Our leadership team

Meet our Chief Officer and Board of Trustees

Daniel Bamford

Chief Officer

Daniel Bamford

Chief Officer

Daniel joined Citizens Advice Barnet in 2010 as a volunteer adviser and has been Chief Officer since 2017. Outside of work, he is a keen musician and is Chair of the Orlando Chamber Choir. Daniel holds degrees in Law and Music and has a Ph.D in Historical Musicology.

Valerie Harrison

Board of Trustees - Chair

Valerie Harrison

Board of Trustees - Chair

Valerie Harrison has had a long career in the NHS as Chief Executive of an NHS community and mental health trust and an acute trust. She has also worked as a consultant in an international consultancy firm and as Director of Investigations at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Office. For the last eight years of her career she was Chief Executive of a large advocacy charity. She has held several non-executive roles in the NHS, including at BEH Mental Health Trust, Enfield and Barnet CCGs. She was Chair at Mind in Barnet and Vice Chair of National Mind. She has recently re-joined National Mind’s Board.

Ben Ingber

Trustee

Ben Ingber

Trustee

Ben Ingber has been involved with the Citizens Advice service since 2005, working in the national office until 2012 and with most local Citizens Advice offices up and down the country between 2015 and 2020. He joined the board at Citizens Advice Barnet in 2015, serving a term as Chair between 2019 and 2022. Ben has worked in the charity sector for more than 20 years, most recently as CEO at Age UK Enfield, leading the organisation through the pandemic. He recently completed a Masters in Voluntary Sector Management, along with a Diploma in Charity Accounting from the ICAEW. He is currently Chief Operating Officer at The Listening Place, a charity providing ongoing face-to-face support for people who feel suicidal.

Alison Blair

Trustee

Alison Blair

Trustee

Alison is an experienced healthcare leader working in commissioning, health service development, strategic planning and organisational development. She has held senior positions in a range of NHS organisations including in Barnet. Most recently she has been working with NHS and local authority partners to develop more joined up services.<br /> Alison is a local Barnet resident. She is committed to supporting Citizens Advice Barnet to ensure people are given the quality advice and support they need to find their way forward in challenging times.

Ellis Mandelstam

Trustee

Ellis Mandelstam

Trustee

Ellis Mandelstam has spent much of his career working in consulting, most recently as Executive Director with global responsibility for real estate and support functions at Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm. In recent years, Ellis has devoted considerable time working to improve diversity & inclusion and mental health in the workplace. He has a particular passion for gender equality and has acted as mentor in that field. He is also an enthusiastic musician and plays drums in a couple of local bands. Ellis lives locally with his wife Karen and has three grown up daughters.

Kimberly Ong

Trustee - Vice Chair

Kimberly Ong

Trustee - Vice Chair

Kimberly Ong is a Divisional Director in Howden’s Climate Risk and Resilience Team (CRR). Her role involves engaging with clients on climate and nature related risks and brings together Howden’s insurance expertise and the advisory capabilities of the CRR. Previously Kim was an Executive Director at JPMorgan Asset Management and the Lead Business Manager for the European Multi-Asset Solutions Business. She is passionate about Citizens Advice ethos of providing free, impartial advice that empowers people with the information needed to enable them to help themselves and seeks to apply her skillset towards making a direct impact and contribution to her local community where she lives with her husband and two young children.

Rosie Shepherd

Trustee

Rosie Shepherd

Trustee

Rosie is passionate about taking action – she has enjoyed volunteering and working (pro-bono) for a number of charities in the past. She wanted to join CAB because “it’s such an incredible charity that so many people in the community rely on.” She currently works within Publicis Media in the Business Development team and has a background in marketing and additional certification in Career Coaching. Outside of work, she volunteers as a mentor at Girls’ Network and trains (somewhat reluctantly) for the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April. She also enjoys cooking and traveling.

Wendy Alcock

Trustee

Wendy Alcock

Trustee

Wendy Alcock works part-time as the Communications Manager for entitledto, one of the leading providers of online benefits calculators in the UK, and she previously worked as the Campaigns Manager at MoneySavingExpert.com. She has always believed in the importance of the work carried out by Citizens Advice around the UK and her trustee role is the fourth time she has volunteered for the charity. Wendy has lived in Barnet for 15 years and when not at work she can often be found at her community garden, Incredible Edible Barnet, or talking about the wider benefits of food growing.

Julian Shaw

Trustee - Treasurer

Julian Shaw

Trustee - Treasurer

Julian Shaw is passionate about reading and literacy and is Business Development Director at Bolinda, whose BorrowBox app provides solutions for libraries to lend digital content to their members. A qualified Chartered Accountant, Julian has previously worked for Sky Television, Telegraph Media Group and several book publishers including Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Julian is delighted to be able to contribute to Citizens Advice Barnet whose free, impartial advice empowers, informs and assists people in the local community. He is also treasurer of a local Sunday School.

Our leadership team

Meet our Chief Officer and Board of Trustees

Daniel Bamford

Daniel Bamford

Valerie Harrison

Valerie Harrison

Ben Ingber

Ben Ingber

Alison Blair

Alison Blair

Ellis Mandelstam

Ellis Mandelstam

Kimberly Ong

Kimberly Ong

Rosie Shepherd

Rosie Shepherd

Wendy Alcock

Wendy Alcock

Julian Shaw

Julian Shaw

Connect With Us

Quick Links

Information