(Chair)
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin joined the Board in December 2018 and became interim chair in December 2024.
Kevin O’Brien joined the not-for-profit sector in July 2016 as Director of Finance & Corporate Resources at Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent). He has since worked in a number of finance and operations roles for charities including RSPCA, and he was a member of the finance committee at The Lullaby Trust. He is now Chief Financial Officer at Retirement Villages Group. Kevin has also held various finance roles in several large, global and multinational corporates (in manufacturing, trading and property. Kevin Is CIMA qualified and joined CFG’s board in 2018. Before becoming interim Chair, he was Chair of CFG’s Finance and Audit Committee.
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Kelly Ryder
Kelly is Head of Finance for the Orchard Trust, a charity based in the Forest of Dean who support adults with learning and physical disabilities to live independent and fulfilled lives.
Prior to this, Kelly worked for many years in the financial services industry and then in finance for a global manufacturing company, where she obtained her AAT qualification.
This is Kelly’s first trustee role and she is passionate about using it to serve CFG members and also to increase awareness of the challenges faced by charities in the social care sector.
Mwiza Mkandawire
Mwiza is the Head of Finance and Administration at Transaid, an INGO where she has been since 2019. Prior to that she worked at arts charity Artsadmin Ltd for 11 years. Mwiza is a qualified chartered accountant and a CFG Inspiring Financial Leadership Alumni. Before joining Artsadmin Ltd in 2008 she worked with various organisations in both the commercial and charity sectors in Malawi. She has excellent knowledge and understanding of charity finance and is a trustee of two arts charities.
Angela Linton
Angela is Chief Operating Officer at The National Foundation for Youth Music. Angela has a breadth of experience working in charitable organisations across the cultural sector.
As well as having had previous experience of being a trustee and undertaking company secretary duties, Angela is a member of the Living Wage Foundation, Third Sector Steering Committee and actively advocates for the payment of the real living wage.
Angela is committed to equality of opportunity and supporting emerging leaders develop their leadership skills, knowledge and personal confidence.
Tim Nicholls
Tim is an experienced executive and non executive director and has held senior roles across the charity sector for over ten years. He is currently Head of Finance and Resources at The Tudor Trust which is a large grant making charity based in London.
Prior to moving into the charity sector Tim held senior financial positions within the NHS across North London.
Until 2021, Tim was an elected Council Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), and has held several Trustee roles across the sector, most recently chairing North Kent Volunteer Centre.
Hugh Wallace
Hugh Wallace is Chief Information Officer at Research Data Scotland, a charity focused on enabling access to public sector data about people, places and businesses.
Prior to that he led a high-profile programme to deliver a common payments platform in Scottish Government and support digital service development within Scotland’s Social Security agency. His previous roles include leading the digital teams at Oxfam and National Museums Scotland, as well as heading up the design function in a digital agency.
Anna Bennett
Anna joined the CFG Board in November 2023. She is Director of Finance, IT and Facilities at London's Air Ambulance Charity. Prior to this role, she worked in charity audit, advising and supporting a large range of charities. Before this, Anna was Finance Director at Hospice UK and Director of Finance & Operations at BBC Children in Need.
Anna has been a CFG member for most of her career and is passionate about using her experiences and skills to ensure other finance professionals can continue benefiting from CFG membership.
Tony Wells
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.
As a relative new-comer to the world of charity finance, Tony completed CFG’s Inspiring Financial Leadership course in 2021. He was promoted to his role the following year. Tony is passionate about using his leadership and financial skills for the benefit of the CFG community and wider sector.