Trustees
Age UK has a Board of Trustees to monitor Age UK's strategic objectives. The Senior Directors work closely with the Trustees to carry out the day-to-day running of Age UK.
Who are our trustees?
Sir Brian Pomeroy (chairman)
Brian has been a trustee of Age UK since February 2017 and became chair in February 2018. During his first year at Age UK he was also chair of the Strategic Finance Committee.
Brian has a strong interest in issues related to ageing, including past engagement with Age Concern and Help the Aged.
Brian has held many significant positions at high profile charities, think-tanks, government commissions and taskforces. He has been particularly involved with organisations committed to social change and social investment.
Current appointments include president of the Financial Inclusion Commission, chair of HM Treasury's Action Group on Cross-Border Remittances and a director of the Social Market Foundation. He is a non-executive director of QBE Insurance Group.
Past appointments include chair of: the Financial Inclusion Taskforce; homeless charities Centrepoint and Homeless Link; the European Public Health Foundation; the National Lottery Commission and the Gambling Commission. He served as a member of the Lloyd's Charitable Trust and of the Money Advice Trust for whom he now acts as an Ambassador. He was also a member of the Disability Rights Task Force.
Brian was formerly a senior partner of Deloitte Consulting and senior independent director of the Financial Conduct Authority.
Stuart Purdy
Stuart joined the Board of Age UK Enterprises in 2016 chairing its Audit and Risk Committee. He became a Trustee of Age UK in March 2018 and now chairs the Charity Audit and Risk Committee.
He was the CEO of Aviva India where he also served on the board of Dabur, one of India's largest FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) businesses. While Product and Investment Director of Aviva Europe, he chaired Aviva Investment Management Europe and Aviva Reinsurance. His last Executive role was as CEO of RSA's Asia and Middle East Region and Chair of RSA China.
During his time in India, he led the establishment of a partnership with Arpana Trust to set up the Aviva Arpana Balvatika School in the slum resettlement area of Molarbund near Delhi which has, over the last fourteen years, supported the education of more than 6,000 children. In partnership with Concern India, Aviva also funded the rebuilding of four Schools devastated in the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004.
Since 2015, Stuart has served as a Trustee of the Police Dependents Trust, which provides support to Police Officers and their families, and his Non-Executive roles include British Friendly Society and Royal London's Scottish Life business as well as serving as Chair of the Scottish Police Pension Board.
Suzanna Taverne
Suzanna has been a trustee of Age UK since February 2017 and sits on Age UK's Audit and Risk committee.
Suzanna's experience in broadcasting and the arts has led to a strong interest in the way in which digital and demographic change are reshaping our lives. She is particularly concerned to see that the digital revolution supports the independence and well-being of older people.
Previous governance roles include being chair of Gingerbread - the one-parent family charity - and a trustee of the Design Museum and the Shakespeare Schools Festival.
Suzanna has worked for cultural and educational organisations in the public sector as operations director of Imperial College London and managing director of the British Museum.
In the private sector, she has worked for media and financial services companies, including Pearson, Saatchi & Saatchi and The Independent and as a non-executive director at Nationwide and Ford Credit Europe Bank.
Sharon Allen
Sharon became a trustee of Age UK in September 2017.
Sharon brings to the role over 30 years' experience of working in the voluntary, social care and supported housing sectors.
Sharon is chief executive officer of Cambridge-based Arthur Rank Hospice Charity. She was previously chief executive officer of Skills for Care, the charity that works with social care employers and other partners to create a well-led, skilled and person centred workforce and is the delivery partner of the Department of Health and Social Care.
A qualified social worker and housing professional, Sharon is also board member and chair of the Operations Committee of the CHS Group (housing association) in Cambridge.
Sharon has held a wide range of non-executive roles across the voluntary and housing sectors, including being vice-chair of ACEVO, the network for charity leaders, and a Trustee of a number of charitable organisations and housing associations.
Sharon was awarded an OBE in June 2015 for services to social care, homeless people and housing.
Mike Dixon
Mike Dixon has been a trustee of Age UK since October 2017 and is a member of its Strategic Finance Committee.
Mike has a background in finance and charity finance that enables him to bring to the Board a keen interest in strong financial governance.
Since 2008, Mike has been the finance and operations director of the Charities Aid Foundation, a charity set up to help people and businesses support the causes they care about, and to provide banking and fundraising support for charities. He is also a trustee of Future Care Capital, a charity focused on transformational work in the health and care sector.
Until recently, Mike was a trustee of Addaction, one of the UK's leading specialist drug, alcohol and mental health treatment charities. Whilst at Addaction, Mike chaired their Audit and Risk committee. He has also been a non-executive director of Surrey Community Health.
