Our trustees provide expertise, experience and balance and underpin our decision making process.
Trustees
Lady Alexis Redmond MBE LL CStJ
PresidentLady Redmond MBE (Alexis) came into office as Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire on 25 August 2021. She is a chartered accountant and spent several years in the accountancy profession before establishing, with her husband Phil, one of the largest independent television drama production companies in the UK.
She has held many senior non-executive, governor and trustee positions including National Museums Liverpool, Riverside Housing Association, Liverpool John Moores University and Alder Hey Hospital NHS Children’s Charitable Trust. She continues to support many charitable and not for profit organisations.
In 2003 she was made a Fellow of John Moores University, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was awarded her MBE in 2011 for services to the community. Alexis held the office of High Sheriff of Cheshire during 2018/19.
Nicky Owen
ChairNicky joined Cheshire Community Foundation as a Trustee in 2022, focussing on marketing development and grant making, as well as serving on the Board. She is the founder of Epigram Communications & Design Limited, an international creative agency with branches in the UK and Malaysia, which manages the brands of leading global law firms. She served as CEO and Chairman until exiting via a management buyout in 2024.
Nicky has served as a Magistrate and Chair in the Manchester City Courts; as a Trustee of Active Cheshire; and Trustee/Vice Chairman of Knutsford GROW. She was one of the founders and principal organisers of the Tatton Yule Yomp, a mass participation 10K race raising over £175K for Cheshire charities in ten years.
An active sportswoman, Nicky has run numerous half and full marathons, including London Marathon and the Swiss Mountain Marathon; cycled through Italy and Provence; and trekked in the Himalayas, Iceland and Patagonia. She is a passionate advocate of access for all to sport, recreation and outdoor activity with the physical and mental health benefits that brings.
Jake Ankers
Vice ChairJake is the Managing Director of Abbots Moss Ventures, a family run investment company based in Cheshire. Jake oversees the management of around 20 investments in sectors such as health-tech, energy, online retail, logistics and property-tech. Philanthropy is a core value to the company and the family and, as such, Jake is also a Trustee of The Holroyd Foundation, a long standing supporter of CCF.
Prior to joining the business, Jake worked with an Ed-Tech start-up in London and worked for Enterprise Holdings Inc managing their corporate business in the NW.
Jake also sits on the board of Ark, a property-technology business; BGFG, an online media publisher and is the Chairman of GO-PA, a virtual PA business.
Terry Inns
Lead Trustee for GrantsTerry is a senior leader within a global engineering and project delivery company. His experience has covered a wide range of business functions where he has always put stakeholders, customers and relationships at the heart of his role.
With over 30 years’ experience in leadership positions across a wide range of businesses and business functions, spanning multiple sectors, Terry brings a wide range of knowledge and support to CCF, from risk management capabilities through project management and both physical and cyber security.
As our Grants Chair, Terry is driven by the inspirational work that ‘with the support of our donors’, CCF is able to fund across the breadth of charitable organisations throughout Cheshire and Warrington.
Paul Brown
TreasurerPaul is Tax Director at IN Accountancy based in Hazel grove and has over 35 years of experience in tax. Starting his career at HM Revenue & Customs, Paul then worked for a number of years for the Big 4 accounting firms including spending time working in Perth, Western Australia. Since 2015 Paul as focussed on advising owner managed businesses on all aspects of tax, combining a commercial approach and an ability to explain complex matters in understandable terms to identify solutions to tax problems and ensure clients maximise the use of available tax reliefs.
Paul is a cricket tragic and currently acts as Secretary to Cheshire Youth Cricket as well as being CYC’s representative on the Cheshire Cricket Board. He also manages one of the Cheshire Youth Cricket county age group sides, supporting the Board’s coaches in developing the next generation of cricketers on their path into adult cricket.
Howard Platt DL
TrusteeHoward is chairman of Locker Group, Warrington’s last surviving wire products company, as well as Chair of Trustees of the Challenge Academy Trust (TCAT) an innovative and fast-growing group, currently consisting of 14 Warrington schools responsible for educating over 12,000 pupils, employing 1,500 staff with an annual budget of over £90M. He is also a panel member of the North West Business Angels and is a past member of the Warrington Skills Commission.
