The Board

Jonathan Buckingham
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Jonathan has recently been appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees having joined the Board in 2014.
Jonathan specialises in providing property advice to both private and public sector clients involved in major regeneration schemes across the capital. He is able to provide commercial knowledge as a highly experienced and qualified chartered surveyor.
Jonathan has been involved in not-for-profit and voluntary organisations as chair or board member for over 30 years.

Jacqui Wilkinson
Trustee
Jacqui joined the Board in February 2015 and is a Westminster City Councillor for Warwick Ward.
She has significant experience of contributing to the strategic oversight and development of organisations in the public and not-for-profit sectors as trustee and chair. She is a highly qualified and experienced policy expert in her professional roles and is a long time resident of south Westminster.

Mary Payne
Trustee
Local resident, Mary brings diverse insights to the board as a popular Abbey Centre member, volunteer, and accomplished chief executive of a local charity. Mary first joined over 6 years ago and through her volunteering at the centre, developed her confidence to enable her to re-train and secure employment as Chief Executive with local charity, UCanDoIT. This organisation trains and supports people living with disabilities.
Mary generously applies her skills by volunteering as a tutor and sometimes runs IT courses at the Abbey Centre to help older members to develop basic IT skills. She works to be the ‘voice’ of older members and act as a visible and accessible trustee.

Richard Walters
Treasurer
Richard is a local resident who joined the board in February 2015.
He began his career in investment banking before moving to an investment management role at a large London charity in 2011, where he continues to work. He brings a broad range of experience from across the financial sector.

Dom Gilchrist
Trustee
Dom Gilchrist has been a trustee since April 2019.
Dom is a civil servant at the Department for Education where he leads on international teacher recruitment. Prior to becoming a trustee, Dom supported the Abbey Centre’s Hot Meals Service for two years.
Observer

Tim Mitchell
Councillor Tim Mitchell has been a Council-nominated observer on the Abbey Board since 1998.
He represents St James’s Ward where The Abbey Centre is located and is currently the Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment & City Management. He is a self-employed computer consultant and is married to a teacher.
Abbey Leadership Team

Mark
Chief Executive

Phayza
Head of Community Programmes
Abbey Staff Team

Assia
WoW Project Support Worker

Caroline
Volunteer and Rough Sleeper Project Coordinator

Conan
Finance Assistant

Elias
Hospitality Assistant

Genoveva
Chef and Catering Manager

George
Customer Liaison Officer

George
Communications and Information Officer

Georgina
Business and Events Manager

Ian
Community Champions Project Coordinator

Linda
Catering Supervisor

Sascha
WoW Micro-Businesses and Self-Employment Development Worker

Sharon
Community Champions Project Outreach Worker

Tanha
WoW Project Coordinator
