Heather Benjamin, former Chief Procurement Officer at Centrica, the international energy company, and current Chair of Walsingham Support, the learning disabilities charity, took up the position on 1 February 2016.

Heather Benjamin’s appointment maintains the C&CCC’s objective of ensuring the ‘customer voice’ is heard in the boardroom. She joins at a time when the industry is working on one of the biggest changes in the cheque’s 350-year history with the introduction of cheque imaging, and part of Heather’s role is to ensure that input from multiple stakeholders helps shape the delivery of this important development.

Since her retirement from Centrica, Heather has taken up a diverse number of non-executive and chair appointments: She is: the Senior Independent Director for Portsmouth Water and chairs its Audit Committee; is Chair Of Trustees for the charity, Walsingham Support; and has combined her insight at a senior level with her passion for music by taking up a board role at the Academy of St Martins in the Field international orchestra. Heather is a Chartered Director (IoD) and also provides consultancy advice on managing multi-million pound outsourced partnerships and supply chains.

Regarding her appointment, Heather Benjamin said:
“I am very pleased to take on the role of independent director on the C&CCC Board. It is an exciting time to be part of the cheque industry, as it works to introduce an image clearing system that will bring cheques firmly into the 21st century, ensuring their continuing existence for those individuals, businesses and charities that still use them.”

Jane Bevis, Chair of the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company, commented:
“I'm delighted to welcome Heather to the Board as we work to deliver a transformation in cheque payment services. Her understanding of consumer issues, supply chain risks and operating in a regulated environment will strengthen further the skills around the table. We have built a strong team to lead this major change programme over the last 18 months and Heather's appointment is an important - and independent - addition."