CARPENTERS - Key Persons
Alan Hayes - Chief Legal Officer
Having joined Carpenters Group as a Solicitor in 2000, Alan has been part of the Executive Team since 2004. Over that period Alan has worked with Carpenters' insurance partners to provide an efficient, high quality service to both commercial and individual clients. His focus has been on delivering innovative and effective solutions to the challenges faced by the industry, ensuring that the individual customer remains at the centre of the process and that the insurer's brand is protected.
Outside of work, Alan is a keen supporter of Liverpool FC.
Alan qualified as a Solicitor in 1993 having trained at a leading insurance practice. He spent 7 years representing insurers in personal injury actions before joining...
Job Titles:
- Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury
Carol qualified as a Solicitor in 1993. She is a Headway UK approved panel solicitor, the founding trustee and secretary of Headway Sefton and an APIL Senior Litigator. She is also the former APIL North West Regional Co-ordinator. Having sold her own practice in 2013, she headed the Liverpool Catastrophic Injury Team for Slater and Gordon before joining Carpenters Group to become Head of the Serious, Catastrophic and Multi Track Injury Teams. In 2021 she became responsible for the Clinical Negligence Team.
As well as being responsible for the management, performance and development of her teams, Carol sits on the Operations Board and also retains a caseload acting for some of our most catastrophically injured clients. With a focus on rehabilitation and working with her clients to help them reach their maximum potential, she is passionate about obtaining the best possible outcome for our clients.
In her spare time, she fundraises for Headway Sefton and The Motor Neurone Disease Association. The Legal 500 described her as ‘a very experienced lawyer who has a charm and a light touch when trying to get the best outcome for her clients. Clients really warm to her and trust her judgement'.
She is also a public Governor at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.
Donna is the CEO of Carpenters Group, having assumed the position in February 2016. As Chief Executive, Donna leads the Board of Directors and holds responsibility for the continued strategic growth, diversification and management of the firm. Donna, previously Carpenters' CFO, has over 20 years' experience of advising the legal sector in relation to strategic and financial matters and her appointment serves to further strengthen the businesses corporate management structure, bolstering continued success within the market.
Donna is a Joint Owner/Director at Carpenters Group one of the UK's leading providers of insurance & legal services. We work in partnership with insurers, brokers & MGAs to deliver a variety of outsourced claims. Carpenters Group is 30 years old this year.
Donna is a lawyer & an experienced public speaker & podcaster who writes industry articles on fraud, reform & matters that impact the insurance/legal market. She works closely with the Ministry of Justice in relation to motor claims & civil justice reform.
Donna received the Outstanding Achievement award at the 2014 Personal Injury Awards for her work in setting up AskCUEPI & in September 2018 jointly won the Insurance Post Magazine's Social Media Influencer Award.
She won the ‘Outstanding Charity Support' Award 2021 at the Liverpool Echo Regional Business Awards for her community charity work during the pandemic. Carpenters Group won the ‘Outstanding CSR Award' at the YM Liverpool Property & Business Awards in 2022 for their gender equality record & the work they do around social mobility.
Donna was named on the Insurance Business UK's ‘Elite Women' List 2023 and was one of 13 UK people on their 2023 Global 100 list! Donna was shortlisted in the ‘Person with Purpose' category at the Northern Power Women Awards 2023 & was awarded the Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award 2023 at the Modern Claims Awards. Donna was also named on the Insurance Post Power List for 2023.
Donna is on the editorial Board of Modern Insurance Magazine & Chairs the Insurance Times Fraud Charter group. She runs a homeless breakfast club every Sunday, is an Ambassador for Fans Supporting Foodbanks, a Football for Change Champion & mentors for the Girls Network & The Insurance Breakfast Club. She is a huge champion of women's rights, equality & social mobility.
Donna has twin ‘men' & in her spare time she enjoys Pilates & social media!
Donna is a Joint Owner/Director at Carpenters Group, having worked for various law firms in London before joining in 1997 and setting up its specialist Personal Injury department.
Eddie joined Carpenters Group in 2005 as a Finance Assistant and through dedication to the role and development provided by Carpenters, has since progressed through the business to the Finance Manager, then leading on to becoming the Head of Finance.
As the Head of Finance, Eddie manages all aspects of the financial functions of the Group which includes overseeing the firms Treasury Team, Suppliers Team, Recoveries and Billing Teams & Enforcement Team. Eddie is also a member of the Operations Board and works alongside the other members of the Board to monitor all aspects of operations, supporting staff and to ensure that Carpenters continues to grow.
Eddie likes to take part in the many charity events that Carpenters Group support throughout the year and outside of work is a keen football supporter and married with two beautiful daughters.
After starting in the Legal Profession in 1997, and having held previous management roles, Joanne joined Carpenters Group in 2005. Joanne initially worked as a Legal Adviser in the RTA Department and has since progressed through our business to Deputy Team Manager, Team Manager, Litigation Department Manager before undertaking her current role as Head of Fast Track RTA and a member of the Operations Board.
As Head of Fast Track RTA, Joanne oversees our Fast Track Litigation, Portal, ULR and Recoveries Departments. Joanne is responsible for the departmental performance and reports into the Executive Board in relation to issues, trends and initiatives to ensure processes are effective and efficient.
