How to become a trustee

I would love the opportunity to combine my professional experience as a fundraiser, charity CEO, trustee and chair with my passion for cycling. Cycling UK has a unique ability to inspire people from all backgrounds and abilities to experience cycling’s joys and benefits. It would be a privilege to help shape Cycling UK’s exciting future.

Cycling has shaped my life. It keeps me physically and mentally healthy, and connects me with friends and family. I ride year round. This includes commuting into London, mountain biking and road cycling across the South Downs, Wales and beyond. I’ve particularly enjoyed riding Cycling UK’s King Alfred’s Way, Traws Eryri and Rebellion Way.

Professionally, I bring more than 25 years of charity experience, including 14 years as a senior leader and currently serve as Chief Executive of British Exploring Society, helping young people build confidence, resilience and community through adventure in the outdoors.

Previously I was Chief Executive of Buttle and Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, leading more than 130 organisations to influence national policy on child poverty, alongside serving as a trustee and vice-chair across several charities. I am currently a trustee and Chair of the Fundraising Committee at School Home Support.

My specialist expertise is strategic fundraising, communications and organisational growth. I have been a professional fundraiser my whole career and have successfully led charities through major strategic change, increased income significantly and supported boards to strengthen governance and long-term sustainability. I additionally have a Masters in Voluntary Sector Management.

Our country, and the world, has many problems. Cycling is an efficient solution to many of them: health, climate, as well as transport – as well as being simply good fun.

Cycling UK is in a unique position to promote the cycling solution and together with others over the last few years we have made substantial progress. I have enjoyed adding my input to these solutions through being a trustee of Cycling UK for the last five and a half years and feel I have made a useful contribution working with the team of Trustees and the executive to achieve a lot together.

I bring significant commercial, marketing and financial expertise to the board. I have been a business strategy consultant for 25 years, in a big firm and later my own business, and led the commercial strategy and customer insight teams at Vodafone UK for several years.

My experience includes assisting charities to develop their commercial strategy. I am also a Trustee at an Oxfordshire environmental charity, Earth Trust, and Chair of its commercial subsidiary.

Cycling UK is at a pivotal moment, with a powerful mission, strong delivery capability and a growing national need for everyday cycling. I’m standing for election because my senior brand, marketing and PR experience can help the charity strengthen its national voice, grow and diversify its audiences, and increase its influence at a time when active travel is both under pressure and full of opportunity.

Across my career I have led national and international campaigns, behaviour change initiatives and high-profile communications. As Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, I delivered award-winning campaigns and digital transformation, strengthening the city’s national and global profile through integrated marketing, PR and partnerships.

I’ve also held senior Marketing and Communications roles at the BBC and Teamtalk Media Group Plc, leading audience strategy across sport, transport, media and public bodies.

I bring expertise in brand leadership, narrative development and segmentation, clarifying purpose, differentiating in crowded ecosystems, targeting and motivating audiences. As a British Weight Lifting board member, I helped steer the organisation’s new strategy and rebrand to grow and diversify participation.

My behaviour change work, including Drive Less See More, showed how strong narrative and partnerships can shift public behaviour at scale.

My wider charity and board experience has strengthened my ability to build consensus, scrutinise constructively and turn vision into measurable progress. As a committed cyclist, I want more people to experience the joy cycling has given me. If elected, I will help Cycling UK sharpen its narrative, broaden its reach and elevate its influence.