Who we are

At Utilita Giving, our staff and trustees work together to prevent and alleviate hardship experienced by people facing fuel and food poverty.

Board of Trustees

Mark Curtin

An experienced CEO and senior leader with over 20 years working in various charities and socially focused not for profit organisations in the UK, Europe and the USA. Mark was CEO of The Felix Project, a charity tackling Food Poverty in London, from 2019 to 2022, overseeing its growth from start up to the largest independent redistribution charity in the UK during the pandemic. He is now currently CEO at Sport for Social Development Charity the Lord’s Taverners, which maximises Cricket as tool for social inclusion and empowering young people from disadvantaged communities to overcome inequality.

Jem Maidment

With a 20-year background in journalism, Jem worked in regional media before progressing to Chief Producer at Sky News. He later moved into corporate communications, winning awards, and working on projects for brands such as Adidas, Uefa and BT. Jem took over Utilita’s marketing department in 2015, setting up an Internal Communications team, establishing the Customer Experience department and more recently coordinating the release of Utilita’s first ever TV ad.

Frazer Scott

Frazer is CEO at Energy Action Scotland. He is passionate about the social and environmental justice aspects of sustainable development. He has worked for over 20 years at a senior level with large multi-nationals, public bodies, local business, charities, social enterprise and community bodies. He has authored and edited innovative work on employability in a greener economy and wellbeing as a measure of social progress. He is currently serving as one of Scotland’s Energy Consumer Commissioners, a trustee of National Energy Action, a director of Aberdeen Heat and Power and chair of an Out-of-School charity for families in Stirling.

Mike Smith

Mike is a chartered accountant with more than 40 years’ experience, working across a range of sectors both in-house and in practice. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA), Mike graduated in 1984 with a degree in Accounting and Finance (BA Hons). Having joined Utilita in 2009 and being appointed part-time Finance Director just a year later, Mike became full-time Chief Financial Operator in 2014 at a time when the company enjoyed sustained growth. He has now relinquished the CFO role and, in a part time post, is responsible for HR, Regulations and Legal. He is also the Chair of Trustees of Utilita Giving.

Louise Thomson

Louise is currently Insight and Strategy Lead for a housing association. Prior to social housing she has over 10 years charity experience in organisational strategy, programme design, and impact measurement. She is passionate about using evidence to continually improve programme delivery and maximise outcomes for beneficiaries. Louise is also currently Vice Chair at the Black Prince Trust and a member of the Nicky Affleck & Co consultancy.

Staff Team

Helen Boardman

Executive Director

Deanne Church

Treasurer

Morven Glasgow

Communications & Marketing Officer

Keira Meadus

Charity Partnership Officer

Shanice Morrison

Grants Manager

Nicole Davidson

Fundraising Officer

Patrons

David James

Having amassed 572 Premier League appearances and represented England more than 50 times, David James MBE is an experienced former footballer who has won major honours at clubs such as Liverpool and Portsmouth.

With a career that saw him play in three countries over four decades, David has now established himself as an insightful pundit working for broadcasters, including BT Sport, BBC and Sky Sports. He is also extremely passionate about his roles as a patron for Utilita Giving.

David works tirelessly to help support Utilita Giving’s purpose of aiding people in fuel and food poverty - and is one of the charity’s most renowned figures.

Adam Scorer

Adam has been Chief Executive of National Energy Action, a charity that campaigns against fuel poverty in the UK, since 2017. He has been a consumer rights campaigner for many years including at major UK consumer bodies such as Which? energywatch, Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice. He has been a member of numerous industry advisory boards and committees from civil aviation to insurance fraud. Fuel poverty, consumer vulnerability and the challenge of decarbonisation have been key drivers throughout his career.