Our Trustees

Paul is our Chair and a member of the Finance & Resources and Facilities & Environment committees. He has been involved with YMCA East Surrey since 1991 when he ran the London Marathon for our cause. Subsequent sponsorship challenges have included cycling from Biarritz to Barcelona and Redhill to Paris and Bruges. He works closely with Ian, our CEO, to develop our services with a particular interest in the provision of housing.

Paul became a trustee in 2013 after retiring from a business career which included being the CEO of a quoted logistics company and chair and non-executive director of several businesses in logistics, recruitment and management consultancy.

Ian has been a trustee and Treasurer of YMCA East Surrey since 2015 and chairs the Finance and Resources Committee. He is an actuary and has spent much of career working on developing software enabling life insurance companies to build financial models and produce cash flow projections of their business.

Ian’s involvement with YMCA East Surrey started with his participation in their walking and cycling challenges that raise funds for the organisation and has continued to take parts in these events to date.

Ross has been a trustee of YMCA East Surrey since early 2022 but has been a supporter and promoter of the YMCA since moving to the area 10 years prior. He is the Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group and supports a number of challenge events to support fundraising. Ross leads a National Education Technology company after a career leading Change and Transformation programmes across multiple sectors.

Ross became a trustee primarily to support the sustainable growth and efficiency of the YMCA East Surrey as it delivers its strategy; but is benefiting from governance experience to lead to growing his Non-Executive portfolio in the future.

Christine is a member of the Children and Young People Advisory Committee and a Co-opted member of the Board.

Christine is a retired Paediatrician, having worked in the NHS in Surrey for over 30 years. Her main area of expertise was with children with additional needs, including children with physical and developmental difficulties, children Looked After by the Local Authority, and children in need of Safeguarding.

Christine was one of the Medical Advisers for Adoption and Fostering, and was the Designated Doctor for Looked After Children for the Surrey Clinical Commissioning Groups for 8 years.

Louise has worked as a solicitor with Surrey law firms for over 25 years and brings a wealth of practical expertise to her trustee role. She has a keen interest in the welfare of children and young people and was previously trustee and chair of Home-Start East Surrey providing practical support to families with young children.

Louise joined YMCA East Surrey as a trustee in 2021 to be part of a vibrant and effective resource at the heart of the community and sits on the Finance and Resource Committee.

John is a retired Chartered Accountant with a passion for financial control and risk management. He was attracted to the YMCA by its wide range of services and activities supporting a spectrum of those most in need in our community.

He leverages his experience and background and brings added value by being a member of the Finance and Resources Committee and chairing the Governance Group.

Heather is a Trustee and lead for Safeguarding on the Board, Chair of the Children and Young People’s Advisory Group and member of the Governance Group.

Heather is a qualified social worker with experience of managing services in Local Authorities and National Voluntary Organisations as an Executive Director. Has also held roles as a Special School Governor and Director, and as Chair of a local HIV Charity. Heather’s passion has been to develop and deliver high-quality services for children and families, she has led on innovation, change and charity mergers.

Richard has been a Trustee at the YMCA for the last 5 years. He is a member of the Health and Wellbeing committee, the Fundraising group and the Finance and Resources committee

Richard has experience at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council as a past Councillor and Mayor. Before retiring 15 years ago, Richard sold his Chartered Accountancy and Financial Services businesses to his staff and it is still flourishing today.

Richard has a Master’s Degree in Local History and is involved in research and writing in all areas of local and medieval history as it relates to northern Surrey.

Richard’s involvement with the YMCA began when he was Mayor and chose YMCA as one of his three charities inspired by the ethos of wanting to help every individual to be the best they could be.

Lola Odunsi sits in the Children & Young People and the Facilities & Environment committees within the YMCA.

Lola holds a BEng in Engineering Geology from University of Portsmouth and an MSc/DIC in Petroleum Geoscience from Imperial College London.

Lola’s primary experience is in the energy and industrial sectors. She currently works as the International Sales Director for GHGSat with a focus on environmental sustainability, digitization, legislations, business development and technical sales. Lola is passionate about developing young leaders and provides Early Years support through her private childcare establishment, and counselling and mentorship with her work as Head of Children and Youth group at her local church.

Chloe has been involved with the YMCA since she was a teenager – volunteering on the Y-Kids and Yippee clubs when she was in her final years at school. She now sits on the Children and Young People’s Committee and is the Inclusion Lead on the Trustee Board.

Chloe runs her own social enterprise, focusing on developing policy to improve opportunities for disabled people. She has previously worked across both local and national Government, advising politicians on community engagement.

Grant has been a trustee of YMCA East Surrey since 2021. He has worked as a commercial property solicitor for 20 years, first with two leading City and West End firms and most recently as a partner of TWM Solicitors LLP in Reigate.

Grant sits on the Finance and Resources Committee with a particular interest in property and housing matters. Grant has previously been a volunteer mentor for Centrepoint and an adviser to a Surrey charity providing recreational activities for disadvantaged children. Grant is also a qualified legal translator and member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.

Jeff’s lifelong career was in life assurance, pensions and investments retiring as Head of Sales, AMP/Pearl Assurance in 1995 and then became CEO of The Life Insurance Assoc. for 6 years. Jeff then ran a letting agency and business consultancy, and was also a director of Cherchefelle Charitable Housing Assoc. Alongside his YMCA volunteering, he is also a Trustee and Treasurer of Reigate Rotary Club and Treasurer of Reigate Priory Bowling Club.

Jeff joined YMCA East Surrey’s Housing Advisory Committee to advise on securing more private landlords around 10 years ago and became a Trustee a year later.

Now, Jeff chairs our Housing Committee and is also a member of the Governance group and Facilities and Environment sub-committee.