Operating nationwide, The Hygiene Bank is made up of a coalition of volunteers, our Central Team and the Board of Trustees.
Central Team
Ruth Brock
CEO
Ruth brings 15 years of leadership experience and passion to our team. Her previous role, leading the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (CSSF) for eight years, demonstrates her commitment to social justice. Prior to CSSF, Ruth was a primary school teacher and also ran East End Shed, a small, community arts charity that champions inclusivity through the performing arts, fostering social cohesion, and essential life skills. Years of working with families living in disadvantaged communities have shaped her perspectives on campaigning and the societal change that THB is working towards. With several years’ experience working in Westminster, encompassing research, campaigning and media, Ruth’s leadership of THB is focused on shaping our strategic approach and maximizing our impact.
Rosemary Ashworth
Deputy CEO
Rosemary joined The Hygiene Bank in 2026. She has experience working across the charity sector, including as COO of the award-winning employment charity, Smart Works, and as Head of Impact at Redemption Roasters. She is passionate about making the UK a fairer and more equal place, and specialises in scaling charitable programmes. Outside of The Hygiene Bank, Rosemary is a trustee of the food bank charity Shop & Drop, plays netball very badly and is learning to enjoy running.
Amy Harris
Head of Brands & Corporates
Amy joined THB in September 2018 as Head of Brand and Corporate Partnerships. Her work focuses on identifying, managing and building relationships with Brands and Corporates to generate support, awareness and funds for the charity.
She joined the charity after she saw Lizzy’s initial post on social media asking for donations and she dropped some at her house. She says ‘I had taken access to the basics for granted and having met Lizzy felt I had to get involved.’ Amy is also the Volunteer Project Coordinator for THB Tenterden and Cranbrook.
Her favourite part of the job is working with Brands, Corporates and the Team to make a difference in local communities across the UK.
Georgina Loom
Head of Operations
As Head of Operations, Georgina leads many functions and operational processes within the charity, overseeing all our work with local projects and ensuring we are operating within our charitable objectives and capturing the data we need to allow us to continue and deepen the impact of our work.
Georgina joined THB in 2018, after having met Lizzy Hall, when the charity was just a few months old, she was inspired by her passion and commitment to highlight hygiene poverty, and the effects it has.
She loves being part of a relatively young charity. She works closely with her team to support our projects and help them grow within their community, - reaching those who need our support through our community partners and hearing the difference the donations make.
Chris Stead
Head of Finance
Chris joined THB in March 2023 to help develop and implement the finance function for the charity and to ensure the finances of the charity are managed to the highest standards. He is grateful for the opportunity to work with the Trustees, Head Office team and volunteers at THB in making a real difference to those who struggle to afford the basic necessities of life.
Steph Barclay
Communications Officer
Steph’s passions are making people’s lives a little bit easier and shouting about great projects on social media, making THB the perfect place for her to be!
If you’ve got a story from your project that you want everyone to hear about, or that could inspire other projects, please do get in touch.
Sarah Belger
Fundraising Officer
Sarah joined THB in 2024 to work on all things fundraising: she helps our incredible volunteers with funding applications for their local Hygiene Bank projects and works on our central fundraising strategy.
Sarah loves celebrating successes, big or small, with our volunteers and seeing their confidence increase when it comes to local fundraising.
Emma Caiafa
Brand Partnerships Officer
Emma is passionate about establishing and nurturing relationships with brands and businesses that want to create meaningful social impact. She works closely with partners to develop strategic collaborations that raise funds, increase awareness and provide essential hygiene products to people experiencing hygiene poverty across the UK. Driven by purpose-led partnerships resulting in positive change, Emma is proud to support The Hygiene Bank's mission to ensure everyone has access to the hygiene essentials they need. Brands interested in partnering with The Hygiene Bank can contact Emma at: emma.caiafa@thehygienebank.com.
Sarah Cassia-Davies
Finance Officer
Sarah is dedicated to ensuring that every donation and grant is maximised to help improve the health and wellbeing of those in hygiene poverty. With 10 years' experience working for charities and 25 years working in finance roles, she manages budgets, track expenses, and creates financial reports for projects to help them track their income and expenditure. She is committed to ensuring that every penny entrusted to the charity is used efficiently and effectively to make a lasting impact on the lives of those in hygiene poverty.
Alex Edwards
Corporate Partnerships Officer
Alex joined THB in 2026, bringing with him a decade of experience across both the corporate and charity sectors. He takes pride in making sure our corporate partners get the most value possible out of their relationships with us, through volunteering days, ESG impact reporting and long-term strategic partnerships.