Howard and his wife Wendy financed the construction of Lymm Heritage Centre to provide a permanent facility focused on celebrating the village’s unique history with particular emphasis on transport.
Howard and Wendy open their gardens at Laskey Farm each year for charity under the National Garden Scheme (NGS).
Simon Williams
TrusteeSimon has nearly 20 years’ of experience practising as a corporate and commercial lawyer in the North West and has established an extensive professional network. He builds very close, trusting and long-standing relationships with his clients, who are located nationally as well as internationally. He also acts as a Non-Executive Director for a large North West based company.
Simon has previously been a Trustee for the North West Air Ambulance Charity and was appointed as a Trustee of Cheshire Community Foundation in 2025. Simon is looking forward to adding value to the Board with his legal skills and commercial experience, as well as supporting the Foundation in achieving its charitable aims.
Simon is a fitness and sports enthusiast and a keen padel player. He lives in Chester with his wife, two young children and two dogs.
Sean Humphreys
TrusteeSean has over 30 years’ experience in a variety of roles in financial services with MBNA, Bank of America and Lloyds Banking Group. He’s a director of the Very Group and Chief Operations officer of the financial services arm of Very, overseeing all of the Very Groups operations of 1200 people.
Sean is the chair of the MBNA foundation as well as voluntary roles as Non Exec Board Member of Cheshire FA. Sean was inspired by the work of Cheshire Community Foundation working close with MBNA on a number of initiatives as well as participating on the Young Minds Matter Grants Panel. He brings with him a wealth of leadership experience both commercially and in the charity sector though his work as Chair of the MBNA Foundation.
David Wootton CBE DL
TrusteeDavid lives near to Nantwich with his wife Wendy. He has over forty years experience in education in a variety of roles across the UK. He has been Chief Executive of one of the highest performing school groups in the country.
David was also an Adviser to the Department for Education, served on Ministerial working groups, was a Board member of the ESFA, Chair of the IAA and a long-standing member of the APPG on Educational Leadership and Governance. He was awarded a CBE in the 2021 Queens New Year’s Honours List for Service to Education.
David is presently a consultant adviser working across the educational landscape with a focus on governance, strategy and leadership and writing, and speaking at events and conferences. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Educators (City of London). David is involved in shaping the next generation of teachers and educational research as Visiting Professor in Education at Manchester Metropolitan University.
David’s focus presently is significantly on community activities in Cheshire, working with charities and he is a Trustee of Cheshire Community Foundation and Chester Zoo and Chair of the largest schools Trust in Cheshire. David is also honoured to be a Deputy Lieutenant for the County.
He is a keen cyclist, scuba diver and plays Bass Guitar in the South Cheshire Concert Band and in an 18 piece jazz orchestra. David loves all aspects of music and the arts, spending time with family, travel and is enthusiastically involved in his local Church in Wybunbury.
Jeannie France-Hayhurst
TrusteeJeannie is a Barrister who specialised in Family Law, practising for four decades in the North West and North Wales, retiring a few years ago to focus on health, education and community organisations. She is known for her willingness to ask searching questions, assemble a persuasive argument and effective presentation.
Jeannie served as High Sheriff of Cheshire 2022-23. She is a Consultant with The Confidence Clinic and continues to train and coach in personal presentation.
Jeannie is an active Director of the family property development companies. She chaired the Governing Council of Moreton Hall School until 2018 and now serves on Chester University’s Governing Council, chairing the HR Committee.
Having served as a Non-Executive Director at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for six years until 2019, she continues as a Trustee of the Hospital’s Charity and is a former Trustee of Relate.
As an organiser of the Sandstone Ridge Festival, she is involved in promoting art, literature and music in South Cheshire.
Jeanie sings with Decibellas, the community choir and is a keen gardener, active in fundraising through the National Garden Scheme.
She lives in Bunbury with her husband James: they have four children and eight grandchildren, a couple of affectionate spaniels and an ancient but vigorous mouse-catching cat.
