Our team

Ian Witcombe is Director of Corporate Services at the Money Advice Trust and has been with the charity since August 2002. Ian previously spent over 20 years in the banking sector.

He shares responsibility for the overall leadership and management of the Trust with the Chief Executive and participates in Board meetings. Ian has responsibility for the following functions: finance, HR, compliance and risk and facilities.

Ian is the Company Secretary and is involved in legal matters that affect the organisation, including FCA authorisation, data protection and liaison with the Charity Commission and Companies House.

He is keen to work in partnership with organisations that have an influence on individuals’ finances (in particular debt) to help all involved gain a better understanding of the debt advice sector and how working together will improve the client’s situation. Ian holds the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting,

David is responsible for the development and implementation of the Trust's strategy and the delivery of service provision. This includes via National Debtline and Business Debtline across all channels. He oversees the design of the client experience within the Money Advice Trust as well as working in collaboration with other organisations on how this can be improved across the sector.

Supporting this work, David has responsibility for the Trust’s digital and IT functions to ensure that technology works effectively for clients and complements the work of advisers. David is also responsible for the Trust's free debt training services through Wiseradviser to help to ensure a consistent, quality of advice across the sector via flexible and accessible training solutions as well as the Trust’s training and consultancy services which helps organisations to better understand and support their customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Jane oversees our external affairs and partnerships work, leading the public affairs, insight and business development teams. She is responsible for the Trust’s work to improve public policy and industry practice so that people can tackle their debts and manage their money with confidence, the promotion of the Trust’s own services and for championing the provision of free debt advice more widely. She also manages the Trust’s business development team, building partnerships with creditors and other funders, and the Innovation Grants programme, which funds innovative debt advice projects.

Previously, Jane led the policy and public affairs team at Charity Finance Group covering impact reporting, regulation and public service reform, and worked for the Charity Commission, managing the regulator’s support for charities during the economic downturn and their work on social investment. She has also worked in public affairs for NSPCC, campaigning on child protection and domestic abuse issues, and has experience in policy roles with both local government and international institutions. In addition to working professionally in the charity sector, she volunteers for a number of local community groups.

Otto Thoresen is a former Director General of the Association of British Insurers and former CEO of AEGON UK. In 2008 he authored the Thoresen Review of generic financial advice that helped lead to the creation of th Money Advice Service (now the Money and Pensions Service).

Otto is a former Chair of the Personal Finance Education Group and a former Trustee of StepChange Debt Charity. He now has a portfolio career including as Chair of NEST, Aviva International Insurance, Aberdeen Standard Investments Life and Pensions and the BT Pension Scheme.

Baroness Coussins, a life peer and independent cross-bencher, has worked in the public sector, the charitable sector and for an industry-funded education and regulatory body in paid for, non-executive and advisory capacities. She has held positions including Non-executive Director of The Advertising Standards Authority, Chief Executive of The Portman Group, and Director of social policy and equality assurance for the Commission for Racial Equality.

Liz Barclay is a well respected journalist, broadcaster and writer. She presented ‘You and Yours’ on BBC Radio 4 for ten years, in addition to ‘Call You & Yours’ and ‘Pick of the Week’. Liz has extensive money advice experience, having been a trained debt adviser at Citizens Advice.

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles KCMG LVO is Group Head of Government Affairs at HSBC Holdings and Chairman of the Financial Inclusion Commission. Sir Sherard spent more than 30 years in the British Diplomatic Service, serving in Cairo, Washington and Paris, as Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and latterly as the UK’s Ambassador to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

Martin was been Chairman of the Money Advice Trust from 2005 until 2013, and a trustee from 1994 until 2013. Martin has vast experience of the consumer credit sector, having been Director General of the Finance & Leasing Association for 12 years, a position from which he retired in 2010. Martin is also a non-executive director of Broadcastle Bank Ltd., part of the Siemens Group, and Adviser to the Supervisory Board of Siemens Bank. He previously served in the Diplomatic Service and HM Treasury before moving to the private sector as Head of Corporate Affairs at Eurotunnel plc and subsequently the London Stock Exchange. Martin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers. Martin took an MA in Crusader Studies at Royal Holloway and Queen Mary Colleges, University of London, in 2009, and is now an Honorary Research Associate and doctoral student in the history department at Royal Holloway.

Sir Ian McCartney served as President of the Money Advice Trust from 2007 to 2010. Sir Ian is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for the Makerfield constituency from 1987 to 2010, and served in the Cabinet from 2003 to 2007.

Sir Brian Pomeroy CBE has served as an Ambassador since 2011, when he stepped down as a trustee of the Trust. He currently serves as President of the Financial Inclusion Commission, and until recently was a non-executive member of the board of the Financial Conduct Authority. He is a non-executive director of QBE Insurance Group Ltd., Chairman of the government's Action Group on Cross-Border Remittances and a Board Member of The Social Market Foundation.

He was formerly chairman of the Gambling Commission, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, the Independent Commission on Equitable Life Payments, the Payments Council, the National Lottery Commission, Centrepoint, Homeless Link and The Photographers' Gallery; a member of the Financial Reporting Review Panel, the Audit Commission and the Disability Rights Taskforce; and a Nominated Member of the Council of Lloyd's. He was formerly a trustee of Money Advice Trust, for which he now acts as an Ambassador. He was the Senior Partner of Deloitte Consulting until 1999.

