About us
Meet the Pennies team
We are run by a small but dedicated team of staff from a huge range of backgrounds and sectors who are helping make the Pennies movement a reality. Meet the members of the Pennies Team below and visit the Join us page for current vacancies:
Alison Hutchinson CBE
Chief Executive Officer
Alison has headed up Pennies since day one. Alison also holds Non-Executive Director positions at Yorkshire Building Society, Liverpool Victoria and DFS plc, and once held the Guinness World Record for the longest stretching of a Curly Wurly.
Paul Seaman
Head of Business Development
Paul oversees the Business Development, Implementation and Product team at Pennies, as well as looking after our existing, new and prospective partners across the retail hospitality, travel and leisure sectors. He has been involved with charities for almost 50 years having run his first fundraising event when he was 10!
Chris Hawkins
Technical Implementation Manager
Chris is in charge of implementing Pennies with new retailers, managing projects from first contact to taking the first donations, using his many years of experience in the card payment and industry. Chris likes to travel with his camera and he cycles about a lot – he hopes to combine the two activities when he can sort out a decent tripod.
Jolanta Knysz
Management Accountant
Jolanta is responsible for managing the company’s accounts, including preparing, developing and analysing Pennies’ key financial information. Outside working hours, Jolanta is studying to become a professional accountant and also enjoys cross country cycling (but only when it’s not raining).
Adam Reardon
IT Analyst/Developer
Adam’s background is in software development and computer science. He is responsible for coding improvements to help monitor Pennies’ income streams, as well as the day-to-day processing of donations and adding automation to Pennies’ systems. His interests include all things tech, science and the much promised artificial intelligence revolution.
Rob Dyson
Head of Marketing and Communications
Rob heads up the Marketing and Communications team at Pennies, and is responsible for public relations strategy for the digital charity box. Rob is a co-founder and ex trustee of CharityComms. In his spare time, Rob co-hosts a ‘synthwave’ music radio show!
Elle Gingell
Marketing and Digital Executive
Elle is part of the Pennies brand police and spends her time focused on social media, content planning and execution, design and copywriting. Out of the office, come rain or shine, Elle can be found making a mean roast for her family.
Rebekah Ryan
Executive Assistant (Thurs, Fri) and Events Coordinator
Rebekah is our Events Coordinator and along with Irene, is assistant to Pennies CEO Alison. She leads on all Pennies events and keeps everything nice and organised. When given the chance, Rebekah loves to travel and aims to visit at least three new cities a year.
Gemma Whittle
Executive Assistant and Office Manager
Currently on maternity leave
Gemma is our Office Manager and assistant to Alison, CEO of Pennies – alongside Rebekah. She supports the day to day running of each department and also helps with the organisation of Pennies events. Gemma has recently joined her local WI and is now on a quest to make the perfect Victoria sponge.
Ann Tomsett
Commercial Director
Ann is a corporate lawyer and prior to joining Pennies, she was Group Legal Director of FTSE financial services company Kensington Group plc. Along with Peter Nugent and Alison Hutchinson, Ann was there for the genesis of the Pennies movement, back in 2008.
Dion Christiansen
Head of Business Development – Retail
Dion works with retailers keen to join the Pennies movement, and is responsible for managing new and existing partnerships of all sizes across the retail sector. Prior to Pennies Dion held senior roles at the Post Office and Barclays, and in his spare time is keen on keeping fit – except at the weekends when the gym is swapped for running around the garden with his young son.
Simon Barker
Merchant Partnerships & Business Development
Simon focuses on merchant partnerships and business development; covering both existing accounts and new prospects. Prior to Pennies he worked for the Consumer Technology company TomTom, and he navigated his way to Pennies through a genuine interest in fintech-for-good and micro-donations! Simon has been fortunate to travel a lot of the world and especially enjoys Asia.
Peter Nugent
Finance Director
Peter is one of the original brains behind the Pennies movement, and heads up the Finance and Operations team. Peter has previously held senior roles at Puzzler Media Ltd, Esso Petroleum Ireland and Arthur Young Ireland (now Ernst & Young). Peter is the (self-confessed) number one consumer of the biscuits in the Pennies office.
Neil Ambrose
Systems Manager
Neil is responsible for designing, building and managing Pennies Back Office systems. Having worked previously at BBC Worldwide and UBS he has over twenty years’ experience in IT but still struggles to operate his mobile phone.
Rozi Collier
Marketing and Communications Manager
Rozi is responsible for the Pennies brand, digital communications and charity relationships, with several years’ experience in the charity and retail sectors. When not designing marketing materials, Rozi can be found talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe to anyone who will listen.
Caroline Osborne
Marketing Consultant
Caroline has a part time role at Pennies as our Marketing Consultant, offering strategic advice and operational support regarding brand, digital and communications. Caroline, a senior marketing professional, also spends a lot of time chasing after her wayward Golden Retriever.
Irene Silvera
Executive Assistant (Mon, Tues, Weds) and Office Manager
Maternity cover
Irene is the Pennies Office Manager and along with Rebekah is an Executive Assistant to our CEO Alison. As well as helping to keep the office green, and taking Instax photos of the Pennies team, Irene loves cinema and curating film festivals in her spare time.