The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.
Every Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity reliant on trained volunteers and funds to provide these vital services for local communities.
If you would be interested in one of our directors speaking at your conference or event, please contact us.
Chief Executive
David Harker has been chief executive of Citizens Advice, the national body that leads and supports Citizens Advice Bureaux, since 1997.
David joined Citizens Advice from Sense, the national disability charity, where he was managing director.
His earlier career included management consultancy, running an inner city charity, working for a council of voluntary service, as a policy analyst for a local authority and a research and press officer for a trade union. David has an MBA from London Business School and an MA in social policy.
David is a member of the Advertising Standards Authority and the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, which supervises Ofgem, the energy regulator. He is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and received an OBE for services to the voluntary sector in 2003.
Membership Services Director
Shani Fancett took up her new role as Director of the new Membership Services Division at the beginning of July 2007. This Division brings together the Regions and Wales bureaux support services, Audit Services, Advice Policy and Membership and Standards.
Shani has worked for Citizens Advice for 10 years as Director of IT Services and has been instrumental in driving through key IT changes, including our client case management system, and our internal service wide and public facing websites such as AdviserNet and Adviceguide. During the last year she has been the Lead Director for the Citize
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s Advice Change Programme which has involved reviewing all main areas of activity, and establishing a change programme to realise over £4 million per annum savings.
Prior to joining Citizens Advice Shani worked for Barnardos and she has also worked for West Glamorgan County Council and the Probation Service where she developed support and advisory services for Young Offenders.
Strategic Development Director
Keith Gilbey took up his role as Director of Strategic Development at the end of October 2007. Before joining Citizens Advice Keith spent over twenty years building a number of businesses ranging from an Artist Management and Production company, Manufacturing and a below the line Marketing company.
Keith was most recently Director of Service Design and Strategy at Business Link London, where he pioneered initiatives on social enterprise and access to finance for disadvantaged communities. He has also been involved in the development of a number of significant change programmes in both large and small organisations.
Corporate Services Director
John Humpston joined Citizens Advice as Corporate Services Director in January 2008. John spent the previous five years as a Director in the voluntary sector at Groundwork and Crisis. Prior to that he led organisational development processes in membership organisations and the public sector.
Public Policy Director
Teresa Perchard, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice since 2000, leads the development of policy on a wide range of social and consumer policy issues, including debt and financial exclusion and consumer protection. Prior to joining Citizens Advice Teresa has had over 12 years experience of developing and implementing policy on regulation, consumer protection and consumer representation through posts she has held at the Office of the Rail Regulator, the Office of Water Services and the National Consumer Council.
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