Mike is a qualified accountant and has worked with a range of major international businesses. He was previously chief executive officer of HSBC Insurance Brokers, a large international insurance broking group.
John Norley
John is the CEO of Age UK Medway. He co-chairs the Age England Association, the membership organisation which supports the Age UK network to work together for the older people who need us. The Age UK network includes Age UK; our national partners Age NI, Age Scotland, Age Cymru and six local Age Cymrus; and over 130 local Age UKs in England.
John's experience of working with and for older people in local communities provides insight into the issues that matter on the ground and the life-changing impact that local charities, like local Age UKs, have on older people.
Passionate about the difference that charities can make to people's lives, John has worked with organisations that help a wide range of people including the homeless, ex-offenders, substance misusers, travellers and gypsies, women fleeing domestic violence and most recently older people. He is particularly interested in empowering effective change and growth in the charitable sector.
John has extensive leadership experience, including eight years as a chief executive officer, firstly for Romford YMCA and then at Age UK Medway since January 2012.
John has served in a number of voluntary positions, including as Chair of Pathways to Independence, a homelessness charity, and chair of the Medway Voluntary and Community Service (VCS) Leaders network.
Martin Jones
Martin joined Age UK as a trustee in March 2020. As the chair of The Silver Line, Martin was co-opted to the Age UK Board of Trustees.
Martin is the CEO of Home Instead Senior Care and is responsible for leading their UK operation. This experience has led to a strong interest in making a difference to the lives of other people and their families.
As well as The Silver Line, other trustee positions held include The Care Workers Charity, which exists to support the welfare of current, former and retired care workers, and Home Instead’s dedicated charity, the Bring Joy Foundation.
Martin sits on the board of the UKHCA, the professional association of home care providers and is an active member of Business in the Community's Age at Work leadership team, championing the role of older workers.
Martin is also a non-exec for the TSA, the voice of technology enabled care, and is passionate about promoting technology to enhance person centered care.
Julia Scott
Julia joined Age UK as a Trustee in 2020.
Julia started her career as an occupational therapist in the NHS and subsequently went on to work with GPs and practice nurses on a heart attack and stroke prevention project. Having moved into social care, Julia’s career has developed across a variety of roles and in 2001 she was seconded to the Department of Health to complete policy guidelines relating to Integrated Community Equipment Services. Prior to joining the Royal College, Julia was Head of Disability Services at Kensington and Chelsea Social Services in London, managing a range of social care services.
Julia has been Chief Executive at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) since 2006. Prior to this, she held the position of Vice-Chair of the RCOT Council.
Julia was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Brunel University in 2006 in recognition of her contribution to undergraduate Occupational Therapy education.
In March 2011, Julia was awarded a prestigious Social Care Fellowship from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). Julia is one of only six recipients of this Fellowship and the only Occupational Therapist to receive such an honour.
In March 2016, Julia was awarded an inaugural Fellowship from Skills For Care, in recognition of her leadership and support of the social care workforce.
Roy Shubhabrata
Roy joined Age UK as a Trustee in 2020.
Roy has spent the last two decades focused on digital transformation in healthcare across Europe, North America and Asia. His interest lies is in the collaboration of government, academia, charities and providers in the adoption of innovative technologies in health and care settings.
Roy’s past experience includes leadership roles in GE Healthcare, Microsoft, the World Health Organisation, Epic and Telstra.
Roy is the Chief Executive of Healthinnova, a global healthcare consultancy. He is a Trustee of Age UK Bath and North East Somerset and chairs their Finance and Audit Committee. He is also a Governor of the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and NExT Director at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust.
He holds degrees in mathematics, computer science, health economics and international health policy.
Carol Cole
Carol joined Age UK as a Trustee in 2020.
Carol has worked in the field of organisation development and transformational change for over thirty years. She began her career as a psychologist in the NHS before running her own successful consultancy, applying psychology to enhance individual, team and organisational effectiveness.
Carol has worked in the public and private sectors across Europe, North America and the Middle East, from the NHS to multinationals, smaller enterprises and UK charities.
Carol is the Chair of Together for Mental Wellbeing, one of the country’s oldest mental health charities, and Vice-Chair of Central London Community NHS Trust. She is a Trustee of the RAF Museum and is a member of Council at the University of Roehampton.
Previous board appointments include Hounslow and Richmond Community NHS Trust, Vice-Chair of Deafness Research UK, a Trustee at Action on Hearing Loss and Vice-Chair of the Association of Business Psychologists. She has been a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University and the King’s Fund as well as a senior associate of the National School of Government. She is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society.
For more information call Age UK on 0800 169 8787.
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Last updated: Dec 10 2020