Our People
Age UK Wandsworth is an independent, local charity governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association which exists to promote the quality of life of older people in the borough of Wandsworth.
We could not fulfil our role without our Board of Trustees, who have ultimate responsibility for the charity, ensuring that it is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of older people for which it has been set up.
Being a trustee is an unpaid but rewarding role, allowing individuals to bring their skills, knowledge and experience to the running of the charity.
Age UK Wandsworth Leadership Team
Natalie de Silva - Chief Executive
Nick Grimshaw - Director of Operations and Quality
Shanshan Xu - Head of Finance
Age UK Wandsworth Board of Trustees
Tracy Cherrington - Chair of Board of Trustees
Tracy retired after a 38 year career in the Financial Services sector, where she held senior leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Director. She brings deep experience in leadership, governance, risk management, and operations to the charity sector as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Throughout her career, Tracy championed initiatives that supported Diversity and Inclusion, talent development, mentoring, and coaching, areas she remains passionate about today. She is driven by a genuine commitment to helping people grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.
Having lived in Wandsworth for 22 years, Tracy is delighted to use her skills and experience to support Age UK Wandsworth and the older residents in the borough.
"After retiring, I became a trustee of Age UK Wandsworth in 2022 as I wanted to support a charity whose Vision, Mission, Values and community focus mirror my own values. My career in financial services has enabled me to contribute to its governance, ensure long-term sustainability and help drive strategic growth for older people in our borough. What I value most in this role is working alongside an exceptional board of trustees, each bringing diverse expertise and dedicated teams of staff and volunteers whose passion and commitment make a real difference every day."
Abby Minns - Vice Chair of Board of Trustees
Abby trained in the city as an Intellectual Property lawyer and now works as a consultant IP lawyer for law firms as well as SMEs providing IP advice and acting in IP disputes. Abby has a particular focus on the healthcare and Life Sciences sectors. She lives and works in Wandsworth and has two young children at school in the borough.
"I am excited to be involved with Age UK Wandsworth as it allows me to apply my legal expertise while contributing to a cause that matters in my local community. With a strong connection to Wandsworth, I look forward to supporting the charity’s efforts and making a difference alongside the dedicated team and volunteers".
Jenny Alexander - Chair of Finance & Resources Committee
Jenny is a director of a private property company, a qualified chartered accountant, treasurer of the Craft Potters Association and an avid ceramics collector and part time amateur ceramics maker.
"Age UK has been part of my life for most of the time since I first started as a volunteer befriender as a student. It's a charity close to my heart and I am honoured to be involved with a group of trustees who are dedicated to steering Age UK Wandsworth through sometimes troubled waters, and enabling it to provide the services older local residents require".
Richard Smuts - Chair of Branding & Communications Committee
Richard retired from a global marketing role at BP. He lives in the borough of Wandsworth.
"When considering retirement, I was determined to use the opportunity to "give something back" in at least some small way to the community around me. I had thought for some time that our aging population was an urgent and growing need. I felt that my 30 odd years in marketing could help when I discovered that AUKW was seeking a Trustee to help shape, guide and deliver some existing and new marketing and fundraising activities".
Janet Robinson - Treasurer
Janet is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in finance and risk gained from a long and successful career at Lloyds Banking Group in various roles at senior executive level.
"I have lived in Wandsworth for over 30 years and wanted to use my experience to support a local charity. Age UK Wandsworth is a wonderful organisation and I am delighted to be part of it."
Karrie Liu
Karrie Liu is an applied mathematician specialising in healthcare analytics, operational research, and data-driven decision making. Alongside leading Hypatia Analytics, she works across NHS, academic, and community sectors to improve equitable access to services through practical analytics and strategic insight. Karrie is passionate about connecting data, technology, and human-centred care, particularly in ageing and women’s health. She is currently undertaking a part-time PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Sussex and has been named a Fellow of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences.
"I hope to put my academic and analytical experience to wider use. Being a trustee with Age UK Wandsworth gives me a great opportunity to share my skills and develop them for future applications and also allows me to give back to the local community."
