This is Ian and he is our Treasurer & currently serving as Interim Chair.
Ian volunteers a huge amount of his time and expertise on the UK SMART Board.
He is a member of The SMART Recovery International Brand and Communications Committee and plays a pivotal role in the development of the first global SMART Fundraising Campaign which is due to launch in April this year.
Ian has over 40 years experience in business spanning the retail, international trade, manufacturing and not for profit sectors.
This includes experience of leading the implementation of organisational change to improve business performance. He is experienced in operational excellence.
He first encountered SMART Recovery meetings in Fife, Scotland where he now lives.
Shiv is a Peer Trustee who has been on the Board of Trustees for UK Smart Recovery since 2016 .
He first encountered SMART Recovery meetings in his hometown of Hounslow.
He went on to become a Peer Meeting Facilitator and a volunteer in his local drug and alcohol service, which led to his employment as an Engagement and Recovery Worker.
In his spare time Shiv helps out at the Outside Edge Theatre Company, which works with and for people with substance misuse issues.
Shiv represents the UK on the SMART Recovery International Board and plays a pivotal role in the development of the Global Strategy to develop the programme and its reach.
He helped set up SMART in India where a group of psychologist are trained to deliver the programme.
Jeremy is very strongly a people person and fascinated by human behaviour.
He says that “Living for me is being curious, loving the joy of discovery and learning and growing.
In terms of purpose… It’s about making things better. Identifying the core issues and solving problems. Developing understanding through research and analysis underpins a lot of what I get involved with. I’ve been a SMART Recovery Facilitator since 2017 and am passionate about SMART because I know how it helps to makes lives better for anyone who wants to make positive change. ”
His expertise focuses on Strategy & Transformation; Wellbeing; Empowerment; and Belonging. He is also starting an Advanced Diploma in Executive Coaching with the Academy of Executive Coaching.
He comes to the UK Board ready to combine his personal experiences and work around diversity, mental wellbeing and addictive behaviours, with his strategic and analytics expertise, to help the organisation develop. Linking with and representing SMART Facilitators is a key part of Jeremy’s role.
Alan Maclean QC has been in practice at the Bar for 27 years. He is a member of Blackstone Chambers.
Alan was educated at a state school in the West of Scotland and then at University College, Oxford, where he obtained a double First in PPE and at Harvard University, where he was a Kennedy Memorial Scholar.
Alan was called to the Bar, First in his year, in 1993 and took Silk, at his first attempt, in 2009.
Alan has a varied and busy practice, ranging across many aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration (in such fields as civil fraud, energy, sanctions, telecommunications and sports law) as well as public, regulatory and competition law.
In addition to his work in England and Wales, Alan has appeared as leading Counsel in Gibraltar, the BVI and before both the Cayman Island and Eastern Caribbean Courts of Appeal.
Alan was a member of the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel until his appointment as Queen’s Counsel (1999 – 2009) and has acted for and against a vast array of different government departments and public authorities, including the Charity Commission
After graduating with an honours degree in Business Studies, Lesley has acquired over 25 yrs. of HR experience in the corporate financial services industry and now specialises in employment law and employee relations.
In her time as a global leader, a member of her team had addiction issues and she found that there was very little support in the workplace to help guide her. She has found it is much more widespread than people think – and she strongly believes more needs to be done to get rid of the stigma about it. As a result, Lesley is passionate about raising awareness of addiction in the workplace, helping employees and employers to be more confident in opening up about it and she is keen to equip people with knowledge of how to support the whole workforce more effectively.
Becoming a Trustee of UK SMART Recovery not only allows Lesley to promote the awareness of what we do but gives her an amazing opportunity to give back by providing support, counsel, advice and guidance to help SMART continue to grow and thrive.
Joel has recently joined our Board of Trustees to strengthen our expertise in Digital Marketing and Communication. She encountered SMART when she worked on our first global fundraising campaign (Take On Addiction). She was drawn to SMART after learning about our Four Point Programme, how it empowers people to find a life beyond addiction in a non-judgemental way.
