Board of Directors

Frank Moxon - President

Member of the Membership & Community Engagement Committee

Frank was elected to the Board in 2018 and has served as President since 2020. He also represents the Society as Chair of the Co-op Loan Fund. An economics graduate, he is an experienced board-level financial adviser and corporate financier and is or has been a director, trustee or governor of private and quoted companies, several charities, a professional body and a comprehensive school.

Joy Burnford - Vice President

Member of the Remuneration and Search Committee

Joy was elected to the Board in May 2021 and became Vice President in May 2022. She has over 20 years’ business and leadership experience serving as an executive director for three companies in the past 16 years and is the founder and CEO of consulting and coaching company Encompass Equality Ltd. She is a published author of the bestselling book ‘Don’t fix women’ and a trailblazer for gender equality in the workplace. She has run a number of local community efforts at her local primary school and church.

Belinda Bulsing

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

Belinda was elected to the Board in May 2014. She is involved in her local community as a member of the Pettaugh Parish Council and trustee of a charitable trust supporting the services of the maternity unit at Eye, Suffolk. Belinda is a qualified solicitor and has worked in both private practice and in-house legal roles. 

Sally Chicken

Member of the Remuneration and Search Committee

Sally Chicken, MSc was first elected to the Board in May 2009, serving eight years until 2017. She stepped down at the end of her second term of office for a year, and was elected again in 2018 and 2022. She has wide ranging experience in starting and managing credit unions in Wales and the East of England over the last 25 years and is currently serving as a volunteer on the Supervisory Committee at Eastern Saving and Loans Credit Union in Ipswich. Her interests include the restoration of Shotley Pier.

Esme Cole

Member of the Remuneration & Search Committee

Esme was elected to the Board in May 2021. She began her career as an officer in the British Army before moving into significant operations and project management roles over a diverse range of industries. Most recently Esme specialised in leadership and organisation development consultancy both in the UK and internationally. She holds a certificate in environmental management and is a keen advocate of sustainable business. Esme is completing a Masters degree in business administration this year, holds a governor position at a local secondary school and is a trustee of a charitable foundation.

John Cook

Member of the Performance Review Committee

John was elected to the Board in 2012. He has a background in finance and audit, before working for the Labour Party in Norfolk and Suffolk. John works for the Co-operative Party supporting co-operators across the East of England and London. He is a councillor in Ipswich and Mayor for 2022/23.

Lesley Dolphin

Member of the Membership & Community Engagement Committee

Lesley was elected to the Board for the first time in 2023. Her career in BBC local radio spans 40 years working in Leeds, Norfolk and, for the last 20 years, in Suffolk. Lesley retired in 2022 but is still very busy as Patron of Suffolk Libraries and a Lay Canon at St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. She has volunteered with many community projects including playgroups and after-school clubs, was a governor at Copleston High School for many years and is a trustee of the Friends of Felixstowe Library group. She was well known across Suffolk for her `sofa guest interviews’ on her BBC Radio Suffolk afternoon show and for her daily quiz competition ‘Dolphins Dart’ which featured fascinating facts about the county!

Mandy Errington

Member of the Performance Review Committee

Mandy is a well-known, established businesswoman and the owner of a popular fashion boutique in Ipswich. She possesses key experience which spans over 30 years within the retail and marketing industries. Mandy is well versed with the Society’s operation and the co-operative movement, after her previous 14 years of service. Over this time, she gained a succession of managerial promotions – which led to her position as Head of Marketing. She has successfully pioneered a number of initiatives in the past and whilst running her own business. Mandy is also listed as one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in the UK.

John Hawkins

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

John spent his working life in local government, initially as a solicitor and for the last 14 years as Chief Executive of Tendring District Council. He has experience of planning law, property and governance issues. He is now retired and volunteers with the National Trust at Sutton Hoo.

Emma Howard

Member of the Performance Review Committee

Emma started her career as a check-out assistant. Supported by our co-op to develop, she now has a key role at a worker's co-op helping international transparency initiatives from a data and technology perspective.

Caroline Ley

Member of the Audit & Risk Committee

Caroline worked for many years in the Civil Service across social security, health and justice, gaining experience in operational and policy roles. Following a move to Suffolk some years ago, she worked in a variety of administration roles in the public, private and charitable sectors until her retirement in 2022.

Julie Mansfield

Member of the Performance Review Committee

Julie was elected to the Board in 2023. Having worked as a solicitor in Scotland before moving to Suffolk, Julie now works for Network Suffolk which encourages faith groups to dialogue and work together. She is also a volunteer Director of Eastern Savings and Loans Credit Union, a role that she has held for the past 10 years (the last six as volunteer Company Secretary).

Ashley Munson

Ashley has an extensive background in data analytics having worked in the B2B Energy sector before joining the East of England Co-op Society in 2018. Since joining the Society Ashley has held various positions focussing on commercial and financial insights and currently works in the Business Transformation Team as Reporting and Analytics Manager. He joined the Board of Directors in December 2023.

Judi Newman

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

Judi has worked in the charity sector for over 25 years with a background in fundraising and philanthropy. She is the Chief Executive of St Elizabeth Hospice, a Honorary Fellow of the University of Suffolk and a Lay Canon of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Judi and her family run Topthorn Arena, a local equestrian venue in Stonham Aspal. She has been on the Board of the East of England Co-op since 2017. 

Beverley Perkins

Member of the Remuneration and Search Committee

Since joining our Board in May 2013, Bev has also served on the Boards of Coop Press and Co-ops UK. She represents the East of England Co-op on the Co-op National Members Council and Senate.

She has postgraduate qualifications in both Strategic Management and Sustainability and worked for 30 years in management and leadership roles while also representing local interests and building community resilience in her ‘free’ time!

As Chief Officer of Colchester Citizens Advice, she works to support and empower people in dealing with life’s challenges.

Maria Veronese

Member of the Membership & Community Engagement Committee

Maria was first elected to the Board in May 2016. She is a qualified journalist who has worked in newspapers, radio and television in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Most of her career has been working for the BBC as a television producer and news reporter. She also runs her own training and property businesses. Maria’s a keen supporter of the East Anglian Air Ambulance and has twice run the London Marathon to raise money for the charity.