Lara Sonola
Lara is a senior manager in the NHS, currently working as Chief of Staff in Transformation and Corporate Development at NHS England and NHS Improvement. Prior to joining the NHS, Lara was a senior researcher at The King's Fund focussing on integrated care and reconfiguring clinical services.
"I joined Age UK Wandsworth as a trustee at the start of 2017, on moving back to Wandsworth after a number of years in other parts of London. I grew up in the borough and wanted to contribute to improving the lives of older people in this community. I’ve really enjoyed meeting and getting to know our staff, volunteers and service users, and now as co-chair, I’m looking forward to building on the fantastic services our organisation has delivered for more than 50 years as we look ahead to an exciting future".
Lindi Mitchell
Lindi is a Managing Director in Blackstone Private Wealth, where she leads the client service team for Private Wealth EMEA. She has extensive experience in financial services, having previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs across platform management, derivatives, structured products and client-facing teams.
Her core skills include project management, client service, governance, stakeholder management and team leadership. She is pleased to bring this experience to Age UK Wandsworth and to support its work helping older people across the borough.
“I am delighted to have been appointed as a trustee for Age UK Wandsworth. It gives me the opportunity to give back not only to my local community, but also to a cause I feel passionate about. My grandparents played an incredibly important role in my life, so supporting an organisation dedicated to helping older people live well, stay connected and access the support they need is especially meaningful to me. I look forward to working alongside the talented and committed team at Age UK Wandsworth and hope to make a positive contribution to its important work.”
Richard Vianello
Richard is a Senior Civil Servant, currently working at National Savings and Investments. He has previously led a wide range of delivery and programmes, including delivery of State Pensions, Pension Credit and Bereavement services in DWP.
"I've lived in Wandsworth for almost 25 years, and I am delighted to be able to use my operational delivery experience to help, even if only in a small way, an amazing charity that provides such crucial support to our community."
Shanna Pedersen
Shanna works for BT and brings business experience across Operations, Service, Sales, Transformation, CX, BI, Sales and Commercial. Beyond this, Shanna is a lifelong learner having completed a masters in Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge, she is passionate about giving back, utilising her experience to improve the lives of others. This include roles on advisory boards (BT Business Sustainability Forum, Be the Business), as a practice community member (PIPC), an assessor on the CISL High Impact Leadership Course and as a mentor and coach.
"I am excited to have been appointed as a trustee for Age UK Wandsworth, it allows me to utilise my broad business experience to support the charity and to give back to my local community. This role is a natural extension to a previous voluntary commitment for which I hosted tea parties for over a decade to support the local elderly community to combat loneliness (and to eat lovely cake!). Working alongside the talented and committed team of board members and other volunteers, I hope to make a difference".
Age UK Wandsworth Board Fellows
Odette Hutchinson
Odette is a Board Fellow at Age UK Wandsworth through the EPOC Network Board Fellowship Programme. She advises law firms on using new technology in practical ways to support growth, communication and client relationships, and has held senior roles at Herbert Smith Freehills, Barclays, EY and Accenture. She has lived in South London for over 20 years and is keen to use her marketing, stakeholder engagement and governance experience to help older people in Wandsworth live better, more connected lives.
“I’m delighted to join Age UK Wandsworth as an EPOC Board Fellow. I’m looking forward to learning more about how a local charity creates real impact, and to bringing my skills and lived experience to support older people in Wandsworth to feel more connected, confident and independent.”
Rosie Nicholls - Youth Trustee Fellow
Rosie is a fundraiser working in the charity sector, with a background in strategic and commercial corporate partnerships. She has worked in fundraising teams at organisations including Medecins Sans Frontieres UK and the NSPCC, and currently works at the UK’s leading diabetes charity, Diabetes UK. Rosie is also a volunteer Young Leader in Diabetes UK’s Together Type 1 programme, a community for young people living with type 1 diabetes.
"I joined Age UK Wandsworth as a Youth Trustee Fellow because I wanted to support an organisation that has an essential role in supporting my local community in Wandsworth. Age UK Wandsworth provides a fantastic programme of activities and services for older residents and I have seen firsthand the passion and dedication of the staff that make this programme possible. I’m excited to use my professional experience in the charity sector to continue to grow the organisation and support offered."