Meet the Allegra Care Team

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

While her two children were younger, she joined her husband in his estate agency, but was delighted to return to the care sector in 2020 and now cannot imagine doing anything else.

Catherine’s role with Allegra is to support residents and their families as they explore care options. Working with the teams in the individual homes she ensures that during every stage from initial enquiry through to moving in with us every question is answered, and we offer the reassurance needed for the next chapter in our resident’s life. It is important for our residents to remain part of the community in which will have lived for years, often all their lives, so the other part of this role is connecting with local community groups, charities and organisations.

Catherine has said that working for Allegra with their groundbreaking household model means we are offering a home with compassion and care whilst ensuring residents are retaining their independence and quality of life.

Out of work Catherine enjoys baking and gardening The children are older now, but still keep her busy!

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