Andy Pear
TrusteeAndy is an entrepreneur with a broad portfolio of businesses across the medical, manufacturing, hospitality, construction, and property sectors. He serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire and brings a deep commitment to community development through a range of leadership roles. Andy is Vice-Chair of The Learning Partnership, a leading multi-academy trust in Cheshire, and Chair of Ruby’s Fund, a Congleton-based charity supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). He is also a Director of the East Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and a Trustee of The William Dean Education and Countryside Trust. Andy was appointed as a Trustee of Cheshire Community Foundation in 2025.
Emily Mathew
TrusteeEmily Mathew brings a wealth of experience in social impact, stakeholder engagement and strategic leadership. She currently leads engagement at the North West Business Leadership Team, working with senior business and political leaders across the region to drive collaboration on key regional priorities.
Previously at Bruntwood, Emily led the company’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programme, establishing its governance and delivery while building internal networks to foster education and cultural change. Her background spans corporate, not-for-profit and charitable sectors, making her a valuable addition to Cheshire Community Foundation’s Board.
Mark Greaves DL FIOD
TrusteeMark is a Founding Partner of Cheshire Community Foundation and spent his career building international businesses in the construction chemicals sector. He led Flowcrete Group for almost twenty years, growing it from a small UK business into a company with operations across 30 countries before its sale to RPM International in 2008, and went on to lead RPM's global Construction Chemicals business. He now chairs Vebro Polymers and is a Non-Executive Director of Beartown Brewery in Congleton.
Mark is involved in a number of local causes, including East Cheshire Hospice, Foden's Band Sandbach and Cheshire Young Carers, and was previously Chair of Active Cheshire. He was appointed Her Majesty's Deputy Lieutenant for Cheshire in 2013.
Outside work, Mark enjoys rugby, golf, walking and skiing, and is a keen follower of good wine.
Katrina Kerr
TrusteeAfter studying modern languages at the University of Bristol, Katrina joined HM Diplomatic Service and served in London, Paris and NATO in Brussels during the Falklands war. Most of her friends find this hilarious given she has a reputation for speaking her mind and isn't generally particularly diplomatic!
However, once she had completed her MBA at INSEAD, she found her niche and for the next 40 year she worked for a series of multinational adverting agencies - Publicis, Ogilvy, JWT - on clients such as Renault, HSBC, Reckitt Benckiser, First Choice Holidays and Vimto. She has won 5 IPA advertising effectiveness awards.
From 2013- 2018 she was CEO of Marketing Cheshire promoting Cheshire to visitors and investors and building her network across the county. She then became chair of Chester Business Improvement District and in 2023 she was elected as a councillor for Chester City and the Garden Quarter.
Katrina has extensive board experience including financial services, tourism, Manchester Metropolitan University and several arts organisations.
When she isn't sorting out people's bins and weeds, she loves cooking, everything French (or Italian), her allotment, supporting Sale Sharks and has an unrealised ambition to be a film critic.
She is married with two grown up sons and a big fluffy cat and lives in Chester.
Zoe Sheppard DL
PatronI’m incredibly proud to step into the role of Patron, after 8 years as CEO, and am so inspired by what we achieved together during my time: we awarded over £12.5 million in grants, to projects that helped 900,000 people. Together, we even survived a pandemic, and quickly got help to the people who needed it most. The incredible generosity of our donors is the driving force behind our achievements. It really is moving to think of all the kindness, all those gifts, entrusted to us. As a patron, I’m excited to remain closely connected to our mission and to witness the continued growth and impact of the Foundation.
David Briggs MBE, KStJ
Patron"I’m keen to act as a bridge between the commercial and professional world and the voluntary sector, helping Cheshire charities in any way that I can."
David is involved with a number of Cheshire charities and is our Patron. He plays a pivotal role in Cheshire Community Foundation’s fundraising initiatives, supporting the organisation by making valuable connections with businesses and organisations in the voluntary sector, who are well placed to work with us to make a real difference in our local community.
Joëlle Warren
PatronWant to join Cheshire Community Foundation as a Trustee?
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Cheshire Community Foundation
