Five new deputies have been appointed to assist the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.
Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher has named Caroline Bridget Abel Smith OBE, Alison Carolyn Cumming, John Evan Moffoot MBE, Brigadier William Joseph O’Leary and Alison Jane Phillips OBE as his deputy lieutenants.
Sir Henry said: “It’s a great pleasure to make these appointments. All five individuals have made a great contribution to Buckinghamshire and fully deserve this recognition.”
The deputies will assist in upholding the dignity of the Crown and supporting the Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Services organisations.
They may also be asked to help with public duties on behalf of the Lord Lieutenant.
DEPUTY PROFILES
Caroline Abel Smith, who lives in Aston Abbots, trained as a med lab technician for Lancaster and Guy’s Hospitals, subsequently becoming a personal assistant in PR at The Times and Sunday Times. She was a lay member of the General Dental Council until 2009 and a non-executive director of South Bucks NHS Trust until 1998. She is Chairman of the Bucks committee of the Elizabeth Finn Care. She spent many years championing women in politics including chairing the Conservative Party Conference in 2002. Caroline is a trustee and member of the Appeal and Inspection Committees of the Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust and a trustee of AGE UK Bucks.
Carolyn Cumming, who lives in Maids Moreton, was High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 2012/13. She is a garden designer and has been a stalwart of the community in Buckingham for many years. As Vice-Chairman of the Buckingham Society she was instrumental in preparing the town’s Vision and Design Statement. She is a trustee of the Buckingham Centre for the Arts and has chaired the committee that set up and runs independent cinema The Film Place. In her Shrieval year she raised a significant sum of money for the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Community Foundations by riding from Olney in the north to Burnham Beeches in the south of the county.
John Moffoot, who lives in Bradwell Village, Milton Keynes, retired as an officer of Milton Keynes Council in December 2012, after 25 years’ service, latterly as Assistant Director (Democratic Services) and Returning Officer, and a total of 44 years’ service in local government. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, and was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2012 for services to young people and the community of Milton Keynes. John played a major role in the planning and delivery of HM the Queen’s visit to Milton Keynes in 2007. John is a trustee of Milton Keynes Community Foundation and the Milton Keynes Cenotaph Trust. He and his wife, Muriel, have previously served as foster carers.
Bill O’Leary is a TA Officer who lives in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire, but works with the TA in Buckinghamshire. He is an International Business Development Manager. He was commissioned into REME TA in 1988. He is currently Assistant Commander Theatre Troops. He is Chairman of the TA Rifle Association and a Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies. He is Military Ex-Officio Member (Berks, Bucks, Hants & IOW, Oxon) and Member RESAG. Bill is an ADC to HM The Queen.
Alison Phillips, who lives at Mentmore, was a member of the Foreign Office, serving in Paris and at the United Nations. She was a member of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital Trust Board. She became a member of the Council of the University of Buckingham from which she has only recently retired, although she remains a member of the University’s Foundation. She chaired the University’s Audit Committee. Alison is Chairman of the Cancer Care & Haematology Fund at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. She was a member of the Thames Valley Police Authority.