About the Foundation
The Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation was established in 2022 to create awareness among MAB staff and customers of the growing need of the communities they live in or are choosing to move to.
All application for funding will need to be supported by a Mortgage Advice Bureau customer or member of staff.
How We Are Governed
We are governed by an independent board of trustees who are responsible for the work that we do and the way in which we do it, including setting and overseeing the delivery of our strategy.
Our Trustees
Caroline Hill brings a wealth of experience, passion for people, and their development. As the Group Chief People Officer for MAB, Caroline's strategic vision and commitment to employee well-being are perfectly aligned with the Foundation's mission.
Prior to joining MAB, Caroline held senior HR and Strategy roles at Leeds Building Society, KPMG, Wesleyan Assurance, and Santander UK. Her earlier career included roles at Vodafone and BT Cellnet, as well as several interim consultancy roles.
Her dedication to social impact is further exemplified by her previous work as a Trustee for Suited for Success, a Birmingham-based charity which aims to break the cycle of poverty by getting people into work and keeping them there. This experience, coupled with her ongoing close collaboration with the MAB Board, positions Caroline to make a significant contribution to the Foundation's work.
Lucy is Group Chief Financial Officer at Stonehage Fleming, having previously spent 10 years with MAB as CFO.
Whilst at MAB, Lucy oversaw a huge increase in MAB’s size and complexity, completing numerous acquisitions and investments. Prior to MAB, she was a director of the team at Canaccord Genuity that worked on MAB’s admission to AIM in 2014. She advised numerous quoted and unquoted companies, predominantly in Financial Services.
Lucy qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1996 with KPMG, and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. She holds a BSc in Economics and Accounting from the University of Bristol.
Andrew is CEO of the Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation having previously worked as the New Homes Director for MAB since 2013 when they acquired the business Mortgage Talk, for which Andrew was the Managing Director. Andrew established the Foundation with the support of the MAB Board and is passionate about delivering on its purpose.
Ali Crossley is the Managing Director, Distribution of Legal & General’s newly formed Retail division. Retail covers protection, retirement income, savings, lending and advice, fintech and mortgage businesses under one umbrella. It has over 5.5 million UK life insurance policyholders, over 1.8 million people in group protection schemes and almost 1.3 million US term-life insurance policyholders.
Ali is responsible for leading the integration of all our distribution activity, which includes intermediary, banks, affinity and our aggregator channels. She also oversees Legal & General’s surveying business LGSS, and our mortgage-related businesses Mortgage Club and Smartr365. Before joining Legal & General in 2019, Ali was the Managing Director of BGL’s affinity business, Junction. She was promoted from Customer Director after leading the acquisition of Sun Life and Virgin Money. She was also responsible for BGL’s 3000-strong customer services team and introduced a number of digital innovations, including webchat, a self-service centre and robotic technology.
Her other financial service roles include Chief Operating Officer at Saga Financial Services and Marketing Director and Director, Retirement Income at Prudential plc. She’s also a non-executive director of Age UK Enterprises.
Ali lives in Rutland and has two children. Outside of work, she’s a keen runner, cook and gardener, and travels to Italy as much as possible
Peter is one of the most successful and influential leaders of a financial services company in the UK. As CEO of the Mortgage Advice Bureau for the last 20 years, he has been the driving force in creating one of the largest and most respected networks and mortgage services brands in the UK. Peter took the company public in 2014 and has seen the value of the business grow materially and venture into international markets.
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Esther Dijkstra is the Managing Director, Intermediaries, for Lloyds Banking Group.
Previously she was the Director of Strategic Partnerships for LBG with responsibility for the National Account, Housing Development and Intermediary Experience teams as well as leading Mortgage Intermediary digital strategy.
Prior to that she was the head of Intermediary protection at Scottish Widows where she was instrumental in the launch of ‘Scottish Widows Protect’ into the Intermediary market, which went live in 2015.
Esther began her career in management consultancy with IBM in the Netherlands and moved to the UK in 2000. She previously worked for Legal & General where she was Commercial and Marketing Director of the L&G Network and UK Mortgage Club.
Esther lives with her husband and two children in Guildford.
Ben Thompson is Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mortgage Advice Bureau.
Ben has been in financial services since 1986 and before joining MAB in 2018 was Chief Executive Officer of ULS Technology. Prior to this appointment, he was Managing Director of Legal & General Mortgage Club.
Before Legal & General, Ben held roles at Paymentshield, St. James’s Place, Winterthur Life and TSB. His career has most recently been focused on mortgages and financial services. However, Ben also has good experience in both retail and private banking, as well as in residential property, in particular estate agency.
The Committee
Our Committee is made up of volunteers from MAB business partners. These volunteers are responsible for the initial assessment of applications and help to shape the future thinking of the foundation.
