Andy Cole OBE MA MBA

Chief Executive

Andy has been Chief Executive since 2016. He was previously Chief Executive of Bliss, the national premature baby charity. Andy is also the Chair of the National Care Forum and deputy chair of the Council of Buckinghamshire New University. He is leading our strategy to develop a new home for younger veterans and new services that will double the number of veterans we support.

Caley Eldred

Director of Supporter Engagement

Caley Eldred joined us in July 2018. Previously the Director of Development at the youth charity City Year UK, Caley has held director level roles at the food-waste charity FareShare and special care baby charity Bliss. She is also a trustee of Little Village, which supports families with children under five living in poverty across London.

Martin Goldman Tech IOSH

Director of Operations

Martin has extensive senior management experience within the Estates and Facilities arena, including NHS Mental Health, Young Epilepsy, the education sector and private industry. Martin joined us in August 2017.

Alan Bowers

Director of Finance

Alan joined Royal Star & Garter in July 2024 as Director of Finance. He is a Chartered Accountant with a background in commercial and strategic finance, spending the latter part of his career in senior finance leadership roles in the healthcare and not-for-profit sectors. His previous role was Chief Operating Officer at the Sue Ryder charity, with responsibility for all of the charitable healthcare activities, including establishing a financial framework to develop new services and a digital bereavement service.

Kate Silver MBA FCIPD

Director of People

Kate joined us from the Ministry of Defence, where she has worked for four years – most recently as HR Deputy Director and HR Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that Kate worked for the Cabinet Office as Programme Director, where she was responsible for all work on collective leadership.

Shirley Hall

Director of Care & Wellbeing

Shirley has worked for 10 years in the NHS, specialising in cardio care and setting up rehab services. She then joined the British Heart Foundation, where she developed its pioneering ‘Hearty Lives’ programme. She has gone on to hold a variety of senior roles at organisations including the Retirement Villages Group and The ExtraCare Charitable Trust. Shirley has also worked closely with the national Gold Standards Framework, the UK’s leading training provider for generalist frontline staff in caring for people in the last years of life.