ADVISORY BOARD

We are supported by an Advisory Board bringing together experts from academia, service provision, industry and those with lived experience of mental health problems. Advisory Board members support our work in an independent capacity and do not formally represent their employer. We’re very lucky to have their support.

Sue Ayton

Sue Ayton is a partner at Knight Ayton Management, that represents a large number of factual broadcasters and writers. She has vast experience and numerous connections in news and current affairs and across the areas of history, science, business, consumer issues and lifestyle.

Andy Bell

Andy Bell is Deputy Chief Executive at the Centre for Mental Health. He joined the Centre from the King’s Fund in 2002 as Director of Communications, before becoming Deputy Chief Executive in 2009. He is a member of the Mental Health Policy Group and chaired the Mental Health Alliance between 2006 and 2008. He writes a regular blog on mental health policy for the Huffington Post.

@Andy__Bell__

Luciana Berger

Luciana Berger is the former MP for Liverpool Wavertree and former Labour shadow cabinet minister for mental health. She frequently campaigns on the issues of waiting times and funding for mental health services and is a strong advocate of talking therapies. As shadow minister, Luciana toured mental health services and organisations across the country. Luciana is chair of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and a vice president of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

@lucianaberger

Dr. Jed Boardman

Jed Boardman is Senior Lecturer in Social Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and Senior Policy Adviser at the Centre for Mental Health. Throughout his career, he has worked mainly in social and community psychiatry and was Consultant Psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley Trust until 2016. He is Lead for Social Inclusion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists where he advises on employment, poverty, welfare reform, personalisation and recovery.

Dr. Billy Boland

Billy Boland is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Community Psychiatry and is the Deputy Medical Director at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. He is the current Chair of the Faculty of General Adult Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a co-Clinical Director for Mental Health for NHS England, London region. His interests include quality improvement, social care and safeguarding in mental health services.

@DrBillyBoland

Dr. Lisa Cameron MP

Dr Lisa Cameron is the MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow. First elected in 2015, Lisa has previously served as the SNP’s Shadow Spokesperson for Mental Health, as well as being a member of both the Health and Social Care and International Development select committees. Prior to entering Parliament, Lisa worked as a consultant psychologist in a community forensic mental health service, and was Director of a local small business, Psychological Services Scotland Ltd.

@DrLisaCameronMP

Sharon Collard

Sharon Collard is a Professor of Personal Finance and Research Director at the University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre, where much of her research explores the intersections between low income, vulnerability and personal finance. Sharon is also a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, a statutory panel that represents the interests of consumers in the development of regulatory policy for financial services; the UK Financial Inclusion Commission; and the government’s Financial Inclusion Policy Forum.

@SharonBCollard

Martin Coppack

Martin is director of Fair By Design, the campaign to end the injustice of people paying more for essential products and services – simply because they are poor. With a background in consumer advocacy, grant-making and regulation, Martin has held a range of positions, including at the Financial Conduct Authority and Big Lottery Fund, all with the common objective of placing low income and vulnerable people at the heart of policy making. He is also a Commissioner for the Commission on Financial Inclusion.

@martin_coppack

Steve Crabb

Steve Crabb is a consultant specialising in consumer vulnerability strategy and inclusive service design. He is a former business journalist and has held senior roles in charities, central government and the private sector.

Sandra Dangoor

Following an honours degree in Business Studies, Sandra made a career as a stockbroker in the City of London, mainly in private client portfolio management, and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Securities institute (FCSI). Having recently retired after 40 years, Sandra also volunteers for another mental health organisation as well as being a trustee for other smaller charities. In her spare time, she travels, plays bridge, goes to theatres and has recently taken up golf.

Lord Davies of Brixton

Lord Davies is a Labour peer who was appointed to the House of Lords in 2020. Before entering the Lords, he worked as an actuary in the pensions industry and was active in the trade union movement. Earlier in his career, he served on the Inner London Education Authority.

@daviesofbrixton

Chris Fitch

Chris Fitch has led research on debt and mental health for almost a decade. Chris works with the Money Advice Trust and the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol, much of his research focuses on vulnerability. Before this, Chris was a Research Fellow at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

@chris_fitch

Lee Healey

Lee Healey is Founder and Managing Director of IncomeMax, a social enterprise that offers independent personal money advice. Lee has 21 years of experience supporting vulnerable and low income families, having held roles at the Department for Work and Pensions and in the charitable advice sector.

