Board of Directors
Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service (D&G CAS) governance is overseen by a Board of Directors:

Marsali Caig
Chair
I qualified as a Solicitor but my first professional role took me to Whitehall where I worked directly for Health Ministers supporting their governmental business. Every day was hugely varied but I did things like help with speechwriting for national Conferences, Health Questions in the House of Commons and developing policy areas. I returned to my native Kirkcudbright and worked in a number of health and social care roles here and in the north of England. I became really unwell and had to retire from an NHS career I loved. I am now Chair of Dumfries & Galloway Health Board as well as a regular patient.
As someone who grew up in a relatively poor household, I’ve been struck so many times by the huge disparities in opportunity and income that exist in our country. I think we have a societal responsibility to try to do something about that, and D&G CAS offers some of the solutions to those issues. We are an ambitious organisation, always seeking to do more – and often with less – but that sense of purpose, drive and commitment are so palpable. I feel incredibly proud to be part of this organisation which is driven and motivated by fairness and social justice.
Inequality is horrendous. As a society it’s something that blights us and too often, means people can’t do the things that many of us take for granted. Anything we can do to help people live better lives is worth doing, and D&G CAS does that in spades. We are one of the very few independent charities that can offer people a lifeline, very often supporting their mental and physical wellbeing in the process. As the cost of everything continues to increase, our services have never been more needed. Our biggest challenge is to ensure that all of our funders see the huge value we add to people’s lives, in reality at very little cost to them.
Maureen Smith
Vice Chair
I was born and brought up in Ayrshire. I studied at Dunfermline College of Physical Education in Edinburgh and graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Education Honours Degree. I spent the next 35 years in various posts within educational establishments in Glasgow, Ayrshire, Perthshire and most recently in Dumfries and Galloway. I was headteacher of a local secondary school here in Dumfries prior to becoming Education Officer with Dumfries and Galloway Education Services. I retired in 2019 and joined the Board at DAGCAS in January 2020.
Before becoming a board member, I took some time to learn more about the work of D&G CAS and about the role and expectations of a board member. After much consideration, I felt that I could fulfil the role of board member and make a valuable contribution to the work of the board. I have lived and worked in Dumfries for over 30 years and felt that being involved in D&G CAS, an organisation whose vision and values I could support, would give me the opportunity to give something back to the people and communities across Dumfries and Galloway
There has always been people in our local communities, who unfortunately for one reason or another require advice and support to deal with a wide variety of issues and challenges they face in their lives. The service and advice provided by D&G CAS supports many of these people and acts as their lifeline as they work through times of stress, anxiety or uncertainty. With the support and advice provided by D&G CAS , many people are able to work through difficult and challenging times and have a positive outcome which may not have been possible without the input from our hard working, passionate and well-informed volunteers and staff.


Patrick Shearer
Director
Patrick was born and raised in Morayshire, moving to Aberdeen where he attended University and graduated with degrees in Arts and Law, before joining Grampian Police in 1983.
He has operated at a senior level in policing since 2001 when he was appointed Assistant and then Deputy Chief Constable of Grampian Police, before taking up the post as Chief Constable in Dumfries and Galloway in 2007. He was the President for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland for two years.
Patrick has always been actively involved in partnership working and has chaired the local Alcohol and Drugs Partnership and the Youth Justice Partnership for six years. He has a keen interest in all things local and social justice. He enjoys most sports and keeping fit.
Jess Benzie
Director
Before joining the D&G CAS Board, I gained diverse experience that led to a passion for community service and communications. I began my journey by volunteering at D&G CAS in Castle Douglas, a role that allowed me to directly engage with community members and provide valuable support. After a few years living in Spain, I returned to Scotland to work as a Patient Adviser with D&G CAS. While working part-time in this role, I pursued a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. This academic experience broadened my understanding of communication, which I applied in subsequent roles with D&G CAS, such as a Help to Claim adviser and later as the Communications and Volunteer Development Manager. I loved working closely with people and making a tangible difference in their lives, but I eventually moved to Edinburgh Napier University to work as a Communications and Marketing Officer. Despite enjoying my current role, I missed the sense of fulfillment that comes from directly helping people, which led me to join the D&G CAS Board of Directors.
My decision to become a D&G CAS Board Member stems from a strong desire to give back to the community in a meaningful way. Having previously worked and volunteered with the service, I have firsthand knowledge of the incredible work it does to support individuals in the community, regardless of their needs. The work of D&G CAS is vital because it provides a crucial, free service that assists people with a wide range of queries. This commitment to helping others is something I deeply believe in and am excited to contribute to as a Board Member.


