Our Trustees
Beverly D'Alessio - Chair
Beverly was appointed to the Trustee Board at Citizens Advice Manchester in 2017 and became the Chair in September 2020. Beverly has worked as a Business and IT Consultant for a number of multi-national organisations and, as an independent consultant and coach, has worked on a diverse range of projects across the private, public and voluntary sectors. Her background is in large scale IT Transformation, Strategic Client Management, Sales Operations and Programme Assurance and she has been a Vice President and Senior Executive in Capgemini, IBM and Fujitsu Services. She has been particularly involved over the last 20 years in the Welfare Sector and is most interested in the role today's digital transformation can play in helping deliver support and independence to the most vulnerable in society.
Karen Clarke - Vice Chair
Karen Clarke is Vice Chair of Citizens Advice Manchester (CAM) and the Chair of the Business Development and Research & Campaigns Committee. She was a senior lecturer in Social Policy at Manchester University and before that she worked as a researcher at the Equal Opportunities Commission. She was involved for many years with the Pankhurst Centre, as Chair of The Pankhurst Trust, and she has also been a school governor. Before becoming a Trustee she worked with CAM for two years as a research and campaigns volunteer.
Fiona McNair- Treasurer
Fiona McNair is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser who has worked across both the public and private sector. This has included working as a divisional Finance Director involved in group wide financial controls and risk management processes, and work specialising in assessing corporate and tax governance across a broad range of businesses. She currently works for HMRC in the National Compliance team of Large Business. As well as being the Treasurer/Chair of the Finance, Risk & Audit Committee at CAM, she also sits on the board of Citizens Advice Greater Manchester and has volunteered for a number of years on the management committee of the Manchester Branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. She has previously been a School Governor and worked specifically on Pupil Premium, ensuring investments were focused on improving both inclusion and outcomes for children from low income families. She is passionate about the importance of CAM's work in both supporting individuals and in giving them a voice to improve the legislation and practices impacting them through our campaigning.
Holly Markin
Holly Markin has worked in Human Resources for over 20 years in a range of large organisations in both the private and public sector. In recent years she has also trained as a psychotherapist and works in both private practice and with AnxietyUK, a Manchester based charity. She has been a Trustee with CAM for the last 12 months and really enjoys working with an organisation that actively supports so many people through difficult times.
Tony Robinson
Joining the Trustee Board in October 2018 and becoming the Chair of the HR Committee, Tony has a strong background working in legal environments across the public and private sector. In his professional roles, he provides advice and support in the development of new policy and organisational strategy. A registered member of CIPD, Tony specialises in a number of areas including L&D, change management, IT and Security.
Conor Meenan
Conor Meenan has over 30 years experience working in IT roles in blue-chip companies. He is a Consultant and Senior Programme/Project Manager and has held senior positions in major Digital Transformation and IT projects, service delivery organisations and service improvement and organisational change initiatives. His experience is global and across many functional areas including supply chain, operations, call centres, finance and sales and marketing. Prior to becoming a Trustee in September 2020, Conor volunteered with CAM for 3 years, initially on Research & Campaigns and then on Big Data Strategy and Data Analytics initiatives.
Craig Simpson
Craig has worked in the public sector for almost 20 years, joining Greater Manchester Probation Service as a Probation Officer, and was the chair of Greater Manchester Probation Trusts (GMPT) largest Employee Network. Craig led ED&I across the Trust and in 2016 designed and introduced a new Employee Network across Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service in England and Wales. Craig now works as a Senior Policy Advisor and joined CAM as a Trustee in September 2020.
Michael Kay
Mike brings a wealth of experience as a seasoned Business Manager, skilled in understanding core client needs and fostering valuable relationships. His expertise spans the full spectrum of IT Network Services, with a particular focus on leveraging network solutions as a driver of progress, rather than a constraint. With a proven track record across the finance industry, he has excelled both as an individual sales contributor and as a leader, developing high-performing teams that consistently exceed customer expectations. An advocate for innovation, Mike is committed to delivering cloud-based services that enhance operational efficiency and create lasting impact. As a previous Trustee here in Manchester, Mike brings his strategic insights and industry knowledge to help Citizens Advice better serve the community.
Mark Lyonette
Mark joined the Trustee Board of Citizens Advice Manchester in June 2024. Mark has spent over 30 years leading successful membership organisations including the Association of British Credit Unions (ABCUL) and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). He has extensive experience of building strong board and management teams both as a Chief Executive working with Boards and as a Non-Executive Director himself. During his time at ABCUL Mark sat on the UK Governments Financial Inclusion Taskforce.
Will Priest
Will Priest is a Consultant working across the Public Sector industry, specialising in investment advisory and programme strategy. He has a strong background in managing large-scale, public-facing programme delivery and business case development. Previously, Will has held roles as an official in central government, notably at HM Treasury. Here, Will specialised in consumer financial policy and ensuring accountable, transparent management of public finances.