About us

Meet our trustees.

Our trustees are responsible for the overall direction and development of Pennies through good governance and clear strategic planning, ensuring that we are well run and delivering our charitable objectives.

Robert Leitão, Managing Partner at Rothschild & Co Gestion and Head of Global Advisory at Rothschild & Co

Robert Leitão (Chair)

Managing Partner, Rothschild & Co Gestion and Head of Global Advisory, Rothschild & Co

Robert Leitão is Managing Partner of Rothschild & Co Gestion, the top holding company of the Rothschild & Co Group. He is also Head of Rothschild & Co’s Global Advisory business, worldwide, and Chief Executive of NM Rothschild & Sons. Mr Leitão also serves as an Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the NYSE listed Manchester United plc; a Member of the Advisory Board of Lowy Family Partners, the private investment business and family office of the Lowy family; and a Member of the Advisory Board of the charity, Centre of Entrepreneurs.

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Peter Ayliffe - Pennies Trustee and Payments Advisory Board Member

Peter Ayliffe

Former President & CEO,
Visa Europe

Peter’s last Non-Executive Director role was as Deputy Chair of the Coventry, the UK’s second largest Building Society. He has also been President of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), a Board Director of Investors In People (UK) and Chair of Monitise and truRating. His Executive career was spent almost entirely in Retail Banking and Payments. Peter was President & CEO of Visa Europe and prior to that was a Group Board Director of Lloyds TSB with responsibility for the Retail Bank.

Graham Edwards, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Telereal Trillium

Graham Edwards

Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Telereal Trillium

Graham was appointed Executive Chairman of Telereal Trillium in April 2018. Prior to that hewas the Chief Executive of Telereal Trillium, when he led the joint venture which set up the company in 2001. Before joining Telereal, Graham was Chief Investment Officer of Talisman Global Asset Management, and a fund manager at Merrill Lynch Investment Management, also working for BT Group plc. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Association of Corporate Treasurers (AMCT) and the UK Society of Investment Professionals (ASIP).

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Trustee Board 2022 (Penny Lovell)

Penny Lovell

Managing Director,
Citi Private Bank

Penny is Managing Director at Citi Private Bank where she is responsible for EMEA clients in the £10 to £25m HNW team. She has over 30 years’ experience working with private clients, family offices and charities. Penny began her career in wealth with Coutts before joining Fleming Family and Partners. She was Head of Private Clients at Close Brothers and more latterly was CEO Sanlam Private Wealth. Penny is also a Trustee of Prism the Gift Fund and the Clive Richards Foundation. Penny is also an adviser for the Anti Human Trafficking Foundation. Her previous charitable experience includes Trinity Hospice, Philarmonia Orchestra and the Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts.

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Angela Luger (Chair), Non-Executive Director of Portfolio

Angela Luger

Non-Executive Director,
Portfolio

Angela Luger brings a wealth of retail and Non-Executive Director experience especially in digital commerce, digital transformation and marketing. She recently joined Jet2 plc as a Non-Executive Director and holds the same role at JD Sports Fashion Plc, Portmeirion Group Plc (chairing the Nomination Committee) and SCS Group Plc (as Senior Independent Director). Angela is also Chair at WealthiHer Network. Previously, she held Non-Executive positions at New Look Retail Holdings Ltd, The Paint Shed Holdings Limited (as Chair), Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion S.A. and Manchester Airports Holding Ltd. Angela’s career includes notable positions at Cadbury’s, Coca Cola, Asda, Debenhams (as Managing Director), The Original Factory Shop (as CEO) and N Brown Group PLC (as CEO).

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Julian Taylor, Senior Partner at Simmons & Simmons

Julian Taylor

Senior Partner,
Simmons & Simmons

Julian is the Senior Partner of the international law firm Simmons & Simmons. He also advises leading financial institutions across a range of human resources issues. Earlier in his career, he practised as a barrister for four years and worked as a teacher. He is also a director of a state school academy trust.

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Leigh Thomas, Vice President, Global Clients and Categories, EMEA at Meta

Leigh Thomas

Vice President, Global Clients and Categories EMEA, Meta

Leigh is a technology executive, with experience leading global and EMEA wide strategy and teams at Meta, developing trusted C-suite partnerships, the regional vertical go to market, with revenue and sales responsibility. Her remit includes leading C-suite client relationships, strategic marketing and digital transformation for the world’s most sophisticated companies, across CPG, eComm, Tech, Telco and Autos, helping them devise growth strategies against their jobs to be done. Further executive responsibilities include being a board trustee for Pennies, WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership), and supporting the launch of BRIM (Black Representation in Marketing), with the ASA. Previous to Meta, Leigh had general management responsibilities as MD Saatchi & Saatchi, and the digital agency of the decade, Dare.

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Industry insights in our Content Hub.

Find interviews, thought-leadership and guest blog posts from industry leaders across retail and hospitality, payments, fintech and charity.

Start your journey now.

From retail, hospitality and technology brands looking to make a real difference, to charities looking to boost their impact, now is your chance to join the micro-donation movement.

Merchants

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Charities

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Use our micro-donation solutions in your own charity shops and online

Payments + Tech

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About us

Whitbread

Our vision, mission and what we do

Creating impact on behalf of the sector

Meet the dedicated team

Meet our trustee board

Industry support for Pennies

Recognition for Pennies

How our work is funded

Current job opportunities

Find answers to commonly asked questions

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