Robert Wright
Director
I grew up on The Wirral and after leaving school went to work for CU insurance in Liverpool .
A few years later i joined the family retail business and moved to Southport. After 40 years of managing all the aspects of business including finance, employment, marketing and consumers, I retired in 2018 and passed the business on to my son. We came to stay in Kirkcudbright, where my wife’s family roots are based and where we enjoyed visiting over many years in the past.
I wanted to keep active and use my experience to help where I could, so I volunteered as a generalist adviser and qualified in 2020. At the same time the D&G CAS board were actively seeking to have a volunteer on the board to give a broad a representation of knowledge and experience to help make the best decisions for the Citizens Advice Service in Dumfries and Galloway .
As a volunteer I had a unique insight and contribution to make so I was honoured to be accepted and joined the board in 2021.
I believe that D&G CAS is a vital service, because it is free, it is confidential, and we can help clients with all types of issues including health, work, debt, benefits, family and consumer issues. We can help by advising what options are available to manage their situation. We help by giving clients the information they needed to move forward, confident they have the support they need.
Norman (Norrie) McIntosh
Director
Having spent the last 25 years of his career as a trade union official, championing the rights of others, becoming involved with D&G CAS was a natural next step for Norrie (Norman) McIntosh when he retired to Wigtownshire from Glasgow.
Norrie was educated in Glasgow and trained as an engineering draughtsman. But he had always been an active trade union member, becoming a full time official in 1970. Fairness and equality were the key pillars by which he lived. Making sure that everyone was afforded their rights was of vital importance to Norrie, assisting others to enforce those rights was equally important.
Following a promise made to his late wife, shortly before she died in November 2000, Norrie started volunteering with D&G CAS in January 2001. He became a specialist employment adviser a few years later, joining the board of D&G CAS in 2004. While his advice work with clients allows him to help those individuals resolve a particular issue, his work on the D&G CAS board allows him to have a more strategic – and thus wider – influence within the organisation, and for a greater number of clients.
His other offices and interests include being an Elder at Millisle Parish Church, Chairman of the Newton Stewart & District Angling Association, Board member of the Community Re-use Shop in Stranraer and a lifelong supporter of Rangers Football Club. He also served for 10 years as a Governor at Glasgow Caledonian University where he was awarded an honorary Fellowship.


Claire Holmes
Director
I qualified as a social worker many years ago! I specialised in mental health early into my career, originally working in the central belt of Scotland but moved to D&G in the early 2000s to work as a team leader in an older adults community mental health team based in Stewartry. I stayed here for several years whilst my son was very young, but then moved to work in different management roles for the NHS within mental health services outwith D&G. I left the NHS over 10 years ago to work as an independent consultant, which I continue to do to this day. This involves working with different NHS Trusts in England helping them to improve and transform their mental health and learning disability and autism services. I am passionate about this work as I want to improve experiences for people using these services as well as their families and carers.
I wanted to be on the Board of D&G CAS as I believe my values are very much in line with those of the organisation and that I bring a different perspective given my roles within the NHS and Local Authorities. As a qualified and registered social worker, I am committed to improving social justice and inclusion and help improve people’s lives. The work undertaken by D&G CAS is highly impressive with great vision and ambition, strong sense of purpose and potential to extend further, I wanted to be part of that journey and help shape the future using my skills and experience.
D&G CAS is a remarkable service which has had so many successes over the years and continues to do so despite having a relatively small income. Its staff and volunteers are highly committed and work closely with people in local areas, providing free and confidential advice and support. Help is always there whether it is around housing, money worries and debt, benefits and even consumer issues. The service is a key part of the local community and we are always looking for additional income to support and develop new local projects and extend the help we can provide.

Brian Johnstone
Director
I am a Chartered Accountant and worked as a partner in an accountancy firm for many years. After that I was appointed by the Scottish Government to be Regional College Chair for Dumfries and Galloway. This involved me in further and higher education strategy, skills training and many interesting governance matters.
I am very interested in helping to strengthen communities and in particular organisations such as D&G CAS which plays a crucial role throughout our region. I am keen to volunteer and hopefully give something which is useful to the organisation and its people.
D&G CAS provides advice and services to people in a vast range of subject areas. Often these require a very high degree of technical knowledge. This is delivered by volunteers and specialist staff across our region for no charge to the client.
This model works well, but as a charity those involved in running the organisation are constantly working hard to ensure that the vital service can continue and develop.
Overall D&G CAS is a fascinating organisation to be involved with.
Mhairi Ross
Director
Bio coming soon.


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