PowerWomen speak with Alison Hutchinson

Alison Hutchinson CBE is the CEO of Pennies, an award-winning fintech charity making digital giving affordable, sustainable, and feel-good. She is also a Senior Independent Director at DFS plc, Yorkshire Building Society and Foresight Group Holdings Ltd. Alison was previously a Trustee of the Charities Aid Foundation, Non-Executive Director of Aviva Life Holdings UK and AIL (General & Health Insurance), subsidiary boards of Aviva Group plc, LV=, and of LMAX Exchange. In 2016, she was awarded a CBE for services to the economy and charities.   Prior to creating Pennies, Alison was CEO of Kensington Group plc, a role she took over as CEO of the specialist lender in March 2007. Alison led the turnaround of Kensington as the “credit crunch” took its grip globally leaving the financial markets with the worst liquidity crisis ever experienced. Key experiences include: the sale and delisting of Kensington Group to Investec plc, diversification of the funding model and a complete integration programme with Investec plc including a significant downsizing of the business. She joined Kensington in October 2004 as Managing Director to diversify the business into broader product segments and channels. Kensington moved into the FTSE250 after only 5 years of being in the market and was the first lender to win the Queens Award for innovation in recognition of the sustained growth and value they contributed to the specialist lending market.   Previously she was at Barclays, where she was Marketing & Communications Director for Barclaycard.  Other roles have included Chief Executive Officer of Barclays B2B, the Business Services subsidiary of Barclays Corporate Banking, as well as various global senior executive roles at IBM Corporation where she worked for 14 years working across the globe, running a European consortium of banks, and latterly leading the global business for ecommerce solutions for the financial services sector. She passionately believes in customer service and ensuring executives spend time in the business and at the coalface where the business really delivers.   Alison was educated at Strathclyde University where she graduated at 19 with a BSc in Technology and Business Studies.  She is married with three children and loves fresh air, exercise, and quality time with her family.