Our Team
The Money Charity has a small but dedicated, passionate team. Find out more below and if you’d like to join us, have a look at our latest vacancies.
Michelle Highman
Chief Executive
Michelle joined the charity in 2011 as our Chief Executive and leads all aspects of the charity, as well as representing us in the public sphere.
She is well-versed in the financial services industry, having spent 13 years at the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in a variety of management roles. Her particular area of expertise is Financial Capability & Wellbeing, which she developed while she held a leading role in implementing the national strategy for Financial Capability at the FSA and setting up the Money Advice Service. In addition, Michelle is an Independent Non Executive Director and Chair of the Standards Committee at the Equity Release Council. Previously she was a member of pay.uk’s End User Advisory Council and a trustee of GambleAware for 6 years.
Michelle’s extensive experience and passion for Financial Wellbeing fuels her aspiration to increase and diversify The Money Charity’s offering, with the overarching goal to empower people in the UK to stay on top of their money.
Rhiannon Byers
Head of Workplace & Community Programmes
Rhiannon oversees our adult Financial Wellbeing work in Workplace and Community settings, as well as leading on Consultancy activities.
Prior to working in the third sector, Rhiannon spent the majority of her career at the Financial Conduct Authority, ensuring that customers of the UK’s retail banks, building societies, credit unions, consumer credit providers and the debt advice sector were treated fairly. Rhiannon is also a longstanding volunteer with a range of financial and mathematics education charities and has conducted academic research into the enactment of policies of Financial Education in UK schools.
Rhiannon is particularly passionate about breaking down taboos around talking about money, building individuals’ Financial Capability, regardless of background, while using insights from our front-line activity to advocate for structural change to the UK financial system and wider society.
In her spare time, Rhiannon enjoys spending time with her young family, enjoying London culture and travelling to see family and friends across Europe.
Stephanie Fitzgerald
Head of Young People Programmes
Steph leads on our work with Young People across the UK, including our Money Workshops, Student Money Manual and Teacher Resource Packs.
Stephanie has over ten years of Financial Capability experience and before that had a background in working and volunteering in education and the charity sector in a variety of roles. This has included working in schools, on National Citizens Service programmes and for government. Steph has international experience as a Programme Manager at The Commission for Financial Capability in New Zealand, which involved running workplace and community Financial Education ‘behaviour change’ programmes across the country.
Steph is passionate about helping people to gain more confidence in managing their money and to enjoy the control and freedoms it brings, especially young people.
Beyond work, Steph loves to travel and enjoys the challenge of spending as little as possible on everyday expenses, in order to be able to afford to go on as many holidays a year as she can (although these trips have reduced since becoming a parent!)
Ezra Breeton
Policy and Marketing Officer
Ezra responds to policy and regulatory consultations relevant to Financial Wellbeing and Financial Capability, helps develop overall policy stances and produces our monthly Money Statistics report. He also works with the Workplace teams with promotion and marketing.
A recent graduate, this is Ezra’s first professional role, which he is undertaking alongside a part-time MSc in Inequalities and Sociology at LSE.
Ezra’s interest and passion for Financial Wellbeing is borne out of his experiences as a student, seeing the gaps in understanding around personal finances amongst his peers. He believes that empowering individuals with the tools to discuss and manage their finances will break down the taboo of money.
Outside of work, Ezra’s time is mostly dedicated to his Master’s degree, but he still finds time to watch football with friends, who unfortunately don’t share his passion for Liverpool FC!
Camille Leung
Finance & Operations Manager
Camille manages the charity’s finance and HR functions and acts as Company Secretary. She is also responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, including our IT systems and office space.
Camille joined the team initially as Finance & Administration Officer after completing a degree in Finance and Accounting.
Camille enjoys seeing her team deliver exceptional work and promoting wellbeing through Financial Capability.
Born and raised in Mauritius, Camille moved to London to study and loves exploring the city’s cultural scene as well as going for a long walk in the countryside. She also enjoys learning new crafts.
Lewis McCree
Workplace Programmes Manager
Lewis is the primary contact for the adult-facing side of our work in Workplace settings, building client relationships, coordinating Workshops, as well as supporting regional Consultants.
Prior to joining The Money Charity, Lewis spent almost 10 years within the Financial Planning industry, gaining technical expertise by way of the CII Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning and practical business skills working within demanding client-focused roles.
Lewis’ passion for Financial Wellbeing has grown from his own experiences talking with friends and family, witnessing first-hand the emotions that surround the subject of money. By empowering others to manage their money well, Lewis hopes he plays his part in breaking down the financial barriers that many face.
Outside of work, Lewis enjoys all things sport-related, particularly football and tennis which he follows all year round. Lewis also still holds a keen interest in History, the subject he studied at university which now feels an awful long time ago!
Kate McQueen
Community Programmes Manager
Kate oversees our provision of Financial Wellbeing Workshops to adults in the community, as well as leading on our community Consultancy projects.
Kate joins us with a decade of experience in the charity sector, where she has worked to protect the rights of women, children and migrants. Most recently, she led community engagement for a grassroots feminist charity in Brighton. She worked with survivors of domestic abuse on community projects and delivered training to promote better understanding of domestic abuse and how communities can best support survivors.
Kate is passionate about empowering people to improve their wellbeing. She is working to ensure that as many people as possible can access our Financial Wellbeing Workshops so they can build their confidence and skills to better manage their money.
Outside of work, Kate enjoys spending time with her young children and exploring new places in the UK and overseas.
Gemma Smith
Education Officer - Young People
Gemma is responsible for coordinating and delivering the charity’s Financial Education Workshops to Young People. She also supports the freelance Consultants delivering these Workshops across the country.
After completing her Masters in Museum Studies, Gemma worked in the museum and heritage sector for over 10 years, where she developed formal education programmes, family initiatives and coordinated various National Lottery Heritage Fund projects. She mainly worked in small, community-focused museums and heritage sites.
Gemma is passionate about helping young people learn the Financial Capability skills that will help them now and in the future. She believes hands-on learning plays a vital part in young people’s education, creating memories and knowledge for life and that a well-rounded curriculum is essential for them.
In her spare time, Gemma enjoys visiting museums with her family; her young son provides a great excuse to play and get involved! She also loves history, the subject she studied at University.
Katherine Tilsed
Education Officer - Young People
Katherine is responsible for coordinating and delivering the charity’s Financial Education Money Workshops to Young People. She also supports the management of our freelance Consultants across the country who deliver these Workshops.
Katherine is an English graduate who has joined us after having worked with SEN students in schools and in healthcare marketing.
Katherine is passionate about encouraging financial literacy in young people and making an impactful change at an educational level to help young people feel prepared and confident when they come to managing their personal finances.
Away from work, Katherine enjoys cooking, spending time with friends and occasionally escaping back to Yorkshire to visit her family!
James Yelland
Communications & Marketing Manager
James heads up our external-facing communications and marketing, raising awareness of the charity and engaging people with our work.
James has worked extensively within the charity sector for local, national and international causes, taking in a variety of roles with a common thread of communications. He has also spent time working in digital publishing, contributing to a wide skills-set and knowledge base encompassing multiple aspects of communications and marketing.
James loves aligning creativity with quality and a sharp attention to detail and is passionate about communicating effectively in an engaging way that entertains with a purpose.
Outside of work, James runs around after his children, plays an active role in his church and tries to squeeze in time for cricket, football and as many films as possible.