Senior staff

Merrick Willis OBE

Merrick Willis is our Chief ExecutiveMerrick became Chief Executive of The Charity for Civil Servants in 2009 after wide experience as CEO in the public, private and charitable sectors.

His first career was in the Army, which he joined direct from University.

Key appointments included command of an infantry battalion and chief of staff of an armoured brigade.

He left after twenty years and spent nine years as CEO of a multi-service NHS trust.

He has managed an executive search company, and undertaken extensive consultancy work in both public and private sectors.

His most recent appointment was as CEO of a medical charity.

Other experience includes various non executive appointments, chairing both a primary care trust and a business link organisation, and vice chairmanship of a police authority.

Judith Smith

Our Director of Help and Advisory Services, Judith has been with the Charity since 1999, and has been working within the Help and Advice sector for even longer.

Starting as our Area Services Manager in the Midlands, and then in the South East, in 2005 she was appointed Regional Development Manager for the South, having responsibility for all regional staff across 6 English regions, and Wales.

She is now responsible for our Help and Advisory Services, and oversees the provision of our support and advice to thousands of people every year.

Judith says, "In my opinion, benevolence is the best thing since sliced bread.

"We can give a package of advice, information, and money to people when it's really needed.

"It truly is a magic formula for improving their quality of life."

Andy James

Andy was appointed Director of Fundraising and Communications in September 2011, and has a wide experience in the private and charitable sectors in marketing, fundraising and communications.

His previous role was as Fundraising and Communications Director at Diabetes UK and before that he was Director of Campaigns and Marketing at Scope.

In the private sector he spent ten years as managing director of a specialist marketing company which he founded, following careers with the BBC and IBM.