Alex is excited about addressing hygiene poverty and talking to businesses across the UK about how our work aligns with their ESG goals.
If you’re interested in a corporate volunteering day for your team with THB, drop him a line at alex.edwards@thehygienebank.com
Hester Houlihan
Operations Manager
Hester joined The Hygiene Bank in December 2024. She passionately believes in challenging social injustice and has over 20 years' experience helping organisations, volunteers and communities thrive through her work and volunteering across the charity sector. She enjoys bringing people together and using data to understand impact, solve problems and develop practical solutions that create positive community change. With a background in leadership, operations, data and strategic delivery, she is committed to making a meaningful difference through collaboration, compassion and kindness.
Sue Lindsay
Partnership Manager
Sue joined THB in 2022. During Covid, she became aware of the enormous support charities such as THB gave to people in their local communities and seeing a plea for donations from her local project, she was inspired to become involved in the charity. After volunteering with the Central Team for about a year, she applied for the role of Partnership Manager. Sue loves working with our volunteers, who are the beating heart of the charity.
Kathrine McCarrick
Volunteer Experience Officer
Kathrine joined THB in 2026, coming from a background of volunteer support across a range of charities. She is a big advocate of providing space for volunteers to share and feedback, working closely with them to improve their volunteering experience. Kathrine supports the very start of a volunteer journey, with applications and onboarding, through to supporting those who have been volunteering for years! She is grateful for every single volunteer that supports THB, and is always available for a chat!
Lee Pillar
Partnership Manager
Lee brings over a decade of experience supporting individuals facing homelessness and poverty to his role as Partnership Manager at THB, where he builds foundational relationships with Project Co-ordinators to support the development and sustainability of our hygiene bank projects. As a passionate advocate for changing the landscape of social justice issues, he takes great pride in his compassionate, collaborative, and creative approach to the role.
Kate Sumpter
Brand Operations Co-ordinator
Kate has worked in the charity sector for four years and for THB since January 2025. She works in the operations team, coordinating our brand donations, including our central stock. She came to logistics and operations late but really loves it. She enjoys working with brands and volunteers to help facilitate getting donated products out to projects and into their communities.
Julia Westgarth
Partnership Manager
Julia is the Partnership Manager for the largest THB projects. She works alongside the Project Coordinators to support them in the day-to-day running of their project, sharing best practice and helping them to tackle the challenges that come with running a big project. Having been a volunteer for over 2.5 years, seeing the great work the charity was undertaking nationally, Julia was keen to apply when a part-time role came up within the Central Team. The core values of the charity align with her own, and she wanted to continue doing whatever she could to support the charity in its mission to eradicate hygiene poverty.
Board of Trustees
Lizzy Hall MBE
The Hygiene Bank Founder
Late August 2018, Lizzy watched the Ken Loach film ‘I Daniel Blake’. Moved by the scene where a single mother is caught shop lifting for basic toiletries, Lizzy sent a WhatsApp to friends saying she was collecting items to take to her local foodbank. Driven by a belief that everyone in society deserves to feel clean and dignified; that no-one should be left struggling to wash their hair, brush their teeth, or be unable to change their baby's nappy as often as needed.
Dr James Dray
Chair / Trustee
Dr James Dray is an established and high-profile leader within the charity sector, bringing valuable experience from his roles as current Chair of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, the world’s largest amateur dramatic youth festival. He also sits on the boards of the National AIDS Trust, the Coalition for Global Prosperity, and Coram the UK’s longest running children’s charity.
Guy Davies
Trustee
Guy joined The Hygiene Bank as a Trustee and Treasurer in March 2023. He is also a Trustee of the Social Business Trust and Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation. Guy is a chartered accountant and previously was a partner and head of financing for Permira, an international private equity firm.
He lives in Wimbledon.
Charlotte Jackson
Trustee
Charlotte joins The Hygiene Bank with almost 20 years’ experience in communications, PR and high-value relationship fundraising. During her early career representing high-profile health, beauty and wellbeing brands, including at Estée Lauder Companies, Charlotte managed charitable partnerships for leading UK brands, and discovered her passion for the charity sector.
She has since worked across fundraising and partnerships in large, medium and small charities, including Cancer Research UK, and held leadership roles at Smart Works, Mental Health UK and Rethink Mental Illness, where she currently leads high-value fundraising.
