Heather Keates: CMA’s founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Heather has spent 25 years working in the field of debt advice. As well as running CMA she continues to volunteer at her local CMA centre. She lives in rural Shropshire with her family and happily spends her free time sewing, knitting, strimming down brambles and cheering on her beloved Brighton and Hove Albion football team.

Meet the CMA Team: Heather Keates

Heather Keates

John Franks: Chief Operating Officer.

John had a career as a retail director and project manager before joining CMA in 2007. He is responsible for CMA services, projects and planning, along with the management of the CMA staff team. He became a Christian at the age of nineteen and is now a member of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis. When not working for CMA, John enjoys creative pursuits. He is a published author, musician and actor, and holds a degree in Fine Art sculpture. Married with one (grown) son, John and his wife endeavour to be good stewards of a smallholding in West Wales along with their dog, cat, chickens and horses.

Meet the CMA Team: John Franks

John Franks

Steve Bolton: Policy Manager (External Affairs) & Operations Support Manager (London SE).

Steve joined CMA in 2012, coming from a working background in high street and regulated financial services. He worked for some years with The Trussell Trust in parallel with his CMA post. He has been active in church life since becoming a Christian at the age of 34 (his wife had become a Christian earlier in the same year). They have two adult offspring. With a heart to serve and support others, Steve has undertaken various roles within the local community, both practically and politically. He reflects that the only certainty in life, apart from God’s presence, is the need to be prepared for change.

Meet the CMA Team: Steve Bolton

Steve Bolton

Kate Downward: Head Office Manager.

Kate joined the CMA team in 2014 and manages administration, finance and HR from our Head Office in Shrewsbury including affiliations, centre membership renewals, treasury, conferences and data management work from our Head Office in Shrewsbury. She has a wide range of administrative and financial experience from her work as an external auditor with the Audit Commission.

She is also a debt adviser at her local debt advice centre in Shrewsbury. Kate is married with two children and enjoys overseeing the youth work at her local church, and playing bass guitar.

Meet the CMA Team: Kate Downward

Kate Downward

Claire Daniels: Hub Manager.

Claire has managed our CMA debt advice centre in Scarborough for over 10 years and has both the Certificate in Money Advice Practice and an MA in Social Welfare Law and Advice Practice.

She has also been a CMA trainer for 6 years and helps to work on developing Catalyst. Claire is also a musician, loves writing devotional materials and has two fabulous teenagers.

Claire Daniels

Mark Johansson: Operations Manager.

Mark was appointed as the OSM for the North East Region in February 2019 before taking up his current role in July 2021. He has worked as a volunteer debt adviser for CMA since 2017, and is now also the Centre Manager at his local church at Hull Vineyard.

Previously to this, Mark served as a Police Officer for 30 years in his local Force, enjoying a varied and rewarding career before 'retiring' in 2017.

Mark is married, and has 3 children & 6 grandchildren, and in his free-time enjoys walking, cycling, and DIY as well as following the fortunes of Leeds United FC!

Mark Johansson

Becci Amos: Training Manager.

Becci joined the CMA team in 2020 as the training administrator, stepping into the her current role 3 years on. She has been a volunteer debt advisor at her local CMA centre as well as being been involved in community projects and youth work based from the church she attends in Shrewsbury.  In recent years Becci has been working toward her MA in Professional Practice and Practical Theology.

Becci’s background is in outdoor leadership, she is a qualified international mountain leader and has enjoyed leading expeditions to mountain regions all around the world. Becci is passionate about leading and coaching people; the training manager role brings together her experience in outdoor leadership and heart for social action. In Becci’s spare time she enjoys being outside as often as possible, biking, walking or climbing and chilling out with her dog Ned!

Becci Amos

Martin Bethell: Business Development Manager (UK) .

Martin is married to Ann and lives in Livingston. He was born in Stoke-on-Trent and became a Christian when he was 16. He was a County Badminton player as well as heavily involved in Youth Work and Local Preaching in his local Methodist Church. He moved to Scotland when working for the Lloyds Banking Group Scotland in 1998. He and Ann have four grown up children and 4 Grandchildren.

Martin took early retirement from Lloyds in 2014 and helped set up the Bridge Community Project in Livingston and worked as their Money Advice Manager. In 2017 he took on a 2-year role with the Salvation Army as their Divisional Debt Advice Coordinator, setting up 6 Debt Advice Centres. In April 2019 he was appointed as a Centre Manager for CAP in Edinburgh and was delighted to take up the Operations Support Manager position in September 2020 for Community Money Advice Scotland. 

Martin is an Elder in the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, an active member of the Kirk Session and Prayer Coordinator for their church and also leads services to support the minister. In their spare time Martin and Ann love to "Chill Out" in the Static Caravan in Berwick upon Tweed, taking strolls on the beach and enjoying the beautiful Northumberland countryside.

Martin Bethell

CMA's Departmental Teams: . CMA's departmental team members