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Trustees

Our trustees are elected by our members (the vast majority of whom are volunteers).  They individually serve for a period of three years when they are eligible for re-election up to a total of three consecutive terms.  

Paul BennettBA(Lond), Cert. Ed., Chair of Waterways Experiences CIO
Thirty-five years a secondary English teacher. Churchwarden, magazine editor and model engineer. Over forty years on the canals and formerly a volunteer with ReachOut. Owner of a seventy-foot narrowboat.
Andrew ThomsonBA (Hons) FCA, ACII, BFP, Treasurer
Andrew is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years’ experience in the profession, followed by 20 years at Director and CEO level in UK Law firms.
Carol WallsTrustee
Carol has been a manager at Dacorum Mencap since Feb 2018 organising social activities for adults with learning disabilities. She has worked with people who have learning disabilities for over 35 years and is a very long standing client of Waterways Experiences as well as its predecessor, Reachout.
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Elena Bratulescu Trustee
Elena moved to the UK in 2001 from Romania and is self-employed full-time. WExp became an important part of her life after joining as a crew member in early 2019 and subsequently becoming a stalwart member of the cleaning team. She joined the Trustee Board in 2020.
Malcolm TebbuttBA (Hons) ACIB
Malcolm spent 25 years working for NatWest Bank, mostly in product development and project management. He latterly ran an IT development operation of 98 staff developing systems for Contact Centres to support debit and credit cards. He first volunteered with ReachOut Projects in 2008 and obtained his Boatmaster licence in 2019.
Lucie MossSecretary
Lucie has been a volunteer since August 2021, after booking Close Shave for a family outing (which has become an annual event). As well as crewing on a monthly basis, Lucie is also Team Leader for Volunteer Support, sits on Steering Group and acts as Secretary to the Trustees.

Lucie works full time and when she is not crewing, or dealing with Waterways Experience administration she enjoys patchworking, cross-stitching, reading and beachcombing for sea glass.

Ian WilsonTrustee
Ian has been a volunteer since 2015 and is currently a skipper on our largest boat – Sheldrake 3.

Before retiring, Ian was a commercial/finance director for a events management company organising corporate events globally. He owns his own boat on which he has travelled extensively throughout England and Wales. He also spent many years involved with the Scout Association, both as a “coal-face” leader and a leader trainer.

Andrew Sykes BA (Hons) FCII, Trustee
Andrew been involved with the organisation in its different guises for many years. He is founder and chairman of his Chartered Insurance Brokerage that has involved extensive travel within the UK and the EU
He has wider experience with committee work with the Chartered Insurance Institute, its Society of Fellows and as a school governor.
He is a Liveryman of a London Company and Freeman of the City of London.