Meet the Team

The Board of Trustee’s core role is to focus on strategy, performance and assurance. Our trustees are a vital part of our mission and continue to help us through our objectives and goals.  Our Leadership Team, headed up by the Chief Executive, Nicky Willshere oversees the operations across all the projects, core advice teams and partnerships across the region.

Tom Griffin

Chair of Trustees

Tom has a strong commitment to public service and his career spanned the Law, as a solicitor in both Scotland and England; local government: Chief Executive Officer at Maldon and Suffolk Coastal District Councils where he oversaw the merger into East Suffolk; Chair of the Board at Orwell Housing Association and consultant to various bodies including Audit Commission, Local Government Association, Cabinet Office, Suffolk New College. These roles plus his time as President of Rotary Great Britain during the pandemic, required strategic thinking and make him well placed to lead the Trustee Board.

Tom has interacted with Citizens Advice through his career and always viewed it as an admirable organisation, all the more so now when so much of its work is focused on helping those facing economic difficulty, or exclusion from a world which is becoming increasingly exclusively digital, or (a long-term interest of his) facing housing challenges. As he says, he is gratified to help in some small way.

David Podd

Vice Chair | People Management Portfolio

David was born and bred in Ipswich and has spent the majority of his life in the town. He has been a Trustee of Ipswich Citizens Advice for nearly 16 years and is currently Vice Chair of the Trustee Board.

After completing an Honours degree in Business Studies in London David has spent the majority of his career in Human Resources , working predominantly in the Insurance sector. In fact he started his Human Resources career with Willis Faber in Ipswich before moving to their Head Office in London. It was an exciting time to be working in the Insurance sector as it was a period of great change with multiple mergers and takeovers. During this period of his career David became a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel & Development. After a period as an independent HR Consultant David retired and devoted more time to other activities such as Citizens Advice.

The last 15 years has been a period of significant change in many ways for Citizens Advice Ipswich, which is why for people like David it has it has been such a challenging, exciting and worthwhile activity to be involved in and will continue to be so in the future.

John Deacon

Vice Chair | Risk Management Portfolio

Before retiring, John was an Information Management consultant for Shell UK and Shell International, working mainly on text-based information, and predominantly in the upstream (exploration and production) area of the business both in the UK and a variety of overseas locations.

Alongside his work, he has always seen assisting others to access information and services that they need as an incredibly important and satisfying role. John has had hands-off experience of several Citizens Advice offices undertaking this task during the past 50+ years, so was very pleased when an opportunity arose to be able to directly contribute to the organisation.

As off-shore environment risk-management is always high on the agenda and a topic that John became very aware of and interested in when working on the off-shore platforms, he was very happy to take on the Risk portfolio within the Trustee Board.

Eddie Bryant

Trustee

Eddie Bryant enjoyed a career in IT and technology, latterly at O2 UK Ltd, designing and delivering systems to support Smart Metering. Now retired and living in Kesgrave, Suffolk he enjoys numerous DIY projects and outdoor life especially cycling and running.

Being a solutions based individual, passionate about making a real and practical difference and doing the right thing, he wanted to join an organisation that offers an opportunity to use some of his softer skills and one that clearly provides a very important service to the community, and Citizens Advise very much ticked that box.  Other interests include a growing involvement in Community Energy via local groups, which in some ways can fit together with issues that Citizens Advise clients face.

Ian Williamson

Trustee | Financial Management Portfolio

Thirty plus years as an investment and commercial banker with JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers & Nomura and a Chartered Fellow with the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment makes Ian a great fit to take the finance portfolio role within the Trustee Board.  He was a consultant to a number of City institutions and also acted as an expert witness in the Madoff High Court litigation and recovery and holds an MBA from London Business School.

In another voluntary role, Ian was previously a community school Governor in Suffolk, successfully delivering an OFSTED ”turnaround”.

In retirement, Ian felt that his finance and commercial background might be of use to Citizens Advice Ipswich. In his words, he soon found that the Bureau was professionally run and provided a critically important service to its clients, although funding challenges are very real.

Tony Cox

Trustee | Strategic Planning Portfolio

Tony spent the majority of his career with BT, holding a variety of roles that included a significant period in Japan where he helped develop BT’s presence in the region. Alongside his professional career, he has maintained a long-standing commitment to trade union work. He remains an active branch committee member and an accredited case handler, supporting colleagues who face work-related issues.

Beyond his work in telecommunications, Tony serves as Chair of the Inflation Statistics User Group, which collaborates with the Royal Statistical Society and the Office for National Statistics. The group’s current focus is on improving inflation measures to better capture the realities of household spending and living costs.

With a strong record of supporting people in both his professional and voluntary roles, Tony is proud to be part of the Citizens Advice Ipswich Trustee team, supporting the organisation’s vital work in helping local people find the advice and assistance they need in an increasingly complex world.

