Wendy Chamberlain MP
Wendy Chamberlain is the MP for North East Fife, Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Wendy was responsible for passing the Carers Leave Act 2023 through the Private Members' Bill process and has been a powerful advocate for unpaid carers in Parliament. She also sits on the board of Fife Carers, her local network to support unpaid carers.
Prior to being an MP, Wendy served as a police officer in the Lothian and Borders Police force for 12 years, including time spent as a Communications Lecturer for the then Lauder College (now Fife College). She then worked at MoD Caledonia, Rosyth, supporting service veterans into positive employment outcomes before moving to work as a Capability Manager for Diageo. She also became the first female Board Member of the Camanachd Association (the governing body for the amateur sport of shinty) in 2017.
Rt Hon the Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone PC DL
Baroness Bottomley had a distinguished career as the MP for SW Surrey for many years. In that time she held Cabinet posts including Minister of Health. She was ennobled in 2005 adopting the title of Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone.
She was a member of the Supervisory Board of Akzo Nobel NV from 2000–12, an NED on BUPA 2007–2013 and currently Smith and Nephew, she is a Trustee of The Economist Newspaper. As part of her pro-bono activities, Virginia is Chancellor of the University of Hull. She was a Governor of the London School of Economics for 31 years. She is a member of the UK Advisory Council of the International Chamber of Commerce. She has been Chair of the Board Practice at executive head-hunting firm Odgers Berndtson where she has been since 2000.
Don Brereton CB
Don’s main career was in the civil service. He worked in health and social services posts, social security and the Cabinet Office Efficiency Unit. In his final post, in the Department for Work and Pensions, Don's directorate covered disability rights and policy across Government and delivery of the key disability and carers' benefits. Don was awarded a CB in the 2001 New Year’s Honours.
Since his retirement from full time work, Don has continued to work with the public and voluntary sector. Don served two terms as Chair of Carers UK and was a member and Vice Chair of the Standing Commission on Carers and a lay member of the NHS National Quality Board.
Don has a son, two daughters and seven grandchildren. His son, Sam, was born with Down’s syndrome. Sam now enjoys supported living with two other young adults but Don remains Sam’s primary family carer.
Ian Peters
Ian served on the Board of Carers UK for 14 years as our Treasurer and he was also Chair of Employers for Carers for seven years. He is presently Non-Executive Chairman at UK Health Security Agency.
He has previously held roles as Chair of Barts Health NHS Trust, Chief Executive of British Gas and Managing Director of NatWest Small Business Services. He is currently also chair of several data-driven growth technology and energy efficiency companies.
The Baroness Pitkeathley OBE
In the mid-1980s Jill Pitkeathley founded the carers movement in the UK by setting up what is now Carers UK and was its Chief Executive until 1998. She has been an advisor to many other carers organisations including those in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several European countries.
She was awarded an OBE in 1994 in recognition of her work for carers and in 1997 was raised to the peerage in the House of Lords where she speaks frequently in debates and legislation about carers, social care and health issues. She is currently chairing a Select Committee on the Integration of Primary and Community Care in England.
She has also chaired several national organisations, including the National Lottery, Children and Family Courts Association and the Professional Standards Authority.
Jill is a founding member of ACEVO, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and is a trustee of Cumberland Lodge.
Dame Philippa Russell DBE
Dame Philippa Russell is former chair of the Standing Commission on Carers and has cared for her disabled son, Simon, for over half a century.
She was director of the Council for Disabled Children 1976–2003. She was disability adviser to the National Children's Bureau 2003–07 and to the Department for Education and Skills 2003–05. She was a commissioner of the Disability Rights Commission from 2002 until its abolition in 2007. In 2007 she was appointed chair of the Standing Commission on Carers.
Caroline Waters OBE
Caroline has a distinguished record on equality, inclusion, and human resources, and has been the driving force of many diversity-focused groups.
She is a member of the advisory board of the Centre for Care. She was deputy chair of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission from January 2013 to December 2022. She was Director of People and Policy at BT. She was on the Sustainable Care advisory board which advised the ESRC's Sustainable Care Large Grant programme, until the programme's end in 2021.
She chaired, Employers for Carers from 2001 to 2013, was founder and inaugural Chair of the Employers' Forum on Belief, and Chair of the Lone Parents working group. In 2010 she was awarded an OBE for her work on progressive human resources practice, diversity and equal opportunities.