Claire is the Chief Executive of Carers Leeds. She has over 20 years’ experience in the voluntary sector in a career which has spanned research, policy and service delivery.

Her previous roles include Director of Evidence at The Centre for Ageing Better and Head of Research and Policy at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Prior to this she was a Senior Associate in a regeneration consultancy firm and held several roles within Barnardo’s Policy and Research Unit.

Claire is a trustee of SJOG Hospitaller Services a national charity which supports older people, disabled people and people experiencing homelessness and modern-day slavery to live the life they choose and fulfil their potential.  

Claire joined Carers Leeds in July 2021.   

Stephen has worked in the Health and Social Care sector for over 30 years. He started work as a care assistant in the private sector, moving on to working for Leeds Social Services and the NHS, both roles in mental health services, which remains a particular interest for him. 

Stephen joined Carers Leeds in 2016, he brings with him experience in public engagement, process mapping. Stephen has achieved level 5 Leadership and Management Skills. 

Stephen is also a carer for his father who has dementia. 

Sian has worked at Carers Leeds since 2013 having previously been a trustee.

After qualifying as a social worker Sian spent almost 20 years in drug and alcohol services in London, Bristol, Manchester and Bradford. She has worked in both statutory and third sector organisations, in community and residential services, research and management. Before joining Carers Leeds, Sian spent nearly 10 years in the NHS in Leeds working in Public Health but her heart has always been in the third sector.

Sian is a carer for her adult son who has a severe and complex learning disability. 

Beth has over 20 years’ experience of working in finance, 15 years of which have been within the charity sector.  

Starting out in the business enterprise sector supporting small business start-ups, Beth went on to work for various community-based charities in Barnsley and Sheffield. Following a move to West Yorkshire, Beth continued to work within the charity sector, and her previous roles include Finance Officer at Bradford Cancer Support, Project and Finance Worker with Bradford Community Advice Network and Finance Officer at Citizens Advice Bradford and Airedale.

Outside of work, Beth is a keen runner and competes regularly for Barnsley Athletic Club.

Andrew has 40 years experience in the HR field, across all sectors and organisation types. Andrew was previously Director of HR at the Pensions Trust, before creating and running an HR consultancy service. He has also run HR services at Leeds Bradford Airport and Selby District Council.  

He has worked with a number of different charities as part of his consultancy role, including supporting senior managers and Trustees. 

In his spare time Andrew sings in local choirs, rides motorcycles and keeps bees.

Andy has been a Trustee since 2011, becoming Chair of the Board in 2020. During his professional life Andy worked with and alongside people with learning disabilities and their families in Leeds for almost 40 years, working in a range of positions in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. 

Immediately prior to his retirement he was the Chief Executive of Aspire Community Benefit Society, a staff-led public service mutual, providing care and support services to adults with learning disabilities.

Lindsay has been a Business Manager in General Practice in Leeds for the last 7 years and has witnessed the vital role that Carers Leeds plays in supporting carers in the city. 

Lindsay has a management background in both commercial retail and the third sector before moving into the NHS. She brings a broad experience of operational management, contract delivery and team development that she hopes will support the continued success of Carers Leeds. 

Steve is a qualified accountant who worked for Leeds City Council for over 38 years. Steve has extensive experience of all aspects of finance within the public sector. 

For the final 15 years of his career he led and managed the support services functions supporting Adult Social Care Services in the Council and is acutely aware of the importance of Carers Leeds Services to the people of Leeds. Steve joined the Carers Leeds Board shortly after his retirement from the Council in 2021 and is currently the nominated Treasurer Trustee on the Board. 

Arshad is a qualified solicitor and has recently stepped down from managing and running his own law firm. He now works as a consultant for several law firms and coaches football and cricket in his spare time. 

He also was the primary carer for his father for around 16 years, who had suffered a major stroke and therefore has first-hand knowledge of what it is like to care for a family member and the important role that unpaid carers play. He joined the Board in 2021. 

Danielle works in Higher Education, supporting students who are studying a Degree Apprenticeship in either Social Work or Youth Work. Previously, she worked in the third sector on various programmes for young people, volunteers and mental health service users. She is driven by creating equal opportunities and supporting others to develop their personal and professional skills.  

This is Danielle’s first trustee role. She has experience of caring for a family member and is passionate about advocating for those who have caring responsibilities and widening perceptions of what constitutes as caring. 

Lucy joined the board of trustees in 2023. She has worked in museums and heritage for many years, specialising in socially engaged practice.

Lucy grew up as a young carer, worked as a paid carer in her early 20s, and as an adult has provided unpaid care for family members. The lack of injustices that both paid and unpaid carers has driven her to become involved with Carers Leeds. She is also a trustee of Leeds Civic Trust and the Royal Numismatic Society.  

Rod is a retired Category Manager from a commercial importing company where he worked for over 25 years, training and leading teams to design, develop and deliver products for the UK retail markets. 

6 years ago Rod’s wife suffered a stroke, and he became her prime carer, leading to significant  changes in his lifestyle. He has come to understand the difficulties as well as the rewards of being a carer.  Rod joined the Board in 2021 and brings his many years in business management and his more recent experience of becoming a carer. 

Andy has been a carer for his partner for the past 20 years and has been connected within the care sector on a strategic level for a number of those years. Both within his role at Carers Leeds and also as a carer for his father who suffers from dementia, he utilises his management and organisation skills gained from his previous employment to liaise with the various organisations we all often utilise in the day to day caring of our loved ones. 

He was also the Carer Governor for 9 years at the NHS Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust.

Yvonne retired early as her husband was showing symptoms of Huntington’s Disease, and she was his carer for over 5 years.

Having no children or siblings, Yvonne found the support offered by Carers Leeds invaluable, and she became a Trustee in the hopes that she could use her own experience as a carer to help other carers, and could give something back to the organisation.