Lucy Evans

Adrian Blaga

Roger Clark

Nicky Willshere, CEO

Since joining Citizens Advice Ipswich as CEO in 2014, Nicky has led the organisation through a decade of transformation, ensuring it remains responsive to the evolving needs of the local community. Her role spans project management, finance, HR, performance oversight, and strategic service planning—requiring both operational expertise and the diplomacy to influence decision-makers. Nicky is a passionate advocate for partnership working, particularly across the VCFSE sector, and maintains strong relationships with statutory bodies and funders.

Nicky brings over 20 years of senior civil service experience, including seven years as a Fraud Investigator and leadership of teams of up to 120 staff. Her career highlights include a secondment to Deloitte Consulting, national responsibility for Decision Making and Appeals as Lean Development Centre Manager for the East of England, and management of Sudbury Citizens Advice prior to joining Ipswich. Her commitment to community development is longstanding—she served as Stowmarket Town Forum Co-Ordinator and contributed to the creation of the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts. Nicky also serves as a District Councillor for Mid Suffolk, reflecting her deep-rooted dedication to public service.

Margaret Vane, Chief Operating Officer

Margaret joined Citizens Advice Ipswich in August 2020. Margaret’s responsibilities include senior management of the Generalist service, Money, Welfare Benefits, Income Maximisation, Connect for Health, and REACT social prescribing teams, as well as wider operational areas around systems and technology, performance and quality, contractual compliance and service delivery planning.

Margaret started her career within the energy industry and spent 23 years in public relations, finance, and operational management roles, before moving to an international fitness brand leader for another 10 years.  During this time, Margaret held the post of UK service manager, combining P&L responsibility with the management of customer service, contracts, back office, and technical field teams supporting fitness facilities across the UK. Following a year as Change Manager within a European systems implementation team, she joined SmartestEnergy as Head of Operations and then Operations Improvements Manager, before joining Citizens Advice in August 2020.

Helen Bloomfied, Advice Services Manager

Helen rejoined Citizens Advice Ipswich in October 2024, bringing a strong foundation in money advice, volunteer training, and quality assurance. Having previously led the Money Advice team, Helen now heads the CORE Generalist Advice service, which delivers daily support to clients in person, by phone, and via email. Her team plays a vital role in the organisation, not only providing frontline advice but also supporting volunteer recruitment, training, and coordination.

Helen also leads on Quality of Advice, ensuring that high standards are consistently met across all service areas. Her deep understanding of advice delivery and commitment to excellence make her an invaluable part of the management team, helping to uphold the integrity and impact of Citizens Advice Ipswich’s work.

Garath Jones – Social Prescribing Manager

Garath brings over 20 years of experience across healthcare, retail, and community services to his role as Social Prescribing Manager at Citizens Advice Ipswich. Known for his highly organised and community-focused leadership, Garath designs integrated support models and uses service analytics to drive continuous improvement. He oversees the delivery of inclusive, responsive programmes that connect clients with non-clinical support to improve wellbeing—covering strategic oversight, team coordination, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven service development.

Before joining Citizens Advice, Garath managed Castle Hill Community Centre, where he led operations and compliance, and spearheaded community-health initiatives such as NHS Super Saturdays. He worked closely with ICB stakeholders and neighbourhood teams, developed dashboards to track client needs, and hosted senior dignitaries including the Secretary of State for Health. His dedication to community service has earned him several accolades, including the High Sheriff’s Award for Outstanding Contribution.

Melanie Chew, Contracted Advice Services Manager 

Melanie joined the Management Team in 2024, bringing over three decades of leadership experience in the voluntary sector. Her career includes senior roles at The Seckford Foundation, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), and The Prince’s Trust, where she led strategic development, managed large teams, and delivered high-impact projects such as EACH’s £3M Treehouse Appeal. Melanie’s approach is described as “empathetic and supportive,” with a focus on setting achievable goals and motivating staff through recognition and responsibility.

Her teams deliver a range of contracted services:

• Money Advice: Debt support through the Money Advice and Pensions Service, in partnership with St Giles Trust for probationers.
• Specialist Welfare Benefits: Complex casework, appeals, and support for vulnerable clients.
• IMAX (Income Maximisation): Casework for Cadent, helping clients reduce costs and access additional income.
• Housing & Employment Specialist: A newly introduced role addressing complex cases in these areas.

Melanie’s extensive experience in fundraising, marketing, and project management—combined with her recent client-facing work as a Citizens Advice Adviser—makes her a dynamic and compassionate leader in the advice services sector.

Lisa Baxter, Business Support Manager

Lisa joined Citizens Advice Ipswich in 2023, bringing a wealth of experience in office and project management across higher education, local government, and the charity sector. Her career has been defined by her ability to streamline processes, manage complex projects, and deliver high-level executive support to senior leadership teams.

As Business Support Manager, Lisa ensures the smooth running of operations across the organisation. Her responsibilities span facilities management, HR administration, IT coordination, and governance support. She plays a key role in maintaining compliance, managing premises, and supporting staff, volunteers, and trustees. Lisa is also instrumental in coordinating internal communications and contributing to strategic planning.

Her proactive approach and attention to detail make her an invaluable part of the Senior Management Team, ensuring that Citizens Advice Ipswich continues to operate efficiently and effectively behind the scenes.