@Income_MAX

Dan Holloway

Dan Holloway has bipolar disorder and has been campaigning on mental health and finance issues for more than a decade. He works at Oxford University, where he sits on the Disability Advisory Group. Twice Creative Thinking World Champion, Dan is also CEO of Oxford University spinout Rogue Interrobang which helps institutions use creativity to solve wicked problems, in particular by providing spaces where disabled people can play a leading role in shaping the future. 

@agnieszkasshoes

Dr. Ricky Kanabar

Ricky Kanabar is Assistant Professor of Social Policy at the University of Bath. Prior to his appointment at Bath, Ricky was a founding member of the Understanding Society Policy Unit working with government departments on joint projects using the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study; one of the few longitudinal household surveys that collects information about both people’s debt profile and their mental health.

Sir Norman Lamb

Sir Norman Lamb served as the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk for 18 years, during which time he served as Minister of State for Care and Support at the Department of Health under the coalition government. In this role, he campaigned for parity of esteem between mental and physical health, and the integration of health and social care. Sir Norman was awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Honours Birthday list in June 2019.

@normanlamb

Adam Land

Adam Land is a senior director at the Competition and Markets Authority, where he has had a particular focus on the design and delivery of effective interventions to help people get a fair deal from markets. Adam is passionate about supporting good mental health and is a senior sponsor on wellbeing and mental health for both the CMA and the UK Civil Service.

Sandra Lawman

Sandra Lawman is a specialist in mental health with extensive experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors. She has held positions including administrator of the Maudsley Charity, Chair of Social Services in Lambeth and Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee at Rethink Mental Illness. Sandra has lived experience of mental health problems, she has a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, and has also been a carer for her long term partner.

Aoife ní Luanaigh

Aoife Ni Luanaigh is a researcher with more than ten years’ experience of designing, conducting, and directing research and evaluation programmes. She has worked for the University of Cambridge, in the private sector, and in government. Aoife has lived experience of mental health problems and is particularly interested in how people can be supported to access and stay in work and education during periods of ill health.

@AoifeNiLuanaigh

Léonora Miles

Léonora Miles is Senior Financial Services Policy Adviser at a national charity. She has held a number of positions in policy and financial services, including three years at the Financial Services Authority.

Vanessa Pine

Vannessa Pine is director of communications agency Atlas Partners, which she founded in 2015. A former Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vanessa has over 17 years’ experience in communications and public affairs. Having started her career at the Home Office, she worked in the UK and Australia, in agency and in house.

@vanessa_opines

Paul Scates

Paul Scates is a creative events and mental health ambassador, who delivers training sessions and presentations on mental health issues. Paul has lived experience of bipolar disorder, this has been debilitating for extended periods of Paul’s adult life, but he has now found stability through a routine of self-management. Paul is currently training to be a professional counsellor.

@paulscates

Mike Songer

Mike has spent 37 years in Retail Banking, most recently leading strategy development for the treatment of Vulnerable Customers within his firm, and additionally acting as Chair for the Vulnerability Committee at the financial service trade body, UK Finance. For several years he has been a weekly listening volunteer for people who are suicidal, in crisis or despair, as well as supporting the induction, training and mentoring of new volunteers.

Caroline Wells

Caroline has over two decades of strategic and operational leadership, and a deep-rooted knowledge of the financial services sector. Formerly head of outreach and customer insight at the Financial Ombudsman Service, in 2017 she set up her consultancy Different Petal and co-founded MeIncluded, a disabled access review website. Caroline also holds a number of advisory roles, including at the; National Centre for Diversity, Money Advice Trust and for the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner.

Nicola Wood

Nicola Wood is the Senior Independent Director at the Information Commissioner’s Office and an Ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service. She is a specialist in dispute resolution and a former solicitor. She has a particular interest in helping vulnerable consumers and helping businesses to help them too.

Professor Dame Til Wykes

Til Wykes is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation at King’s College London, much of her research focuses on rehabilitation and recovery for people with severe mental health problems. Professor Wykes also edits the Journal of Mental Health and is Vice Dean of Psychology and System Sciences at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

@TilWykes