About Allegra Care

Helen had a 20 year career in the Australian care and senior living sector before transferring to the UK in 2017. In the senior living sector Helen has held the senior roles of General Manager for Tricare Nursing Homes (1,200 Residents), Chief Operations Officer for Domain Principal Group (5,000 Residents) and Executive for Strategy, Standards and Service Development with Australian Unity Independent and Extra Care (3,000 residents, 55,000 home care clients). Helen has undertaken global research to shape her award winning residential care service model. Helen was the first aged care recipient of the Endeavour Executive Australia Award, and is a Board member of the Common Age Association, a charitable organisation focused on improving aged care standards in all Commonwealth countries.

Michael has spent the last 7 years in the senior living sector and has 30 years’ experience in the finance sector. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG. He was formerly Head of Group Mergers and Acquisitions at UBS, having started his career at Morgan Grenfell in London. Michael has been involved in a wide range of corporate advisory assignments, including IPOs and restructurings.

Paul has spent the last 7 years in the senior living sector and has 30 years of management experience. He was a partner at Q Street Capital and co-owner of Matrix Alternative Asset Management. He began his career at Barclays Capital, where he was Deputy Head of Equities Trading globally and Head of Equity and Derivatives Trading at BZW Japan.

Mark Horton joined Slaughter and May in 1979, having read law at Cambridge University. He practiced as a corporate Partner for over 30 years, based mainly in London. In Hong Kong he was head of the firm’s China practice and also served as a Council Member of the Hong Kong Law Society. For many years, he led both the firm’s Government practice as well as its infrastructure, energy and natural resources (IEN) group. He was seconded to the Brexit unit within HM Treasury in 2016, before retiring from the firm in 2018.

Mark is an investor in, and director of, private companies operating in a number of different business sectors. He became a Board member of Allegra Care in 2020.

With over 16 years of experience in the care industry, Michael has worked across a diverse range of services, from sheltered housing and day care to extra care housing and care homes. His extensive career has taken him across both the north and south of the border, giving him a deep understanding of regional care needs.

Michael spent nine years with Aberdeenshire Council, playing a key role in the implementation of the Integrated Care Partnership. In 2017, he relocated to Epsom, where he gained valuable experience as both a Registered Manager and a Regional Manager.

As Allegra Care’s Operational Director, Michael is dedicated to creating warm, welcoming, and happy environments for residents and guests alike. He is committed to delivering care with enthusiasm, empathy, and skill.

Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his two wonderful children. A passionate football fan, he dedicates his weekends to watching, coaching, and playing football, with a particular love for Glasgow Celtic.

As Administration Office Manager for Allegra Care, Joanna brings a wealth of experience and organisational skills from her years as a PA in the interior design, media and music sectors, the latter giving her a claim to fame for having once met David Bowie. Her role with Allegra Care sees her coordinating the various administrative functions of the business and ensuring the smooth running of the company’s head office in Guildford.

Joanna lives in Ripley, Surrey and much of her time away from work is taken up by her three wonderful children.

Originally from South Africa, David moved to the UK in the mid-1990s. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Economics, and Law, and later completed his MBA at Heriot-Watt University. A Chartered Management Accountant, David is also currently expanding his knowledge by studying an introductory computer science course through Harvard University. In addition to his formal education, he has studied physics—for fun.

With 25 years of experience in senior finance and management roles, David has worked with start-ups and high-growth SMEs. He was a partner in a start-up online pharmacy before expanding into pharmaceutical distribution and healthcare consultancy. Following this, he served as Finance Director for a charity offering dementia support services, and later as Director of Finance and Quality Management for a group of residential care homes specializing in severe autism care. Most recently, David held the position of Financial Controller for a private equity-owned self-storage group, where he upgraded and integrated systems to support an ambitious growth strategy.

At Allegra, David’s role focuses on systems harmonisation, business integration, and realising operational efficiencies across the expanding portfolio.

With a 14-year track record in the healthcare sector, working as financial controller for four multi-site care home groups, Tim is a highly experienced finance professional. From acquisitions and disposals to diversification and a de-merger, he brings a wealth of corporate change experience to his role with Allegra Care, working closely with executive management and shareholders of privately-owned residential care groups. His wide-ranging remit has seen him acquire and cultivate a diverse skillset, including systems integration and process implementation and development. A self-confessed lover of spreadsheets, Tim is dedicated to helping people understand the story the numbers are telling. In his time off, he enjoys walking and cycling in the Surrey Hills with his family, whilst his fascination with history has seen him recently learn Hebrew.

