Chair
I was born in Southport in 1954 and joined Hill Dickinson in Liverpool in 1976. For 45 years I served as Managing Partner, and subsequently, Senior Partner, of what grew into a hugely successful commercial law practice with a turnover in excess of £100m, five offices across the UK, together with four overseas locations. In 2012, we established the Hill Dickinson Foundation, with the support of the Community Foundation for Merseyside, providing support to community-based projects within the UK where we had a presence.
I became a Trustee of the Community Foundation for Merseyside in 2016, and then was delighted to be appointed Chair of the Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside in 2022. Being aware of the incredible work they do out in our communities, and having received such excellent support when setting up of the Hill Dickinson Foundation in 2012, I welcomed the opportunity to get involved and lend my expertise and knowledge as a Trustee, and then Chairman. I always considered myself extremely fortunate in my career and being part of a Merseyside-based business was acutely aware that many members of the community did not have the chances or good fortune that I had enjoyed, and welcomed the opportunity to make a difference.
My first experience of working with the charity was in the setting up the Hill Dickinson Foundation in 2012. At Hill Dickinson we were keen to support the communities in which our offices were located, but how to achieve that was the challenge. The Community Foundation enabled the business to identify community-based projects which we were keen to support, and ensured that all the technicalities of running a charitable foundation were dealt with properly and seamlessly, ensuring that we were able to make the biggest impact. I welcome the opportunity to support and direct the Community Foundation’s next phase of growth.
