We’re pleased to announce five new appointments to our Board of Trustees.
Following a rigorous selection process, Alison Rayner (Chief Compliance and Corporate Affairs Officer, Allianz), Dan O’Hara (Head of Go-To-Market, FIS Supply Chain Finance), John Stewart (Group Director of HR, SSE), Mark Smiley (Vice President & General Manager UK, Ireland, Turkey and South Africa, Stanley Black & Decker) and Ruth Minnican (former Head of Corporate Relations, Diageo Supply Chain & Procurement) have joined the board, effective January 2026, to oversee Career Ready’s strategic direction and operations.
The appointments come at an exciting time, as we embed the operational plan around our 2030 strategy and work towards our ambition to transform more young people’s futures and boost social mobility.
James Bardrick, Chair of Career Ready’s Board of Trustees, welcomed the new appointments:
“I’m delighted to welcome our new Trustees to the Board of Career Ready. Each brings an incredibly strong mix of skills and experience, along with a dedication to transforming young lives and boosting social mobility.
“As Career Ready works to fulfil its ambitious new strategy, we look forward to working together as a Board of Trustees to support the charity and make a real difference for young people.”
Alison Rayner said:
“I am delighted to be joining Career Ready as a Trustee having been a mentor since 2024. My passion for social mobility is driven by my own experience and I’m committed to enabling young people to reach their full potential.”
Dan O’Hara said:
“Driving social mobility and increasing equality of opportunity has rarely been more important. I am incredibly excited to be joining Career Ready and look forward to working with the team as we deliver even more impact for young people across the UK.”
John Stewart said:
“Career Ready makes a big difference to young people who wouldn’t get the opportunity to flourish without it. I’m delighted to be involved with such a great social mobility charity.”
Mark Smiley said:
“I am joining Career Ready to share my experience and support young people, helping them overcome challenges and confidently shape their own career journeys.”
Ruth Minnican said:
“I’m proud to join Career Ready as a Trustee, deepening my long association with this remarkable charity that is dedicated to helping young people realise their potential, something which is very important to me.”
Introducing our new trustees
Alison Rayner
Alison has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years and started her career in customer facing roles. She spent 4 years at PWC in regulatory consulting, before joining Direct Line Group in 2002 as Compliance Officer. Similar roles followed at Royal Sun Alliance Group, BGL Group, and Aviva.
Alison joined the Allianz UK Executive team as Chief Compliance & Corporate Affairs Officer in 2023. She has extensive experience of UK regulation and governance, coupled with a passion for ensuring customers get good outcomes.
Alison has been a Career Ready mentor since 2024 and is passionate about social mobility and enabling all young people to reach their full potential. Alison has highlighted social mobility issues by both sharing her personal experiences and challenges and by sponsoring the Allianz social mobility network.
Dan O’Hara
Dan leads Go-To-Market for FIS Supply Chain Finance (formerly Demica), the world’s largest SCF platform. Previously, as the CMO at Demica, Dan was responsible for building the Demica brand and scaling commercial growth.
Before Demica, Dan led Marketing across the UK & Ireland for Refinitiv (now a part of the London Stock Exchange Group), one of the world’s largest market data providers.
John Stewart
John Stewart is the Group Director of HR for SSE plc, and a member of its Group Executive Committee. He is responsible for its people strategy and supporting a fast-growing business focused on low carbon infrastructure.
SSE is currently involved in building the world’s largest off-shore Windfarm and creating a network to support a transition to net-zero.
John has worked in a broad range of Senior Management roles in both the UK and in the US. He is passionate about people development and actively promotes the development of young people through SSE’s Talent Pipeline Programmes. He has been involved with Career Ready initially as an employer partner and then through its advisory board structure.
He is a NED at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, is on the Advisory Board of the Scottish HR Leadership Group and is a Commissioner of the Real Living Wage.
Outside work his interests include his family, cycling, tennis and travel.
Mark Smiley
Mark has been at Stanley Black & Decker for over 26 years, including 12 years as Vice President & General Manager of the UK Commercial business. His responsibilities span the UK, Turkey, and South Africa.
He brings extensive international experience and a strong track record of delivering growth through disciplined execution, operational excellence, and customer-centric strategy. As a member of the executive leadership team, Mark combines commercial rigour with a people-first leadership approach – encouraging constructive challenge, accountability, and decisive thinking.
Sales leadership and competitive excellence have been central to his career. Building resilient, empowered teams and developing future leaders remain a core priority.
Outside of work Mark serves as Vice Chairman of his local youth football club, supporting governance, community engagement, and youth development initiatives. A father of three, he is passionate about mentoring and enabling others to realise their potential.
Ruth Minnican
Ruth is a senior strategic communications executive with over three decades of experience driving corporate engagement, change management, and leadership communications across global manufacturing operations and supply chains.
She retired in 2025 from full time work with Diageo, the global leader in premium drinks.
She has been involved with Career Ready for over 12 years as a mentor and member of the Edinburgh Local Advisory and Scotland Advisory Boards.