Sue brings a diverse range of experience and skills gained from various marketing roles in South Africa and the UK, to her role as Marketing Manager at Allegra Care. She is driven by her great enthusiasm for marketing and a desire to make a positive impact on people's lives. She firmly believes that everyone deserves the best care and attention and is committed to promoting the excellent care provided by Allegra Care to a wider audience. Despite her busy schedule, Sue enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, taking long walks with her Dachshund Sunny, and exploring the beautiful countryside that surrounds her.

Nevertheless, her dedication to her job and her passion for marketing motivates her to continuously seek innovative ways to promote Allegra Care and ensure its ongoing success.

As a seasoned executive leader, Darryl brings years of expertise and progressive performance in the health care sector, both in Australia and here in the UK. His career with Allegra Care started as General Services Manager at St George’s Nursing Home in Weston-super-Mare, before becoming The Recruitment and Retention Manager, based at the company’s head office. In this capacity, he oversees the recruitment process for Allegra Care's homes, ensuring that the company has a skilled, caring and committed workforce.

Darryl’s other interests away from work include golf, gym and sports cars. He is also a passionate foodie who enjoys trying out different cuisines and new recipes.

Kerry began her nursing career over 40 years ago at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London. Throughout her diverse career in the NHS, she has worked in areas such as Intensive Care and Bowel Cancer Screening, while also being deeply involved in the training and development of others. After leaving the NHS, she became a regional trainer for a domiciliary care company before joining Allegra Care in 2021 as the Care & Clinical Competency Assessor for the Hampshire homes.

In August 2023, Kerry was promoted to Training Manager at Allegra Care, where she now leads all training initiatives across the portfolio. She places particular focus on educating teams around the core principles and care approach that underpin Allegra's Household Model of care. Kerry is known for her enthusiasm and commitment to delivering person-centred care, always striving to positively impact residents' lives and support staff development.

When not at work, Kerry enjoys spending time with her two grown-up daughters, as well as with family and friends. She has a passion for modern jive dancing, going to the theatre, and dining out.

Bringing over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry to his role with Allegra Care, Adam Keens’ track record encompasses key estate management roles in both the public and private sectors.

In addition to a Post Graduate Diploma in Facilities Management at Reading University, Adam has also completed the Sterling University Dementia Design Course. This wide-ranging academic research underpins his belief in the importance of ongoing investment to prolonging asset life, and the crucial roles played by solid compliance foundations and good design in the optimised delivery of care.

In his professional capacity, Adam has innovated and developed strategies for dealing with backlog maintenance and continued investment in the built environment, as well as a tool for monitoring and proactively managing property compliance in Care Homes. He has also spent time in the US studying the American Community model of Senior Living and their approach to dementia care through their Reminiscence programme.

Away from work, when he isn’t avidly following Formula One and other motorsports, Adam can often be found tinkering with classic cars and motorbikes.

Joining Allegra Care after over six years as Director of Facilities at Sunrise Senior Living, Adam Keens brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his position as Director of Asset Management.

Jo is a registered nurse with a lifelong passion for gerontology and a dedicated champion of care home nursing. Over the course of her career, she has specialised in end-of-life care, dementia, wound care, and falls prevention, always striving to raise the standard of support for residents and their families.

Her career has taken her from Clinical Services Manager in dementia care, to Home Manager, Quality Manager, and for the last three years, Head of Standards and Quality Compliance. In every role, Jo has been committed to ensuring safe, person-centred, and compassionate care.

Beyond her clinical expertise, Jo brings creativity and curiosity to everything she does. She holds an MA in Preventative Conservation, where her research explored the therapeutic value of object handling. She is also a professional artist, with paintings held in private collections and sculptures displayed publicly.

Outside of work, Jo loves live music, mountain scrambling in Wales, and spending quality time with her family—and of course her super cute dog, Daisy. She is also a qualified personal trainer and a Spartan world championship qualifier, combining strength, resilience, and determination in all areas of her life.