Originally from Yorkshire, Joel worked in retail and the beauty industry, quickly realising that her passion was in marketing. For the last 5 years she has pursued a career in Digital Marcomms. Using her expertise as a Marketing & Account Executive, she has joined the Board, ready to put forward her skills and knowledge to help SMART grow and develop.
In her spare time, Joel continues to work on her marketing skills while studying for her Undergraduate degree, as well as pursuing overall personal growth through reading, audiobooks, and journaling. She strongly believes in achieving a balanced life, however that may look for an individual.
I left University with a Ph.D in Human Toxico-pathology in 2002 from the University of Liverpool. I studied the effects of maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy on the placenta and baby. During this time I gained significant knowledge of addiction, addictive behaviours and the pathological effects of addictive substances. Since then I have led and managed large portfolios of clinical research in the public sector mainly in paediatrics. Working closely with children and their families for over 20 years has given me a deep appreciation of the importance of a good start in life. In my most recent position working across health, education and social care I led a programme of health innovations which included behavioural science, biosensors and community projects.
I have been fortunate to benefit from 6 years of leadership and personal development by Ashridge Business School which means that I am able to lead an organisation on a journey of discovery, improvement and growth. I am a campaigner by nature and as such have been involved in significant fund raising for Alder Hey’s Charity where research was their leading campaign for many years (£3.2M). I have worked with all top 10 UK health charities delivering contract research which improves their evidence base of diseases, conditions and treatments. In all my appointments to date I have enabled significant growth and diversification in both the business and non-commercial sectors. I endeavour to instil a culture where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential and I hope to do this, and more, for UK SMART Recovery.
I am a busy full time working mum of 2 young boys and my husband is a care worker for vulnerable adults. I have lived experience of addiction in my family and am passionate about empowerment models of care. I believe in the philosophy that everyone should be able to Love the Life they Live and Live the Life they Love. I am very pleased and proud to be your Chief Executive.
Angie’s professional background is health. She holds a degree in Social Policy and a post graduate qualification in management and leadership. She has worked in the voluntary sector for the last 20 years. Angie has led a number of charities from their earliest stages of development and then onward to becoming established organisations with excellent reputations. She hopes to achieve a similar goal with UK SMART Recovery, which resonates with her personal philosophy of empowering people to ‘live life to the full’.
Tina is the Office Manager for UK SMART Recovery. She joined the organisation in August 2019 as a temporary member of staff before being taken on permanently in January 2020. Since leaving school Tina worked as a Sales Advisor in the insurance industry and for the previous 10 years she moved into the Facilities Management industry where she worked her way up from Administrator to Team Leader. Tina has a vast knowledge of administration and accounts experience.
Matthew is the Company Administrator for UK SMART Recovery. He joined the organisation in April 2016 on a part time basis before taking a full-time position in November of that year.
Matthew has worked in the charity sector since 2008. Firstly, as a volunteer for the British Heart Foundation locally, before joining the Citizens Advice Bureau in Cheadle, Staffordshire, also as a volunteer shortly after. A paid position followed on from his volunteering Citizens Advice a year later, where he remained until starting work for UK SMART Recovery. He remained involved with Citizens Advice and has a role on the Board of Trustees up till 2021.
Graham has worked in the North West England for more than 30 years, raising money for charity and supporting events in his local community. Graham is proud to say “he found a lifeline” within SMART Recovery. He learned how to regain his self-control and by using the cognitive tools within SMART programme, he was able to manage his thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Like many, Graham believes that the ‘alcoholic’ label is counterproductive and creates stigma about what is simply a behavioural issue. It’s interesting that after addressing his own past problematic drinking, Graham was well able to maintain his own sobriety and self-control, whilst continuing to work as the proprietor of a public house. He has been sober for nearly six years and currently facilitates SMART meetings in North Wales, he trains new facilitators and works tirelessly to advocate choice and the empowerment gained from self-management in recovery.
