Tim has wide ranging experience of public policy, skills, housing and regeneration across the public, private and charitable sectors. Prior to forming his own consultancy practice, he managed a Charitable Trust alongside the management of business development and compliance of FE training services.
He has significant experience work within the charitable sector, being a trustee with a large infrastructure organisation and also managed support services to the social enterprise sector. This has led to providing specialist consultancy services in social value, housing, skills and regeneration. As a leader he has strong values in respect to fairness, equality and integrity having managed programmes related to equalities, social justice and community cohesion. Tim has a commitment to community led regeneration and has undertaken a number of projects to support and develop community capacity and to increase social mobility.
Matt has extensive experience in the charity sector, with specific expertise within the fields of arts and higher education. He began his work in fundraising at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he worked in a research capacity, using audience analysis to provide strategic support and planning across both capital and revenue campaigns. Within higher education, Matt has also worked as deputy head of the Data and Business Intelligence team with the University of Birmingham’s fundraising department and most recently led the Gift Management and Settlement team at the University of Cambridge.
Matt is a keen volunteer, supporting various local amateur arts organisations and offering pro-bono consultancy to charities, including those working within the criminal justice system. He also has a keen interest in education access, having recently completed a PhD that examined and developed new tools to broaden the opportunities for readers to engage with classic texts. He is currently Research Fellow at the Royal Shakespeare Company, exploring the potential for literary texts and rehearsal practices to enhance young people's lives.
Andrew has over 35 years of treasury and risk management experience gained within the financial services sector. Having started his career in the branch network of a clearing bank, he then moved to the building society sector where he gained extensive treasury experience, becoming Assistant Treasurer at one of the country’s largest societies. Following this he held a senior risk management role at a UK bank and until his retirement at the end of 2024, he was a Board Director and Chief Risk Officer at Leek Building Society.
For the majority of his career, Andrew has worked within mutual organisations, reflecting his commitment to the sector and its ethos. He strongly believes that member owned organisations are best placed to positively impact the members and communities they serve. This was a key driver behind his support for the Society to establish the Foundation and his decision to join its Board of Trustees. Andrew has always lived within Leek Building Society’s heartland and has supported the community through the role of governor at schools within the local area.
Skills and Experience
Claire joined Leek Building Society in April 2004 and has held several roles within the Branch Network, including Branch Manager. She has also worked as a Mortgage Adviser, provided oversight for mortgage advisers and held the role of Head of Compliance and Deputy MLRO. She has been part of the senior leadership team for several years as Company Secretary and in her role of Chief of Staff where she was responsible for strategic development and the community programme.
Claire is responsible for the Branch Network, Business Savings relationship management and distribution, the Mortgage Advice and Retention Team and Community Strategy. With over 22 years of experience in financial services, and the mutual sector, she possesses extensive experience to deliver the Society’s purpose and strategy.
Claire is a member of the Strategy and Performance Committee, Executive Risk Committee, Conduct and Regulatory Compliance Committee, Operational Risk Committee and Change Committee.
Current External Positions
Claire currently holds the following external appointments:
Branch Manager of Leek Building Society Cheadle Branch, Lynne began her career with Leek Building Society straight after she left education in 1994, and has since worked across a variety of different roles within the branch network.
During this time, she has acquired a sound knowledge of the company’s culture and the deep-rooted role they play in supporting local people and local communities. Lynne has worked in her current position for 25 years and strives to be an ambassador for the Leek Building Society brand and the values they stand for.
Having a passion for excellent customer service and a strong work ethic, Lynne very much inspires her team by leading by example. Throughout her career she has enjoyed helping staff to reach their full potential and seeing a number of those go on to further themselves within the Society.
Lizzie is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, and joined Leek Building Society in January 2022 as the Head of HR. More recently she has been appointed as the HR Director with responsibility for the Society’s people agenda, which has strong links to community support and engagement. As a senior leader Lizzie demonstrates the values of the Society and is passionate about making an impact through the Foundation.
Having worked across a variety of sectors prior to joining the Society, Lizzie brings experience from local government and charity roles, and has a clear appreciation for the value of a mutual organisation in the local community.
Lizzie lives locally and also spent a number of years as a school governor for a local high school and has a keen interest in the principles of making a positive difference to the communities around the Society’s heartland.
Vishwas is a Partner at Avantage Reply, a specialist financial services advisory firm, where he leads the firm's Risk and Transformation Advisory practice. He has spent over two decades advising global financial institutions across Uk and EU on transformation, governance, risk management and regulatory strategy, including a decade at Deloitte where he led programmes supporting banks through periods of significant regulatory change.
Vishwas brings to the Foundation a strong grounding in governance and institutional oversight, as well as a belief that organisations with genuine community roots - like mutual building societies - carry a particular responsibility to give back to the people and places they serve. He is committed to ensuring the Foundation's resources reach those who need them most, and to supporting the communities across Staffordshire and the surrounding areas where the Society has built its reputation over generations
Mirriam is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, and an ACAS qualified mediator and coach with over 40 years of leadership experience in Charity and Public sector organisations. For the majority of her career Mirriam worked within several Local Authorities as an Administrator and HR and Organisational Development professional retiring in 2012 as Deputy Chief Executive of Tameside Council. Key experience is in the areas of governance, policy and performance, people management, coaching, mentoring, mediation, organisational change ,and community engagement.
Post retirement experience includes 3 years as a Trustee on the Saddleworth Arts Festival Committee with responsibility for management of the grant award process to local community organisations,12 years as Trustee, Deputy Chair and latterly Chair of Dr Kershaw's Hospice responsible for all aspects of a Charity which had an annual turnover of £6 million and fundraising requirements of £3 million per annum.
Currently Mirriam is:
Director and Trustee for Millgate Arts Centre overseeing utilisation and development of a 200-seater theatre community centre and bar.
Chair of Saddleworth Musical Society a 60 strong community choir.
Independent Person and Chair Tameside Standards Panel a Board overseeing all governance and ethical standards within the Council including public hearings.
Although living in Saddleworth Mirriam has family in the Leek and Stoke area where she visits often and is keen to help develop engagement with charitable groups within the Leek area through her role with the Foundation Trust.
