Staff
Chris Wilson (Chief Executive Officer)
Chris left school at 16 to join the Merchant Navy as a Deck Officer Cadet with the British India Steam Navigation Company. He experienced the last years of traditional seaborne commerce before the shipping container arrived to revolutionise the mercantile world. Stepping from an ancient trade to a very modern one, he started working in the computer industry, and in 1980 joined a start-up micro-computer software company. Five years later, as European Sales Manager, he left a company with 300 employees, a turnover that had risen from £250,000 to £20m, had successfully floated on the Stock Market, and had bought its own helicopter (as they did!) After a few years as a consultant to other small software companies he decided to retrain so as to move into the not-for-profit sector. In 1995 he graduated from the University of Brighton with a 1st class honours degree in Accounting and Finance and began working in the charity sector. He was a post-graduate student at the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School and holds the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting. After working for several charities in a variety of senior management roles, in 2012 he became Clerk to the Trustees of Southwark Charities, which is the best job he has ever had! He is happily married, with three grown-up children and seven grandchildren.
Matthew Allgood (Grants Manager)
Matt has been working with Southwark’s community organisations since 2012, and in grant-making for more than 25 years. Matt joined us in 2022 to lead our grant-making to Southwark’s community organisations and charities that provide services and activities for older residents (aged 55 plus). In that short time he has more than doubled the number of organisations benefitting from the charity’s grants, and increased the diversity of older people benefitting from funded services and activities. Following review in 2024, the Institute for Voluntary Action Research concluded that Southwark Charities are an excellent example of how a place based funder should operate. Matt is also the Clerk to Trustees of Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities, an established endowed charity that supports residents in need living in the Ancient Parish of Rotherhithe directly and through grants to community organisations. Matt is a Director of his Residents Management Organisation, a Trustee of Southwark food growing charity, Edible Rotherhithe, and a devout Arsenal supporter.
Charlotte Benstead (Operations Manager)
Charlotte has been working for charities in Southwark for over 20 years. She has run community spaces and worked on large regeneration projects including 12 years as Chief Executive of the Creation Trust based on the Aylesbury Estate. She is also Chair of Burgess Sports and an active member of the South London Theatre where she oversaw a £2 million refurbishment of the much loved listed building. She is an active volunteer at the Southwark Playhouse, a Crystal Palace football fan and spends a lot of her spare time swimming in cold water.
Jillian Jones (Member Services Officer)
Jillian joined us in March 2025. She has been working in in developing community services for over 25 years with local authorities and housing associations. She has a background in safeguarding and family support and is a grant assessor for BBC Children in need.