Campaign Committee

Ron Delnevo

Chair

After gaining experience at Board level at a number of companies, Ron led the MBO which created UK independent ATM operator Bank Machine in 2003. He continued as CEO of the company until 2012.

Ron has served in many roles including on the Governance Committee of LINK ATM Network; as an elected Director of the UK Payments Council; as European Chair of the ATM Industry Association; as Chair of the Cash Learning Partnership; and as Chair of the UK Cash Supply Alliance.

Recognised as a world expert on payments, Ron is a regular contributor to both academic journals and magazines, including Fintech Finance. Ron has worked on many consultancy projects, including in 2023 helping to produce an in depth report for LINK ATM Network on the payment systems of the planets ten most populace countries.

Ron founded the Payment Choice Alliance in 2014 and relaunched it in 2023. The Alliance is supported by a number of organisations and individuals. The focus is to ensure a UK Payment Choice Act becomes law before the end of 2025. The law will guarantee the right of the British public to use their cash, when and where they choose.

Ron takes a keen interest in history, politics and economics, enjoys travel and loves sport, especially his hometown Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

Seth Butterfield

Seth is a music student at the University of Manchester, fully engaged in his chosen field and an active supporter of cash and Payment Choice.

As a student, Seth has seen fewer places accepting cash, including the university’s own study areas and cafes. He advocates for financial inclusion and the need to keep cash as a payment option alongside digital methods, to ensure accessibility and inclusion for all.

Martin Campbell

Martin is the founder and Director of Beacon Strategic Communications – a specialist media adviser working for 20 years now exclusively with “the good guys” of UK’s fintech revolution – those businesses genuinely trying to improve outcomes for people and the planet.

He was previously a founding member of the Virgin Direct (now VirginMoney) management team and before that a product designer at Norwich Union (now Aviva).

Over his nearly 40 years in UK financial services, Martin has played a significant part in the development and growth of better, greener and more ethical money solutions and is well-known and respected amongst the UK’s personal finance and business press. He is a Senior Fellow of the UK’s influential Finance Innovation Lab.

Martin is passionate about the need for cash to stay a thriving option for reasons of inclusion, privacy and democracy, especially in guarding against excessive power in the hands of Big Finance, Big Tech and authoritarian governments.

Gareth Evans

Gareth is leading authority on financial inclusion, community finance and local welfare provision, with over 20 years’ experience. He is Co-Director of the not-for-profit Financial Inclusion Centre, which specialises in undertaking research/evaluation studies and implementing initiatives for diverse clients from banks and building societies to local authorities, social housing providers and charities. He also sat on the HM Treasury Financial Inclusion Policy Forum.

In 2020, Gareth founded Cash Perks – a multi award-winning cash payment facility enabling emergency hardship payments to be instantly sent via SMS text message. This innovative solution allows the recipient to then collect their funds for free 24/7 at local ATMs nationwide – without the need for a bank card. It has already been adopted by a growing number of leading councils, housing associations and charities that have already sent over £7.5 million of welfare funds to struggling households facing financial crisis.

Stuart Fearn MBE

Stuart Fearn has a background of more than 25 years in financial services, covering customer experience delivery, strategic partnership creation and product development. Stuart worked for Newcastle Building Society for 15 years, rising to head up and significantly grow the branch network.

Stuart Fearn has devoted himself to making a genuine difference to the lives of those who live in the North East of England.

Stuart has supported the drive to uplift financial education for schools and young adults, in a initiative with Newcastle United Football Club; he served as a Gateshead Poverty Truth Commissioner; Stuart co-founded Buy Local North Tyneside; in 2023, he was appointed Managing Director of Society Matters - the trading subsidiary of 2022 North East Charity of the Year Citizens Advice Gateshead - to help tackle societal issues, mobilise knowledge and build influence with regional employers; Stuart is heavily involved with Building Societies planning expansion around the UK; and he also has time to serve as a community banking consultant for GLORY, a global leader in cash technology solutions.

Stuart Fearn was awarded an MBE in the 2020 Covid Honours Awards for his ongoing service to the Community and particularly in the early months of the spread of Covid.

Stuart is convinced that there is a significant continuing role for cash in the UK and supports payment choice for all.

Yvonne Fovargue CBE

Yvonne was Chief Executive of St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau (1986-2010). During that time she managed legal aid contracts in debt, housing and employment. She employed 29 paid staff and managed over 50 volunteers.

Born in Sale, Greater Manchester, Yvonne was educated locally before gaining a BA in English at Leeds University. She was an elected member of Warrington Council (2004-2010) and has served as a school governor and charity trustee.

Yvonne served as Member of Parliament for Makerfield from 2010 to 2024. She held several shadow ministerial posts including Defence, Education, Transport and Local Government briefs. She was also an Opposition Whip and served on the Standards & Privileges Committee participating in the enquiry into Boris Johnson.

From 2010 to 2024 Yvonne chaired the All Party Group on Debt & Personal Finance. She also chaired the All Party Groups on Legal Aid, Consumer Protection, Home Electrical Safety and Credit Unions.

In 2022 She was appointed by the Prime Minister as Trade Envoy to Libya and Tunisia.

She was awarded a CBE in the 2024 New Years Honours List.

Dr Geoffrey Goodell

Dr Geoffrey Goodell is a Lecturer in Financial Computing at University College London whose research focuses on socio-technical systems in financial services, particularly in payment systems and digital currency.

Geoffrey is a member of the Bank of England CBDC Technology Forum and an associate of the LSE Systemic Risk Centre. He leads several working groups that develop international standards in areas related to digital currency and advises industry groups on digital assets technology and policy.

Dr Goodell is a CFA charter holder and previously served as a strategist at Goldman, Sachs & Co and as a partner of a boutique asset management firm. His research advances knowledge and policy at the intersection of finance, technology, and regulation.

Geoffrey passionately believes that the public should have the right to choose how they pay - and that cash should always be an option.

Alice Nelson

Having recently moved to London as a young professional, Alice has witnessed firsthand the significant impact of cashless transactions, including just how common it is for cash to be refused in the nations capital.

Among her peers and colleagues, Alice sees a strong desire for payment choice, with many expressing concern about the implications of a cashless society.

As technology advances, Alice is keen to ensure that individual security is prioritised and believes payment choice has a key role to play in such security.

Alice believes that cash is crucial, especially for society’s most vulnerable individuals who are left totally unprotected without cash as an option.

Alice is committed to advocating for payment choice, viewing it as vital to the sustenance of a democratic society.