Board of Trustees

Home > About us > Board of Trustees

Board of trustees – profiles

Peter Ashman – Chair

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Chair of the Employability Committee, Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees.

PERSONAL PROFILE
Peter became a Trustee in December 2022. He is a highly experienced Trustee having served both as Board member and Chair of several charitable and not for profit organisations.

Peter’s previous career was in scholarly publishing, and he was CEO of the multi-national healthcare information and education company BMJ which publishes the flagship British Medical Journal.

Peter lives in Tring and is married to Jane who is an osteopath – they enjoy travelling and walking. Every Sunday morning, Peter can be heard on CAD’s very own Radio Dacorum, presenting The Golden Oldies Show.

Margaret Griffiths – Vice Chair

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Vice Chairman of the Trustee Board and Chair of the Wellbeing Committee. Margaret sits on the Executive, Finance and General Purposes, and Officers Committees. Margaret is the trustee with lead responsibility for Safeguarding.
PERSONAL PROFILE
Married to Michael with a son and daughter who have both flown the nest. She has lived in Hemel Hempstead since 1983, originally from Watford. Margaret was a Customer Services Manager and was a Dacorum Borough Councillor for 32 years, 24 of which she was Deputy Leader of the council. She is also a Trustee of Leverstock Green Village Association and Treasurer of 4th Boxmoor Scout Group.

Richard Roberts – Vice Chair

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Member of the Executive, Finance and General Purposes committees, and Officers’ Group.
PERSONAL PROFILE
Richard is Leader of Hertfordshire County Council. Prior to this, Richard has served as the portfolio holder for adult social care and health, was executive lead for Children and their services and before that took the lead on Partnerships and Performance. CAD works with the Parish, Borough and County Councils and it is in that context Richard is involved most closely.
Before becoming involved in local politics Richard worked in the oil industry, is married and has two daughters

James Lowe – Honorary Treasurer

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Honorary Treasurer and member of the Executive, Finance and General Purposes, and Officers committees.

PERSONAL PROFILE
CFO with substantial commercial experience, operating at board level, my roles have included: responsibility for organisational strategy, change management and systems, in international companies within the business services, consumer products and commodities sectors. Experienced in not-for-profit sector including a variety of charity Trustee positions.

William Allen -Trustee

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Chair of the Communities Committee, Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees.

PERSONAL PROFILE
William has been a trustee since 2022 and currently sits on the Communities Committee. In William’s career supporting disadvantaged young people in many roles in the voluntary and public sectors he has at various times been an employee, tenant and partner of CAD. He currently teaches history at a local Special School and is a Borough Councillor representing Boxmoor ward. As well as currently being Mayor, he has sat on the Health in Dacorum committee for several years and is Dacorum Borough Council’s representative on Dacorum Heritage Trust. He is also active in the local community serving on the committee of Boxmoor Good Neighbours, supporting local cricket clubs and running the monthly charity quiz at the Post Office Arms in Boxmoor.

Terry Douris – Trustee and Director of Trading Company

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Terry is a member of the Executive Committee and a Director of DCVS (Trading) Limited.
PERSONAL PROFILE
Terry is a Director of DCVS (Trading) Limited and has been a trustee of Community Action Dacorum since Dcember 2024. He has previously represented the Hire Industry as it’s Association Chairman. He has had significant experience in Education as the Chair of Governors of 2 Hemel Hempstead schools and was the Cabinet Member for Education and Libraries at Hertfordshire County Council where he is now Chairman of the Council having previously been the Mayor of Dacorum for 2 years. He is a director of an Audio-Visual Company in Hemel Hempstead.

Graeme Elliot – Trustee and Director of Trading Company

Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees. Graeme is a long-standing councillor for Dacorum Borough Council, representing Chaulden and Warners End. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee and sits on several key committees. With a professional background in finance and risk management, Graeme brings governance expertise and a strong understanding of local government operations. He is passionate about community development and ensuring that resources are used effectively to benefit residents. Graeme has lived in Hemel since 1998, married a local girl, also vice chair of Boxmoor & Warners End Community Centre.

Colin Gage – Trustee and Director of Trading Company

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Former Chairman of the Trustee Board and Co-chair of Remuneration Committee and provides advice and support on CAD financial strategy. Member of the Officers and F&GP committees, Director of DCVS (Trading) Limited.

PERSONAL PROFILE
Retired Bank Executive with over 35 years Financial Services experience in the City of London. Much involved in Charity sector.

Former Treasurer of The Hospice of St Francis and currently Trustee on the Diocesan Board of Finance of St Albans Diocese of the Church of England. Colin has lived in Leverstock Green for over 30 years and is a life-long Spurs fan.

Liz Green OBE DL – Trustee

Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees. Liz is a former High Sheriff of Hertfordshire (2023–24) and Sheriff of the City of London (2018–19). She was awarded an OBE for voluntary services and prisoner rehabilitation and serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. Liz is actively involved with charities supporting literacy, rehabilitation, and hospice care, including Shannon Trust and Rennie Grove Peace Hospice. She brings extensive experience in governance, fundraising, and community engagement, and is committed to doing what she can to improve opportunities for vulnerable individuals.

Liz’s professional background is in Marketing and PR. Liz and her husband Peter have lived near Tring for over 30 years, and they enjoy the many varied walks across our wonderful countryside, as well as trying to improve their golf swings and bridge skills.

Sally Symington – Trustee

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Sally joined the board of Community Action Dacorum in December 2022. She is a member of the Executive; the Finance and General Purposes Committee; and the Wellbeing Committee.

PERSONAL PROFILE
Sally is a politician and Board Member with a background in Investment Management. She has lived in Dacorum since 1997. A mother of four, she enjoys walking her dog and horse riding in her spare time.

Louise Towler – Trustee

Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees. Louise is the Managing Director of Indigo Tree Digital, a WordPress agency specialising in accessible, sustainable websites and digital strategy. With a first-class degree in Mathematics and over 20 years in software development, Louise founded Indigo Tree in 2011 and has grown it into an award-winning agency. She is a Women in Innovation Award winner and a recognised speaker on topics such as digital sustainability and web performance. Louise is passionate about using technology to create positive change for businesses and communities.

Audrey Weightman – Trustee

Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees. Audrey is an experienced operations leader with over 30 years in the pensions and finance industry. She currently works as People Support Lead at Essex County Council, where she oversees payroll, HR advice, and compliance services. Audrey has a proven track record in managing large teams, driving organisational change, and improving business performance. Her expertise in leadership and governance makes her a valuable asset to the board.

Helen Young – Trustee

TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Member of the Executive and Finance and General Purposes committees. Helen sits on the Employability Committee and the HR Group. She is also a member of the Connect Dacorum steering committee.

PERSONAL PROFILE

Helen is a solicitor specialising in civil litigation. She hails from the East Midlands but has lived in Dacorum for a number of years with her family and enjoys giving back to the local community. Helen was appointed as a trustee of CAD in December 2021 and has previously been a governor of a local secondary school.

Helen enjoys spending time outside with her family and exploring new places.

HITS Independent Directors

Dr Trevor Fernandes – Independent Director

Trevor has over 30 years’ experience as a GP in Hemel Hempstead and now works as a Medical Examiner at Watford General Hospital. He studied medicine at St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School and has a strong interest in musculoskeletal medicine, mental health, and end-of-life care. Trevor has been deeply involved in healthcare commissioning and strategy across Hertfordshire for more than two decades and served as a GP Trainer and Appraiser for many years. His passion for education and community health underpins his commitment to improving access and quality of care for local residents.