ALZHEIMER - Key Persons
Ade is a qualified accountant (FCCA) with 27 years work experience as a Finance professional. In the last 6 years he has held senior finance roles in the housing and charity sectors with vast experience of overseeing day to day finance operations and services, managing monthly reporting and annual audit processes as well as assisting with strategic initiatives. Ade and his family live in Shorne, Kent and have personal experience of a loved one affected by and living with dementia. Ade wants to bring his experience as a finance professional to benefit the board and charity.
Catherine lives in south-west London and is a Finance professional with over 10 years' experience across retail and technology & information. As a qualified Management accountant, Catherine's career to date has exposed her to a broad range of commercial challenges including operational management, EBIT control, strategic investment decisions and governance. Alzheimer's & Dementia support is a cause close to Catherine and her family and wishes to use her experience to support the charity in its future growth.
Chris has lived in Kent for 48 years and was educated at Maidstone Grammar school for Boys before leaving the county for University. He moved to Gravesend in 2011 with his partner Geneviève. Chris is an Associate Member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has 22 years of experience in delivering Economic Development and Physical Regeneration programmes for Local Authorities across Kent. Chris's family has experienced the challenges that Alzheimer's and Dementia can bring and wishes to utilise his business development, strategic partnerships and funding skills to benefit the Board and charity.
David lives in North London and currently works in the Policy and Public Affairs team at the National Autistic Society. In this role he leads on parliamentary influencing at Westminster and has experience in campaigns, lobbying and policy analysis and development. He studied politics at the University of Strathclyde in his native Glasgow, and previously worked for a number of years for politicians at the Scottish Parliament. He also took a career break to volunteer for an international development charity in Central America. He has personal experience of family members who have lived with dementia, and is keen to utilise his skills and experience to benefit Alzheimer's & Dementia Support Services.
I started my career in the health and social care sector back in 1999. I was a young mum working part time as a Community Care Coordinator and I became very involved with my clients and their wellbeing. I developed skills both in management and care as I provided hands on support in addition to my office role. Within 6 years the business had developed rapidly and I made my way through the ranks to become Assistant Manager of my branch. To further my career I joined ‘Carers Choice' as Registered Manager whereby I gained my management qualifications and led the KCC care contract for over 2 years. I then decided to look for a new challenge and so I changed my direction and took up the role of Senior Carer Support Worker with North West Kent Carers. The role consisted of providing support, information advice and guidance to carers, leading a volunteer respite team, facilitating support groups, workshops for carers, and project lead for partnership work with the PCT and GPs. I then continued to manage various supported housing and community support teams.
I joined Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services in 2016 after losing my father who sadly had frontotemporal dementia. His personality slowly changed in addition to other symptoms and at times this presented real challenges but it is important to say we still had our good times too. I wanted to put my experience and personal understanding to good use so I joined the Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services team. I am passionate that people living with dementia and their families get the support they need when they need it and I'm delighted to be leading the Dementia Support Team.
Denise lives in Hartley and is a Chartered Company Secretary. She worked in the private sector for civil engineers for over 20 years and, following redundancy, undertook various roles in the public sector for central Government and the NHS. Latterly she has worked in the insurance industry in the areas of governance and risk management. Denise and her family have personal experience of loved ones living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, and is pleased to bring her governance and compliance expertise to the Board and charity.
Karen currently lives in Eynsford and is proud of being born, bred and educated in Kent. Karen is an equity partner in the firm of Hatton Wyatt Solicitors and specialises in property law, dealing with all aspects of residential and commercial property. She also acts as a Deputy and Attorney under both Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney for a number of clients. Karen is keen to bring her own specialist knowledge and experience and that of Hatton Wyatt, to benefit the Board and to the Charity.
I am proud to be CEO for a charity that I am extremely passionate about. I have been at Alzheimer's & Dementia Support Services since 2018. I came to Alzheimer's & Dementia Support Services from Alzheimer's Society, where I was a Services Manager. My career before that was leadership and communications in the retail industry. I grew up and went to school in and around Gravesend and so I am passionate about the local community.
I have a real commitment to good leadership throughout the organisation, ability to build strong networks, a desire to ensure the people who use our services get heard and involved and a passion for developing great teams. To me my role is not just about being a charity leader but about enabling and empowering people affected by dementia to achieve the rights they are entitled to and the best possible quality of life.
Having previously worked for 16 years in retail/Community Pharmacy, in 2017 I decided to stop putting off changing jobs and started a career within the Health and Social Care sector. I joined ADSS as a full time Support Worker in April and by October, I applied for the role of a Senior. I knew I could do more to help people; I wanted the opportunity to prove myself behind the scenes, because I knew my passion for being a voice for people and enthusiasm to want to help anyone who needed it, could be invaluable to the people we support. Since my career began here, I have also performed the role of Service Coordinator and most recently, Deputy Manager and I have worked hard to develop my skills and knowledge throughout my journey with ADSS. I am immensely proud of the culture we have created within our organisation and how much ADSS genuinely care about the people we work alongside, as well as the people that we support.
Lyn was elected to the Board in November 2009 and is now an ambassador of the organisation. Lyn was born in Caerphilly, South Wales, and moved to Kent after qualifying as a doctor. In 1970 Lyn became a partner in the Old Road West practice, Gravesend, where she remained until retirement in 2006. During her career Lyn has played a key role in promoting understanding of the condition of dementia and improving pathways of care. She continues to take an active interest in all aspects of dementia.
I joined this amazing charity as Operations Manager in September 2019 having worked previously in the oil and chemical industry for just over 26 years. During my career I have gained knowledge of most business functions and have over 17 years of management experience in the areas of safety, audit & compliance, and site facilities management. In August 2021 I was promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer overseeing the daily needs of the charity and managing operational functions. I am passionate about looking for better & more efficient ways of doing things, people development and making sure we get quality & value for money from our suppliers. As I was born and raised in Gravesend, I am proud to be supporting people living with dementia in my community.
Sam lives in south-east London and is a Partner in a financial communications consultancy. He has a wealth of experience advising major private investment firms, associations and start-ups on corporate reputation, crisis communications, media strategy and investor relations. He spent the first ten years of his career in journalism, and holds an MBA from Durham University.
Job Titles:
- Service Development Manager
I joined Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services in 2016 as a Co-ordinator in the Support at Home team. I love working with this charity. Being local, we can respond to the needs of the community, an exciting challenge for me as I am passionate about development. I live in Northfleet so this is a charity that is very close to my heart.
I have an extensive background in health and social care having started out on a youth training scheme training as a care worker and studying for Care NVQs. In working in care I developed a passion for supporting people living with dementia in their own homes, I could see how valuable it is for people to remain in their own home and found the need to adapt to the diverse needs of individuals to be a rewarding challenge. I progressed through the sector into a variety of training and leaderships roles, including managing a project for supporting people affected by dementia in hard to reach communities and working for a national dementia charity.
A proud moment for me was achieving a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care with a dementia pathway. When I left school I never dreamed I would go to university, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained so much throughout the course. I have been happily married for 19 years and have a 14 year old son. Both my husband and son are very proud of the work I do, they have both volunteered their time to support the charity.
Sat was a board member of Alzheimer's & Dementia Support Services for 2 years and is now an ambassador of the organisation. He is also a credited Dementia Friends Champion for the Alzheimer's Society.
Sat runs his own charities and provides services in Health & Wellbeing, Alcohol Support Groups, Diabetes Care for Asian Communities, and Eye Care workshops in partnership with the International Glaucoma Association (IGA) to help prevent Sight Loss.