Chair: Nick Marden LVO DL
After a short Service Commission in the Army, Nick was a diplomat in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for 37 years. He was then appointed Private Secretary to HRH The Duke of Kent, during which time he worked with a number of national charities.
Nick is now retired. He was involved in the formation of Charity Mentors Kent and Medway in 2020. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent.
Vice Chair: Stephen Elsden
Stephen Elsden has over 30 years’ experience in the voluntary sector. He has been Chief Executive at Compaid since March 2009, and prior to that held marketing, communications and fundraising roles at Leonard Cheshire Disability and the British Red Cross.
Stephen was a founder of Professional Fundraising magazine which he edited in the early 1990s and he has written and presented extensively on charity issues in the UK and internationally.
Stephen is a former Trustee of both the Institute of Fundraising and the Small Charities Coalition, and has served on many other charity Boards throughout his career. He is currently an Ambassador for Pilotlight and proud to serve as a mentor and Vice-Chair of Charity Mentors Kent and Medway.
Deb Cartwright
Deb has worked in the social sector for 30 years, from supporting people in need and running multi-site operations in London, to acting as the CEO for Oasis Domestic Abuse Service in Kent until 2023. She holds an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management from Cass Business School and delivers coaching, mentoring, training and consultancy via her company SociaLed.
Valerie Hale
Initially Valerie was involved in education both in schools and currently with Health Education England.
She ran a successful small business, was a Non-Executive Director with a Mental Health Trust, a senior Magistrate and a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent (Retired).
Paul Barnard
Paul is the Chief Operating Officer at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and a key member of the Executive team. He is responsible for the operation and development of the museum and visitor attraction and delivery of key strategic objectives. Paul has previous worked as a grant maker and has been involved in the charitable sector for over 20 years.
Tim Bull DL
Educated at Norton Knatchbull School and Oxford University, Tim was recruited by the Saga Group in Folkestone in 1981. In 1985 he launched Saga in Australia, and after returning to the UK in 1987 became strategic development director. Saga grew into the UK’s leading brand for older people, and one of Kent’s biggest employers. In 2008, with his wife, he founded The Brook Trust, which supports domestic and sexual abuse victims, disadvantaged families and children, and other causes including smaller charities in Kent. He also invests in impactful start-up companies and social enterprises. He previously served as Chairman of Kent Community Foundation.