Elaine Jackson
Trustee
After many years of working in Insurance, Elaine set up a consultancy business to blend work and family life. She has specialised in large transformation and change projects and more recently has undertaken interim assignments at Chief Officer level in the NHS and Strategic Director level in local authority. She is skilled at collaborating at system level and has a strong track-record of delivering measurable and sustainable results.
In addition, Elaine has held the Chair position in the charity Face to Face and is currently Vice-Chair at Springboard where she has been a Trustee for over 12 years. She is driven to use her skills to help others and is passionate about the benefits of the wider community contribution.
Rahul Moodgal
Trustee
Rahul joined The Hygiene Bank as a Trustee in September 2020. He has spent the last 23 years working in financial services. Prior to that he was an academic and worked in Russia, Japan and the USA. Rahul is also a Trustee to British Exploring Society, The CrEdo Foundation and Girls Are Investors. He serves as a Patron to Centre for Social Justice, Team GB, The Mulberry Bush School, The British Museum and The Oli Leigh Trust.
Taz Mukhtar
Trustee
Taz is a senior people and organisational leader with more than 15 years’ experience helping high-growth organisations scale sustainably. He has a proven track record of shaping people strategies, executive leadership, culture, and talent development through periods of rapid expansion.
Having held senior leadership roles across the fintech, technology, and consumer sectors, Taz brings deep expertise in governance, organisational effectiveness, and inclusive leadership. He is passionate about helping purpose-driven organisations build strong foundations for sustainable growth and long-term impact.
Paul Pashley
Trustee
Paul is an experienced financial services executive with a successful career in business operations spanning over 30 years including working with Barclays and Nationwide groups. More recently as Chief Operating Officer for Invest & Fund, a regulated development finance marketplace. He is a member of the With Profits Advisory Panel for Forester Life and provides business consulting services. Paul was appointed a trustee for THB early in 2021 and chairs the Operations Committee.
Paul is married and lives in Kent and is a keen golfer and tennis player.
Mark Phillips
Trustee
Mark has over 20 years' experience working in technology across a wide range of industries, from media & entertainment to finance, property and healthcare. He has held numerous Chief Information Officer positions as well as provides board level advisory services to organisations embarking upon large-scale change.
He lives in East London with his wife and two children. He enjoys weekends away with his family in their VW campervan and, when time permits, playing tennis, running and cycling.
Morag Punton
Trustee
Morag, a registered pharmacist, joins us with over 25 years experience working in a variety of roles within Boots UK. Her most recent position as Head of Corporate Social Responsibility is where Morag first became aware of the issue of hygiene poverty and the work of THB. Morag’s expertise in forging and developing strategic partnerships between charities and corporates will support our ambition as demand for our services grows due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Morag lives in Nottingham and in her spare time loves hiking, a passion she found 9 years ago after signing up to a charity trek to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and has been hiking ever since.
Emma Russell
Trustee
Emma is a finance partner at White & Case LLP, based in London, where she specialises in fund finance. She advises banks, private equity sponsors and property investors on complex financing structures, and is recognised by Chambers UK and Legal 500 as a leading practitioner in the field.
Alongside her legal practice, Emma holds a number of governance and leadership roles. She is European Co-Chair of Women in Fund Finance, sits on the board of the Fund Finance Association, and chairs its EMEA Executive Committee — experience she brings to the board of The Hygiene Bank in support of the charity’s financial oversight and strategic growth.
Emma joined The Hygiene Bank as a trustee because she believes no one should have to choose between staying clean and meeting other basic needs. She is committed to helping the charity strengthen its governance, broaden its partnerships and extend its reach to more communities living in hygiene poverty across the UK.
John Russo
Trustee
John is Managing Director and Partner at LS Private. An advisor with a record of leading high-profile organisations across the art, luxury, and investment sectors, he previously served as CEO of one of Europe’s most prominent contemporary art businesses, delivering international expansion and substantial commercial growth.
He counsels ultra-high-net-worth families and founders on strategy, governance, legal coordination, and philanthropy across multiple jurisdictions.
In public service, John sits as a family magistrate, bringing a measured, community-minded perspective to complex decisions. He focuses on governance, safeguarding, and measurable social impact, helping boards turn mission into clear operating plans.
His philanthropic leadership has raised more than £2.5 million for UNICEF, Soccer Aid, CALM, Art for NHS, Haven House Children’s Hospice, and others, including establishing and managing charitable foundations and governance boards.
John also serves on the Board of Directors of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Diana Award and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.