Stephen is the Business Principal at Mortgage Advice Bureau in Norfolk and has been working with MAB since 2008. The business is based out of offices in Norwich & Great Yarmouth but also has other outlets around the UK. Stephen always aims to lead the business to be a big part of the local community and always tries to give something back to the local area with charitable fund raising and support for local events.
Having worked in financial services since 1992, Gary brings a wealth of experience to the panel. He teamed up with Mortgage Advice Bureau in 2004, launching his business, Mortgage Advice Bureau North West Limited. After selling the business in 2025, he is eager to continue "giving back" both locally and nationally.
Gary is a frequent fundraiser and is always happy to support local charities on a personal level. Having seen the generous work the Foundation does firsthand, he is keen to be part of this initiative.
Outside of work, he has been married to Elaine for 31 years, and they have two daughters and two amazing grandsons. He cherishes the time spent with them all, though he enjoys the occasional escape to the golf course!
Rob is the Business Principal at Severn Mortgage & Protect, based in Shrewsbury. He entered the financial services industry in 2005, shortly after graduating from university, and joined MAB in 2009. Over the years, he has actively supported and fundraised for several local charities, including a recent shark dive.
Rob believes strongly in the importance of grassroots and junior sports and is involved with local football, rugby, and cricket clubs. Outside of work, he is a devoted Leeds United fan and is kept busy by his three sons. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find him on the touchline, coaching their respective football teams.
Director of MAB New Homes Mortgages Lee has been in the industry since 1995. Married to Lisa for 32 years and 2 children, one who has followed in his footsteps and works with the business, the other a Detective Constable in the South Yorkshire Police. For many years Lee has been involved in fundraising, arranging Sporting Dinners with such names as Paul Gascoigne, Vinnie Jones, Anthony Joshua, Dennis Taylor, Sir Geoff Hurst to name a few. A keen scuba diver his claim to fame is having dived with Manny Pacquiao. He is a season ticket with his beloved Rotherham United. He is a lover of travel and has a second home in Northern Cyprus.
Sarah is the Product Manager at Mortgage Advice Bureau. She has over 18 years’ experience in the world of marketing and product management, working mainly within the Financial Services and Utilities industries.
Sarah is passionate about supporting those in need and regularly takes part in fund raising activities such as Race for Life and Tough Mudder.
She is a proud Mum to 2 young boys, who keep her very busy. She and her family spend a lot of time at Breadsall Cricket Club, where they have been hugely involved in the new pavilion crowdfunding project which officially opened in June 2022.
She is a Brummie at heart and supports Aston Villa – although she doesn’t get to see as many games as she would like, what with being surrounded by Derby Fans now she lives in Derby!
Kate is an award-winning mortgage adviser renowned for her friendly and approachable style, delivering clear and impactful advice. With a deep commitment to empowering others, she not only supports her clients through every step of the mortgage process but also passionately mentors fellow advisers, helping them to flourish in their careers.
As the founder of the Mortgages for Women community, Kate has created a powerful platform dedicated to educating, supporting, and empowering women in the mortgage industry. Her mission is to instil confidence and inspire success among women, making a significant impact as a leader in the field.
Lisa serves as the Head of Growth and Development for one of MAB's Regional Network partners. With 38 years of experience in financial services, primarily in banks and building societies, she has been a valued member of MAB for the past seven years.
Lisa is also a proud mother to her 22-year-old daughter, who has followed in her footsteps by pursuing a career in financial services after graduating with an honors degree. Family is incredibly important to Lisa, and she has dedicated significant time and resources to fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where her nephew has received care over the past six years.
Outside of work, Lisa has a deep passion for travel, having explored the UK, Europe, and beyond for over 35 years. A proud South Yorkshire native, she grew up in Barnsley and now resides in Doncaster.
Deb began her career in financial services in 1984 as a Mortgage and Customer Relations Manager at Halifax Building Society. After over two decades at Halifax, she took on a new challenge with the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service, where she worked for eight years. She then returned to the financial sector as a Case Manager at Fluent Money and progressed to her current role as Office Manager.
Throughout her career, she has been involved in organising various social and fundraising events, both within the workplace and as part of the PTA at her son's local school and hockey team. Recently, she became a grandmother to a beautiful granddaughter. When not at Fluent, you can find Deb making memories with family, catching up with friends over afternoon tea, or planning her next getaway in the sun.
Andrew is the founder of Mortgage Q Limited trading as Mortgage Advice Bureau Bingley, He has over 30 years’ experience in the world of Mortgages and also served as a Magistrate for over 14 years.
Andrew has a passion for helping and supporting others and has previous charities sector experience having held the position of Trustee at Bradford Cancer Support Centre.
Away from work you will find him on the Golf Course or running over the moors above his Bingley home in the faint hope of keeping fit. A proud Yorkshireman and Bradfordian he’s passionate about the City in which he lives and was delighted earlier this year when Bradford was awarded the City of Culture for 2025.
Questions?
If you’d like to get involved or learn more about the Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation, reach out to us on our contact page.
