the most interesting aspects of the role is the number of different backgrounds that the volunteers and staff have, and the opportunity to create a new network in a different sector.

As a Trustee I support the governance of the organisation, and I support the Chair of the Board as one of the Vice Chairs. I am also the Chair the People and Strategy Committees. I enjoy the role as it is varied and flexible around other commitments.

I have been a Trustee for three years. Our family lived for 27 years in Haywards Heath which is where our children went to school. We now live close to the Shoreham branch. I have volunteered as a Trustee as I am tremendously impressed by the work that the organisation does in both our own area and at the national level. I enjoy working in a team, particularly with people who have different work experiences to my own. It is also an opportunity to put something back into the community I lived in for so long.

I am a Chartered Accountant and spent the bulk of my career working in the Global Asset Management industry, where I held a number of senior governance and finance roles. As well as attending regular Board meetings I am the current Chair of the Compliance and Governance committee and a member of the Finance committee. In both of these roles I am able to use some of the skills and knowledge I built up during my career.

Les recently stepped back from paid work into volunteer type roles as hewanted to start to “give something back” and to help people, families and children in difficult times.

Les has a Civil Service background but his specialism and interest of recent years is HR.

At the end of my business career, and as a magistrate, Tony wished to ‘give back’ to society and the obvious choice for him was Citizens Advice, as it stands for supporting, helping and advising members of our community on a huge raft of different and challenging issues.

Tony was a volunteer adviser at CAWS for five years, and Tony got a huge buzz of satisfaction every time he tried to help out and Tony was able to make a difference for clients. As a Trustee, he feels privileged to be able to contribute to the bigger picture on issues of planning and strategy.  Tony still, however, continues to be at the sharp end as an adviser for Citizens Advice Brighton and Hove.

“Citizens Advice is an amazing organisation that makes people’s lives better all over the country.” –  This is why Mike wanted to be involved, though becoming a Trustee was rather accidental: he previously lived in East Hertfordshire, knew some people who volunteered with the local CA and soon he was hooked.

Mike’s background had been initially in engineering, then in purchasing and latterly in tutoring students of purchasing in universities and colleges. All this taught him the importance of analysis, of negotiation, of dealing with people of all sorts and of communication.

Being a Trustee is a most rewarding experience and, having moved to Worthing, he applied and was accepted to join the CAWS board.

“I enjoy contributing to something I believe to be very worthwhile, and working with interesting people – as well as the challenge of helping to guide CAWS through difficult times.”

Alex has lived in Horsham for 25 years, after moving here to work for the RSPCA and have also had senior communications roles at the Environment Agency, Department of Health, Central Office of Information and Accenture. Most of those roles offered a combination of media, political, digital, campaigns, risk management, for social good – and he’d like to use the experience he gathered to support Citizens Advice across my home county of West Sussex.

Citizens Advice has a strong social purpose and does so much work to support and advise those in need. Across West Sussex, it helps thousands each year – particularly those facing poverty, unemployment or relationship breakdowns. Alex has always been impressed by its ability to gather data, examples and advocate on the part of those it helps, to achieve positive change.