Board
This page contains short biographies of the Consumer Focus Board. To observe the highest standards of objectivity, integrity and transparency each Board member declares any interests relevant to their work with Consumer Focus and these are included below.
Christine Farnish
Christine Farnish was appointed to the Consumer Focus Board in December 2007 and became Chair at the end of 2010. Christine’s varied career has included a number of senior roles in local government; Director of Consumer Affairs at both OFTEL and the Financial Services Authority; Chief Executive at the National Association of Pension Funds and more recently Managing Director of Public Policy at Barclays.
Christine has served on the Boards of the Office of Fair Trading, the Advertising Standards Authority, ING Direct UK and Papworth NHS Trust. She currently chairs the Family and Parenting Institute and serves as a NED on the ABTA Board. Declaration of Interest
Anna Walker
Anna is Chair of the Office of Rail Regulation and is a Board member of Welsh Water. Anna was Chief Executive of the Healthcare Commission, the regulation body for the NHS and independent sector healthcare until March 2009. She was previously Director General, Land Use and Rural Affairs at DEFRA from 2001 to 2003, and Director General, Energy Group at DTI from 1998 to 2001. She was Deputy Director General at OFTEL from 1993 to 1997. Declaration of Interests
Enid Rowlands
Enid Rowlands is an independent member of the North Wales Police Authority. She is a Director of TARO Consultancy Ltd, and a National Trustee for Wales of the RNID. Enid also has a Non-Executive Advisory role with the Information Commissioner’s Office, is a member of the General Medical Council and a Board member of BETR, the Broadcast Equality and Training Regulator. Enid is a trustee of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) and the independent Chair for retrospective health care reviews in Wales. She is a former Chair of the National Council of Education and Training for Wales, and a former member of the Ministerial Committee on Work-Life Balance. From 1999 to 2007 she was a Board Member of the S4C Broadcasting Authority. Declaration of Interest
Stephen Locke
Stephen Locke is a consultant specialising in consumer policy and regulation. Former roles include Director of Advertising and Sponsorship at the Independent Television Commission and Director of Research and Policy at Which? He was a Board Member of the National Consumer Council; a Board member of Phonepay Plus (formerly ICSTIS); an Independent Board Member of the Payments Council; and an Independent Board Member and trustee of the Internet Watch Foundation. He is also a Member of the Professional Standards Board of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Member of the Consumer Financial Education Body. Declaration of Interests
Dame Suzi Leather
Dame Suzi Leather is Chair of the Charity Commission, and a past Chair of the School Food Trust, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, and of the Exeter and District Community NHS Trust. She is also a past Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency. Declaration of Interests
Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs
Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs is the Chair of Volunteering England. Previously, she was chief executive of the Barrow Cadbury Trust and before that Chief Executive and Company Secretary of the Runnymede Trust. She served on the Government’s Better Regulation Commission and held Board positions with energywatch and Severn Trent Water. Sukhvinder currently manages a portfolio of projects with organisations including the Administrative Justice Council, Office for Public Management, Social Care Institute of Excellence and the European Commission. Declaration of Interest
Roger Darlington
Roger Darlington is Member for England on the Communications Consumer Panel, and was Chair of the Greater London Region on the Postwatch Council. He is a consultant to Connect, the trade union for professional staff in the telecommunications industry, and a Support Trainer with Lamont Associates, a training consultancy specialising in team working and transformation at work. Roger is Chair of the Digital Consumer Electronic Group and also Deputy Chair of the UK Policy Stakeholder Committee of Nominet. From 1978 to 2002 Roger was a national trade union official at the headquarters of what is now the Communication Workers Union. Declaration of Interests
Sharon Darcy
Sharon Darcy was a Member of the Council of energywatch. Other former roles include membership of Ofgem’s Consumer Challenge Group for Distribution Price Control 5, Chair of the TrustMark Consumer Forum and member of the London and Southern Committee for the Consumer Council for Water. Sharon is a Board member of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST), the housing association The Hyde Group and of Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust. She is a member of the Ofgem Low Carbon Network Fund Expert Panel and is also Chair of Sutton Borough Citizens Advice Bureaux. Declaration of Interests
Vivienne Sugar
Vivienne Sugar was appointed as the Chair of Consumer Focus Wales in January 2008. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing having previously been Director of Housing at both Cardiff and Newport. In 2005 she was appointed as Wales Advisor to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and also became a Vice President of Swansea University. Vivienne was Chief Executive of the City and County of Swansea between 1995 and 2003 and Chair of the Welsh Consumer Council between 2003 and 2008. Vivienne is a also a Consultant to Government and Local Government, and a member of the Council of the Property Ombudsman. Declaration of Interests
Douglas Sinclair
Douglas Sinclair is Chair of Consumer Focus Scotland and a Member of the Accounts Commission for Scotland. He was Chief Executive of Fife Council from 1999 to 2006 and overall has had 16 years experience as a chief executive in three councils, and four years as chief executive of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. He was also Chair of the Scottish Consumer Council. Declaration of Interests
Rick Hill
Rick Hill was appointed as Chair of Consumer Focus Post and member of the Consumer Focus Board in October 2008. In January 2009 he was appointed as Chairman of the Consumer Council (Northern Ireland). In December 2008 he was appointed Chair of the Northern Ireland Screen Commission, having been interim Chair since Jan 2008. He is a former Minister of Garnerville Presbyterian Church, Belfast. He was previously a member of the BBC Audience Council for Northern Ireland and BBC Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland. Declaration of Interests
