Charity Finance Group (CFG) is delighted to announce the appointment of two new trustees to the board – Anna Bennett and Tony Wells.
Anna is Director of Finance, IT and Facilities for London's Air Ambulance Charity. Anna has worked in the charity sector in finance, operations and leadership roles for the past 25 years, and has been a CFG member for most of her career.
Tony is Director of Finance & Resources at The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields, a homelessness charity in London. He joined the charity as Financial Controller, after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2018. In 2021, he completed CFG’s Inspiring Financial Leadership course and was promoted to his current role the following year.
Gary Forster, CFG’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, comments: “We’re delighted to have appointed Anna and Tony as CFG’s new trustees. I know I speak for everyone in saying that they bring a diverse range of experience and skills to their new roles.
“Their clear passion for excellence in charity governance and financial management will be a real asset to CFG, as will their experiences of being CFG members. The Board, leadership and staff teams warmly welcome them – CFG looks forward to working with them.”
About Anna Bennett
Before joining London’s Air Ambulance Charity, Anna worked in charity audit, advising and supporting a large range of charities. Prior to that, she was Finance Director at Hospice UK and Director of Finance & Operations at BBC Children in Need.
Anna comments: “I’ve been a trustee of various charities during my career, and as an ex-charity auditor, the financial health and the governance of the charity is really important to me. I hope to bring my skills and experience in these areas to support the board at CFG.
“My own experience of being a CFG member has been of sharing ideas, learning and developing, keeping technically up-to-date and, most importantly, meeting others in the sector.
“I want to help to ensure that the support and experience I’ve gained from membership continues for all charity finance professionals. To do this well, it is essential to engage with and listen to the sector, but also to work with others in all sectors to understand upcoming challenges and therefore members’ future needs.”
About Tony Wells
Tony stepped into the role of Director of Finance & Resources in April 2022 and, alongside finance, he is responsible for premises, IT and data protection, and is currently overseeing the overhaul of the charity’s IT infrastructure.
Tony comments: “I have been fortunate to have progressed rapidly in my career to date, assisted by CFG through my participation in the Inspiring Financial Leadership course. Having first-hand experience of moving into a financial leadership role relatively quickly, I am aware of the challenges this can pose to those early in their career.
“For those in small and medium-sized charities, taking on a financial leadership role will often involve taking responsibility for several additional back-office functions. Navigating this can be difficult, especially alongside the challenges faced by new leaders.
“It’s a privilege to be part of CFG's work to ensure the long-term financial health of the sector and its members, and I look forward to using my diverse experiences to provide support to them.”
For more information, please email Emma Abbott, Communications Manager, CFG.
« Back to all news