About us
Meet the Pennies team.
Pennies is made up of a small but dedicated team from a huge range of backgrounds and sectors, helping make the micro-donation movement a reality.
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, DFS plc and Foresight Group Holdings, and was awarded a CBE for contribution to the economy and charity sector in 2018. She also once held the Guinness World Record for the longest stretching of a Curly Wurly.
Ann Tomsett
Commercial Director (Volunteer)
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.
Paul Seaman
Chief Partner Officer
Paul oversees the development and optimisation of all our partnerships. Leading the Business Development, Technology and Product, and Marketing and Charities teams, Paul has been with Pennies for over 10 years, bringing extensive experience from the financial services. He has been involved with charities for 50 years having run his first fundraising event when he was 10!
Dion Christiansen
Head of Business Development
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 and hospitality sectors. 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 sons.
Rob Rees
Digital Business Development Manager
Rob is responsible for our e-commerce and App partnerships. Rob has always worked in fundraising and is incredibly passionate about raising money for the charity sector. When he’s not working, he enjoys walking, podcasts and all things Welsh sport related.
Rebekah Ryan
Business Development Executive and EA to the CEO
Rebekah supports the Business Development team with on-boarding new merchants and leading on Pennies event schedule. She also looks after our CEO for 2 days a week. When given the chance, Rebekah loves to travel and aims to visit at least three new cities a year.
Suzy Randall
Business Development and Account Manager
Suzy is responsible for developing long lasting relationships with Pennies’ most important merchants, to achieve the maximum success for them and their nominated charities. Suzy has spent almost 30 years specialising in B2B business development and relationship building is her USP. She is a trained Holistic Therapist and Life Coach and plans to retire to Ibiza as a hippy, practicing her treatments on the beach in the sunshine.
Holly Clawson
Head of Product and Technology
Holly has worked in the payments industry for over 25 years and heads up the Product and Technology team. Looking after the Product proposition, roadmaps and project stack. She loves to walk for miles and potter around in the garden. She has also just started a mentoring role with The Bridge Homelessness to Hope charity.
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.
Rozi Collier
Head of Marketing and Charities
Rozi has 15 years experience in the charity and retail sectors, and heads up the Marketing and Charities team – covering everything from partner marketing and communications to brand, charity management and impact reporting. Outside Pennies, Rozi can be found with her nose in a book or out in nature, hiking and bird-watching (on the lookout for the ever-elusive smew).
Natalie Charlotte Smith
Content Marketing Manager
Natalie is responsible for Pennies’ end-to-end content strategy, channel processes and content creation. Prior to joining Pennies, Natalie worked as a marketing professional across several industry sectors from technology to childrenswear. She is currently learning Danish and working her way up to tongue-twisters such as “Rødgrød med fløde” which, once perfected, will mean she has officially mastered the language.
Sarah Smith
Partner Marketing Manager
Sarah has 20 years experience in retail and partnership management, and is responsible for the Partner Marketing Management at Pennies. Sarah is an avid baker and cake designer selling many cakes to order, though as a working mum now her cakes are mainly reserved for her young son and family. Sarah has a passion for charity and in her spare time can often be found arranging or supporting charity events to raise money for great causes.
Hardika Kataria
Charities Executive
Meet Hardika, our Charities Executive. With a master’s degree in International Relations, she’s on a mission to make a global impact and supports our charity partners with everything from onboarding to impact reporting. She finds serenity in yoga, enjoys taking walks, and savors the simple pleasures of chamomile tea. Known for her cheerful nature and light-hearted spirit, she’s dedicated to fostering positive change in the world.
Caroline Osborne
Marketing Consultant (Volunteer)
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.
Felix Leitao
Charities Executive (Volunteer)
Felix volunteers as a Charities Executive at Pennies, where he looks after our charity partners and gathers impactful stories to illustrate the significant impact of Pennies’ micro-donations.
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.
Catherine Knight
Finance Officer
Catherine is responsible for the day-to-day financial transactions and credit control. Having worked in the charity sector for a number of years, Catherine loves seeing what a difference people can make. Outside work Catherine is currently busy studying AAT. When not studying, Catherine is a busy mum of two and when she has time, enjoys baking and spending time with her family.
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.
Shashank Srinivas Murthy
IT Analyst
Shashank oversees the management of the organisation’s back-office system and Salesforce. With a master’s degree in Business Analytics and three years of experience as a Salesforce Administrator, when not immersed in his professional endeavours, Shashank can often be found engaging in physical fitness activities at the gym or seeking solace in nature through meditation.
Divya Jain
IT Analyst
Divya is a key member of the Finance and Operations team responsible for processing donation data through internal back-office systems, and who works closely with other team members providing data analysis and management information. Her role includes supporting the Pennies team by helping to resolve IT-related issues.
Jo Wadham
Legal Consultant
Jo trained as a lawyer in the mid 90s and worked in the corporate department at Linklaters in London and Paris and then in-house at BT plc. Jo then moved with her family to the UAE where she lived for eight years and worked as a freelance journalist. When not working at Pennies, Jo can be found deep in the shrubbery indulging her love of gardening.
Gemma Whittle
Executive Assistant
and Office Manager
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.
Start your journey now.
From retail, hospitality and technology brands looking to make a real difference, to charities looking to boost their impact, now is your chance to join the micro-donation movement.