Hi. My name is Kelly and I am the Community Coordinator in Central Scotland.
I was introduced to UK SMART Recovery in 2017. After my first meeting, I really wanted to get involved as I felt it refreshing to be welcomed and knowing a person wasn’t labelled or judged in a mutual aid setting. I attended meetings regularly whilst volunteering in a recovery community and studying social care in college. In 2019 I completed my facilitator training and friends and family training. I am currently studying Adult Health and Social care with The Open university and look forward to building my knowledge and relationships within UK SMART Recovery.
I’m delighted to be part of the team and am looking forward to growing the SMART Recovery Programme further in the North East.
I graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 1997 with a degree in languages and politics. I went on to work in a wide range of industries including sales, marketing, customer service, retail and the NHS.
Yet, it was my experience of working as an English as a Foreign Language teacher that gave me the opportunity to travel the world and I am lucky enough to have lived/worked in Japan, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
However, since childhood, I was always drawn to the care profession and became interested in the recovery sector through life experiences, friends & family members.
Johnny Allison 37 years old, married with 2 boys from cambuslang. Veteran of the armed forces having served with the Kings own Scottish Borderers and 1 Scots the Royal regiment of Scotland, operational tours off Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.
Suffered with addiction through my army career and also when I left in 2013, found recovery in 2014. Started volunteering with smart recovery and was privileged to facilitate the veterans meetings. Can’t thank smart recovery enough for given me the opportunity to do my dream job and that is working with veterans. Excited for the future working with smart recovery.
I’m the UK Training Co-ordinator for UK SMART Recovery as well as an experienced and ‘time served’ SMART Facilitator in the Sheffield area. I have completed both the UK SMART Facilitator training programme and the American SMART Recovery Distance Training Programme. I’ve been instrumental in the continued development of the current UK SMART Recovery online Facilitator training Programme. I grade the Facilitator exercises and support students with feedback and mentoring via our community forums. The pass mark for each of the exercises and reviews is 85% and I support students to achieve this standard. New Facilitators need to be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the SMART Programme. I would strongly recommend students use the Facilitator Forum; to support personal development and help to improve the quality and efficacy of our meetings… It’s my belief, there’s no such thing as a silly question when you’re not sure of the answer!
I attended my first SMART meeting in January 2016 and loved it. Almost immediately something clicked, and I could see that SMART was going to work for me. Very quickly I was asked if I would like to train as a Facilitator. I had spent quite a while in rehab and was ready to move forward in my recovery journey. I wanted to give something back. Many meetings later I read about a vacancy for a London based Volunteer Regional Co-ordinator. Luckily, I got the role, and have been happily helping with the development of SMART Recovery across London. We’re now established in several areas where the SMART option was previously unavailable. It’s been an interesting journey of discovery, London has many varied and diverse challenges but hurrah, we now have around 44 plus SMART meetings running every week and this is growing. UK SMART Recovery may be better established in London but I’m sure there will be future challenges to face!
I was first introduced to SMART in 2013. Previous to that I had spent many years in active addiction and tried a rehab programme. My drug of choice was alcohol. I tried various recovery methods unsuccessfully before discovering that SMART recovery was right for me. I attended SMART meetings every week and they helped me to feel empowered and believe I could recover. SMART gave me tools that I could use so that I was able to develop better coping strategies. I liked that it was focussed on the present and the mutual-aid I received from other members of the group helped to motivate me to move forwards. The SMART program helped me to focus on the behaviours that were driving me to act obsessively with alcohol, as well as other areas of my life. It helps me to manage my thoughts and emotions in a healthy way and live a balanced lifestyle now. SMART works for me where other methods failed, it has helped me to gain control of my life again. I’m very passionate about the SMART program and so decided to train as a facilitator. I now work in the NHS addictions service and have delivered SMART into treatment centres over the last 4 years. In 2016 took on the role of VRC for North East England.
