East of England

I love life, I love my family and I love organisations that help others. Thanks to the Co-op, I have become more aware of Fairtrade, sustainable farming and quality produce. Co-op has been my favourite retailer for years as it ticks all the boxes I feel are important. As a Council Member, I feel I offer a wide range of skills and experience.

I’ve been involved in Co-op's since I was 16, currently I am a Director of Co-op's UK and the Press. Until having to step down under the Societies '12-year' rule, I was a Director of East of England Co-op. Locally, I am a Director of Harwich connexions transport co-operative which apart from local transport provides a nursery and business start-up units, amongst other things. My priorities: to increase real member participation and to recruit the next generation of co-operators.

I'm a team manager for Co-op and pride myself on doing the job with integrity and loyalty to the Co-op's purpose, values and principles. I attribute my accomplishments to being an organised and proactive people-person, engaging with colleagues and the community. I've also been a Member Pioneer. I'm passionate about sharing success and not afraid to challenge with tough questions. Moreover, I'm objective and approachable and want to champion all members.

I represent the Members' Council on the Senate. My employment background is as a primary school teacher and a founder of a small business. I also worked in the voluntary sector, co-ordinated a project promoting credit unions and currently work in local government. The Members' Council needs to represent the interests of members and hard-working colleagues, as we are the eyes and ears of the business. Working together, we can ensure the Co-op's renewal and future success.

Member ownership of our Co-op is its strength. I want to see our Co-op promoting and celebrating how membership influences ongoing development in a sustainable, responsible, and ethical way. The future lies in younger people being enthused by Co-operative Values and Principles. Voices of members matter. I welcome the way in which the Co-op has maintained its commitment to Fairtrade, an example of a policy promoted by the membership. The biggest challenge to this is to improve communication both ways between membership and the Council. Networks should be improved to create an active engaged membership to strengthen our democracy and the influence of members. More local meetings, face to face and digitally, and a strong social media presence are essential. We must continue to work towards ensuring diversity and inclusion as well as following up members’ concerns.