Lynne’s career journey is anything but ordinary. She began her working life as a carer in the late 1990s, before taking a fascinating detour to gain a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology in 2005. After working as a scientist for British American Tobacco, and volunteering as a Community Responder with the Ambulance Service, her passion for caring for people was well and truly reignited.

That calling led Lynne to qualify as a Registered Nurse in 2010 (Postgraduate Diploma). She went on to build strong clinical experience as a hospital vascular nurse and surgical pre-assessment nurse, before finding her way back to where her heart truly lies — adult social care. From staff nurse, Lynne progressed to Clinical Lead and Registered Manager, gaining a deep understanding of what great care looks like on the ground.

More recently, Lynne worked for the NHS Integrated Care Board as a Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Adults Nurse, supporting care homes across Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. This role strengthened her commitment to high standards, compassionate leadership and supporting teams to deliver the very best care.

In 2024, Lynne was awarded the prestigious title of **Queen’s Nurse**, recognising her dedication to excellence in care and leadership within the community — one of just 81 Queen’s Nurses in Hampshire.

As Allegra Care’s Standards Manager, Lynne brings passion, expertise and genuine warmth to everything she does. She is deeply committed to ensuring older people receive outstanding, person-centred care that reflects their individual needs, choices and wishes.

Outside of work, Lynne is a big rugby fan (supporting Harlequins), a proud rugby mum to her 13-year-old son, and a first aider for his rugby club. She has a soft spot for all things Disney — especially Stitch — and loves spending time with her cocker spaniel, Jessie.

Julie brings over 18 years of experience in the care sector and a calm, capable presence that teams instantly trust. With a strong background in care management, she works comfortably at every level, supporting services to improve, adapt and thrive — even when things feel complex.

Julie has a real knack for managing change and untangling multi-layered challenges. She combines strategic thinking with a practical, hands-on approach, making sure plans don’t just look good on paper but actually work in real life. From project management to mentoring and developing teams, Julie is passionate about helping people grow and services succeed.

She works closely with local authorities and a wide range of stakeholders, building positive, productive relationships along the way. Known for her attention to detail and collaborative style, Julie’s supportive team approach has made her a favourite with both clients and commissioning authorities.

When she’s not supporting homes across the portfolio, Julie can usually be found outdoors enjoying the countryside. She’s a keen walker, an enthusiastic bird watcher, and a proud member of the National Trust — happiest with fresh air, good views and a pair of comfy walking boots.

Jayne brings over 30 years of experience in health and social care and a depth of knowledge that spans almost every corner of the sector. Her career has taken her across adult and children’s services, giving her a wonderfully broad perspective and a strong belief that great care always starts with truly understanding people.

Jayne has worked across nursing and residential care, brain injury hospitals and rehabilitation, physical disability, dementia, learning disabilities, autism, children’s homes, and housing with care and support. This wide-ranging experience means she understands the challenges services face — and how to support teams to deliver safe, compassionate and high-quality care in even the most complex settings.

Throughout her career, Jayne has held senior leadership roles including Regional Manager, Quality Advisor, Quality Manager, and Head of Quality & Improvement. Alongside this, she has also worked in Human Resources, supported by a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources Management, giving her a strong people-focused approach to leadership and team development.

As Regional Manager for the South and Central region, Jayne is known for her calm, supportive style, her eye for quality, and her ability to balance high standards with kindness and realism. She is passionate about helping teams feel confident, supported and proud of the care they provide.

Outside of work, Jayne loves being out on the South Downs, walking dogs through The Cinnamon Trust, and giving back as a listening volunteer — a role she has held for an incredible 35 years. She also plays basketball with a local ladies’ team, is rarely without her Kindle, and is well known among friends for her love of arts and crafts… especially her impressive collection of gonks!

Paul has joined Allegra Care with 27 years’ experience in the health and social care sector including working in senior leadership roles for the last 18 years; covering operations, business management and quality assurance. Paul has a real passion for person centred care and how that is delivered at the highest level.

Paul has worked across a diverse sector over his time in health and social care and brings a wealth of experience to his new role as Regional Manager. Paul believes in integrating real and meaningful values and culture into a service and in doing so, delivering the outcomes for the people we support. Paul goes by the theory of values with no meaning, have no value.

Outside of work, Paul is the father of three boys and a 2nd degree black belt who teaches Judo.