Vivian is originally from Edinburgh but has lived and worked in Northern Ireland for many years. During the last 15 years Vivian has worked supporting the homeless and people impacted by addictions and Mental Health. She founded Hydro-ease in 2015 and recently added Wellness Consultant NI to her business portfolio of wellbeing support services. In addition to her busy work life, Vivian became the Volunteer Regional Coordinator for UK SMART Recovery in June 2017. As a qualified CBT therapeutic practitioner, Vivian brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience with her to that role. Her clear understanding of human dynamics and support of effective transformational change has been instrumental in the significant growth of SMART in Northern Ireland during recent times.
Shaun is the Community Co-ordinator for Central Scotland. Shaun was a Veteran who spent 8 years in the Royal Air Force, as an Electronic Engineer Specialist. Like other veterans Shaun did tours in conflict zones in 2003 aged only 22 years old. Once he left the Royal Air Force, like many other veterans, he had trouble adjusting to civilian life, suffering from a lot of mental health, anxiety and behavioural related issues. Shaun says he was also losing friends and family to addictive behaviours, suffering more trauma. In 2016 he finally asked for help. “I was introduced to multiple agencies with UK SMART Recovery being one of them. I went on to train as a facilitator and being supported with NHS, Combat Stress I started to find purpose again. My journey had a lot of ups and downs due to how complex my situation was but using SMART and support around me, by 2018 my life took a massive turning point. All the benefits of asking for help in 2016 started to become reality, my anxiety became manageable, my unhelpful thinking changed, my purpose made me happy, my health really improved, I was volunteering, more confidence, my family benefited and many more. In 2019 I took a brief role as a SMART VRC setting up Bo’ness first meeting with a colleague and helping further develop others in workshops. I love my main purpose helping others and right now I get to do it as a career with UKSR and continue my degree in Psychology with the Open University part time. I feel very grateful”.
My career has been in the NHS, working in relatively demanding and responsible professional roles. I have considerable education and research experience. A series of major physical and mental health problems left me struggling … self-medication with alcohol was a very poor choice of “coping mechanisms”!
Talking therapies, SMART Recovery (and excellent NHS care!) has kept me alive and helped me recover a sober and sensible life since 2016. I have been using my own experience, and shared experience of others, to help people struggling with addictive behaviours and other mental health problems … facilitating SMART meetings face-to-face and online since 2017, and I am a Trust member and active in other similar organisations.
I am Robbi I served with 69 Signal Sqn, North Irish Horse, as a CW op sending and receiving Morse Code during the Cold War era in the late 60’s and early 70’s so am a Veteran.
On leaving I pursued my trade as a welder and like many travelled to the Highland Oil Fabrication Yards building offshore platforms.
I settled in the Highlands and then pursued a career offshore where I spent my working life in the Oil Industry.
It was a good life I saw the world but sadly it had its downfalls, with the same routine working away and then the same free time at home and this time was slowly being taken over by Alcohol.
I missed a trip offshore due to a Detox and decided to look for help and was introduced to Smart Recovery by a German Dr in our local practice, I said I was interested and was referred to SMART.
On attending a few meetings I seemed to grasp the Tools, see the help from Mutual Aid Groups, but understood that if I chose to indulge in an addictive behaviour then I could choose to stop it, this was my decision and with the help of the Tools I regained my life again.
I went on to train as a UKSR Facilitator also Family & Friends Facilitator and to take meetings in order to give something back in return for the help I was given, I am non – judgemental and believe everyone has the self-empowering skills to change, when I heard about SMART for Veterans I became very involved and co-facilitate their meetings also.
When a position for Highlands VRC became available I gladly said Yes and look forward to promoting SMART and helping in any way possible.
SMART gave me my life back and I will always be grateful and now my Motto is * Life Life the SMART Way*
