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Citizens Advice welcomes two new trustees

26 April 2016

Ashok Vaswani and Rolande Anderson have joined the trustee board at Citizens Advice.

Ashok is CEO of Barclays UK and has a background in finance and banking, spending twenty years at Citigroup.  He joined Barclays in 2010, initially managing the bank’s credit card business in the UK and Europe before becoming Chief Executive of Barclays Africa. In 2012 he became Chief Executive of Barclays UK Retail and Business Banking, introducing new programmes such as Digital Eagles and Life Skills.

Rolande is currently a lay member at barristers’ regulator, the Bar Standards Board, and a governor of London Metropolitan University.  She had a varied senior career in the civil service, including the Cabinet Office, which saw her work closely with the Charity Commission and the voluntary sector.  In recent years she has taken up trustee and non executive roles at a diverse number of charities.

Chair of Citizens Advice, Sir David Varney, said:

“I’m really pleased to welcome Rolande Anderson and Ashok Vaswani to the Citizens Advice service.  Their knowledge and skills will be very valuable in helping us to make it easier for everyone to get advice and provide a strong voice for our clients and consumers.

“Every year we help millions of people with their problems whether that’s getting out of debt or trying to understand the benefits system, so it is really important we have a talented and experienced board of trustees which provide clear strategic oversight and reflect the environment we work in.”

Ashok Vaswani said:

“I see great value in the work Citizens Advice does to help people manage their finances by offering impartial and free advice. The charity also has a unique insight into the everyday problems faced by consumers which the financial sector and other industries can use to inform their customer services. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to make the most of this evidence and expertise.”

Rolande Anderson said:

“Few charities have as broad a remit as Citizens Advice and I look forward to using my experience in the legal services, housing and voluntary sectors, as well as government, to help drive the organisation forward and uphold the organisation’s commitment to equality and diversity.”

Twelve members sit on the Citizens Advice trustee board, each bringing a different skills set and expertise which reflects the variety of the organisation’s work.

Trustees are appointed through a competitive process and can serve a maximum of two three-year terms. The roles are unpaid positions.  

The Citizens Advice service is supported by 24,000 volunteers across England and Wales.

In 2014/15 2.5 million people with 6.2 million issues were helped directly through Citizens Advice services. We also had 47 million page views of our online advice at www.citizensadvice.org.uk.

In October 2015 Citizen Advice was named Charity of the Year in the Charity Times Awards.  The organisation’s work measuring outcomes the Citizens Advice service achieves for its clients and society was praised by the judges.

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Notes to editors

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local Citizens Advice, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.
  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
  3. To get advice online or find your local Citizens Advice in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk
  4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers.
  5. Local Citizens Advice in England and Wales advised 2.5 million clients on 6.2 million problems in 2014/15. For full service statistics see our publication Advice trends.
  6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,500 service outlets across England and Wales.