Carol Sergeant CBE is on the Board of Danske Bank and has garnered a length City career that saw her working in a multitude of senior positions – including Head of Major Banks’ Supervision at the Bank of England, Managing Director of the Financial Services Authority and Chief Risk Officer at Lloyds Banking Group. She is also Chair of whistleblowing charity Public Concern at Work.

Simon Walker was Director General of the Institute of Directors until early 2017 and has previously served as Communications Secretary to HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace, Director of Corporate Affairs at British Airways, and as a special adviser in the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street from 1996-97.

Anna joined the Trust’s board in January 2017 and is chair of the audit, risk and quality committee and a member of the nomination and remuneration committee.

Anna has worked in the charity sector for over 15 years and holds the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting. Having trained and qualified as a chartered accountant in 2003, she then worked for a number of national charities, including as Finance Director for Hospice UK and most recently Director of Finance and Operations for BBC Children in Need. She is now a charity specialist audit partner at haysmacintyre chartered accountants. Anna is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

Adrian joined the Trust’s board in January 2017 and is a member of the finance and strategy committee.

Adrian has more than 25 years’ experience in ICT having worked for or with many of the major names in the industry including Microsoft, Accenture, Dell, Unisys and, most recently, Fujitsu. Adrian has held a variety of management roles including leading senior professional services teams and strategic leadership roles focused on business development and/or business transformation. He has most recently been focused on transforming global business models, working with diverse international teams. He is also a volunteer for the mental health charity Mind, working with service users who - quite often - depend on the services of organisations like the Money Advice Trust.

Vineeta joined the Trust’s board in September 2018 and is a member of the audit, risk and quality committee.

She brings strong financial analysis, strategy and business development skills.

Since 2014, Vineeta has served as a Non-Executive Director/Audit Chair in a number of organisations including an NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, Royal Free Foundation Trust, Sandwell Children’s Trust and Relate.

She has spent twenty five years in fund management and investment banking, including at blue chip global firms such as Merrill Lynch, Credit Lyonnais and County NatWest Investment Management.

Most recently she has operated at Managing Director and board level growing start-up emerging market investment banks.

Gail joined the Trust's board in November 2013 and is Deputy Chair, Chair of the nomination and remuneration committee, and a member of the finance and strategy committee.

Gail is Chief Executive of King's College Hospital Charity, and has held roles as chief executive of the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, and CEO of the Carers Trust. Gail is also a Trustee of Premier League Charitable Fund, with lead responsibility for the Board on Impact.

She holds an MA in marketing management and an Institute of Directors diploma in company direction.

Lawrence joined the Trust's board in September 2017 and is a member of the Trust's audit, risk and quality committee. He is chief executive of the Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) and was previously chief executive of Energy UK. He was Energy UK's chief operating officer when it was formed in 2012 and had specific executive responsibility for all energy supply activities including retail markets, smart metering and grids, energy efficiency and consumer engagement.

Lawrence has been involved in the energy industry since the late 1990s working in countries all over the world to build an understanding of the geopolitics of energy and both how the sector is central to everyday life and supports thriving economies.

Lawrence ran the Energy Retail Association before Energy UK was formed and previously ran the Society of Petroleum Engineers, expanding the society's operations in Russia, the Caspian and Africa. He was also deputy chief executive and technical director of the Energy Institute in London.

Paul joined the Trust's board in September 2017 and is Chair of the finance and strategy committee. He has served as director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders between 2011 and 2017. Paul is well known and highly regarded in the financial services trade body sector, having previously been chief executive of the Payments Council and, prior to that, the founding director general of the Association of Independent Financial Advisers. He also previously worked for the Independent Television Commission, the Association of British Insurers, the London Stock Exchange and the then Department of Trade and Industry, and was closely involved in the launch of Faster Payments Service. Paul is a board member of the Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG), a non-executive director of the Residential Landlords Association and chair of the Peer to Peer Finance Association.

Rebecca joined the Trust's Board in September 2018 and is a member of the audit, risk and quality committee. She is currently chief executive of Avocate (previously the Bar Pro Bono Unit), a charity matching members of the public who cannot pay for advice with a pro bono barrister. Prior to this Rebecca was director at the Litigant in Person Support strategy which helps people without means through the court and tribunal process.

She holds a number of government and professional advisory roles including sitting on the HMCTS Reform Programme, Litigant in Person Engagement Group. Rebecca has also previously held a number of non-executive director roles including at the National Pro Bono Centre, the Advice Services Alliance and Blackfriars Settlement.

Laurence joined the Money Advice Trust’s Board in September 2019 and is a senior director and chartered accountant with extensive programme leadership and multi-disciplined global management experience. Laurence is currently working with NHS Digital as part of a significant organisational change programme.

His previous experience includes twenty years at Credit Suisse working in a variety of senior positions based in London, New York and Zurich latterly as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer for Corporate Services Technology in Zurich. Laurence has also worked in the publishing and automotive sectors in a variety of financial roles.

Lucy joined the Money Advice Trust’s Board in September 2019 and is a skilled consumer advocate with experience in policy influencing and a background in law.

Lucy is currently working as an independent consultant with a particular interest in reducing the impact of scams and fraud on consumers and using an inclusive design approach to improve outcomes in consumer markets. Lucy was formerly Senior Policy Manager at Age UK leading on the charity’s public policy work on financial services, utilities and scams. Her other previous roles include leading projects in Rwanda and Ethiopia to combat rights abuses and providing legal representation and counselling support for victims of sexual violence.