In her spare time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family and skiing.
John Carpenter was born and raised in Merseyside.
He was an Equity Partner in a large law firm with offices in Liverpool and London for 17 years specialising in corporate and employment law. John ran their London office between 1992 and 1994, before establishing Carpenters in 1994 as a niche commercial practice.
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
- in 2003 As IT Manager
Karen joined Carpenters Group in 2003 as IT Manager and has created a dynamic and forward-thinking IT team to deliver the systems and technical expertise to enable Carpenters to meet and exceed their growth plans. As Chief Information Officer, Karen oversees a large team who are responsible for achieving and surpassing the IT requirements of both internal and external stakeholders. As a member of the Executive Board Karen ensures that an innovative and robust IT strategy is implemented to support the firm, clients and staff.
Job Titles:
- Head of Technical Claims
- Member of the Operations Board
Since qualifying as a Solicitor in 1994 Mark has specialised in Personal Injury litigation. He joined Carpenters in 2007 and initially worked in the firms RTA and EL/PL departments before helping to set up and create the firms Technical department.
Mark is now Head of Technical Claims of Home Legal.
Mark manages and oversees the firm's Complex Team, Bike Team, Fraud/LVI team. Mark also oversees Carpenters Groups Advocacy and Technical Costs functions.
Mark has also been responsible for creating and now manages the firms Home legal function which operates a legal helpline and is also responsible for the administration of LEI home and motor policies.
Mark is a member of the Operations Board and is responsible for fee earner and departmental performance within the Technical and Home departments.
Paul joined Carpenters Group in 2016 having previously worked at RSA Insurance for over 20 years across a number of different business areas; including engineering consultancy, household claims and predominantly motor insurance claims.
As Commercial Director, Paul works closely with new and existing insurer and broker clients, identifying opportunities to grow the business, continuously improve operating models and managing the supplier relationships, as well as increasing the range of services offered to both our existing and future clients.
Paul enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf and football.
Job Titles:
- Head of Quality Assurance
- Our Head of Quality Assurance
Richard joined Carpenters Group in July 2016 as Head of Quality Assurance. With over 35 years of claims experience, he has held senior management positions with several insurers and service providers to the motor claims sector.
Richard is responsible for business-wide training and auditing across all divisions with a focus on ensuring Carpenters clients and their customers continue to receive the highest of service standards.
Outside of work, Richard has an unpaid second job as a taxi driver for his two children. He enjoys all sports and is a regular, but strictly fair weather golfer, so beware if his ‘out of office' says he is on a course!
Our Head of Quality Assurance, Richard Norbury, recently spoke to Modern Insurance Magazine about taking steps towards a customer-centric service.
Rick joined Carpenters Group in August 2022 as CFO.
Rick studied economics at The University of Manchester before starting his career in Finance at Grant Thornton and becoming a Chartered Accountant. Rick specialised in Corporate Finance before moving on to invest in and become a partner in another practice. He sold the practice and moved in to the Financial Services sector as a CFO which also engaged him in a large scale contact centre.
In addition to management oversight of the finance division of Carpenters Group, Rick's role is to partner with the CEO and senior leadership team to support the Group in its future growth and helping set its strategic direction and business planning.
In his spare time Rick enjoys most sports, with a particular passion for following the Sale Sharks and England rugby teams now he has hung his boots up.
Job Titles:
- Head of Insurance Services
Sam is ACII qualified and joined Carpenters Group in 2016 as Head of Insurance Services, bringing over 25 years of Insurance experience gained at General Accident, Norwich Union and Aviva. Sam has worked at both a technical and operational level across her career specialising in Claims. She has worked in a senior operational capacity for 15+ years and sits on the Groups Operations Board.
Sam is responsible for the management and performance of our 24/7 First Response Unit as well as our Claims Departments. She works closely with our insurer clients to streamline processes and ensuring the delivery of a consistently high level of service.
Outside of work Sam is married with a daughter and enjoys completing various charity challenges each year that put her outside of her comfort zone.
Sarah has worked in professional services firms within the HR and Development department for over 20 years including as a HR & Development Director.
Sarah joined Carpenters Group as Head of People in 2020, responsible for leading our HR, Recruitment and Learning & Development teams as well as working closely with all teams across the business. Her role will ensure that Carpenters Group continues to be a fantastic place to work, where people are listened to, innovation is embraced and people feel valued as they help grow both their own career and our business. Sarah's goals are to ensure working practices are modern, that employee engagement is high and that we have a culture we are all proud of.
Outside the office Sarah is a mum to 2 teenage boys. She enjoys running and volunteering at parkrun and has set up a local running club Southport Strollers.
Job Titles:
- Director of Claims Strategy
Simon joined Carpenters Group in 2019 having previously worked at Aviva and as a consultant to the UK Insurance Market, where Simon has worked on projects with Admiral, Axa & LV= Insurance.
As Director of Claims Strategy, Simon supports the Commercial function within Carpenters Group to identify emerging Commercial opportunities and developing a best of breed customer experience for our new & existing customers.
In his spare time, Simon enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and following National Hunt Racing.