Meet the CAST Board

The CAS Trust Board is made up of supporters of Charlton Athletic from a variety of backgrounds, elected by members to represent them and lead in delivering the Supporters' Trust's objectives.

Those who are holding CAST offices are indicated in the introductions below. Board members are elected in accordance with our Rules, which are in alignment with the Football Supporters Federation model rules for Supporters' Trusts.

We're always looking for other Charlton Athletic supporters to get involved with the Trust's work. If you'd like to help, whether that's being involved with the CAST Board or another way, please get in touch by emailing the Trust Secretary.

CHAIR

Heather McKinlay

Business owner. Fellow of The Marketing Society. Writer about football for Nutmeg and Blizzard magazines. Charity Board Trustee. CAST Board member since 2015, Re-elected 2018, Chair from November 2020. Former VIP member and current Valley Gold member.

Best memory: beating Preston 3-1 to gain promotion in 1975 plus playing at The Valley for the victorious Charlton Unathletic in a Charlton Life charity match.

Worst memory: losing to Wycombe in 2006 League Cup quarter-final, having travelled down from Scotland for the midweek game.

Favourite player: Well, the first was Bob Curtis. 

VICE CHAIR

Heather Alderson

CAST member since 2016. Elected to the CAST board at the 2019 AGM. Re-elected 2021. Heather works in advertising and has led the strategy for many famous UK & global campaigns over the last 20 years or so. Today she is at Adam&EveDDB, a direct descendent of the agency that created the posters for the Back to The Valley campaign in the 90s. This was the first football campaign ever to win an Effectiveness Award from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising . Unfortunately, she has so far failed to unearth the original proofs in the back of a cupboard

She adopted Charlton when she moved to London from Cheshire.  She remembers walking up the steps to her first match at The Valley: "There was a Dutch brass band playing and we ate a cheese sandwich. It was love at first sight."  Some supporters might remember her as the steward on the Charlton to St Truiden coach in March 2017 when she generously provided sumptuous sausage sandwiches for the bleary eyed  travellers as they set off from Anchor and Hope Lane at 5am (vegetarian options were available). Others might recall the giant pork pie she prepared for the meeting with Accrington owner Andy Holt at The White Swan a couple of seasons ago.

SECRETARY

Richard Wiseman

Retired housing charity executive. Funeral celebrant. Board member since 2012. Re-elected 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. Chair from November 2016 to November 2020. Former VIP member and current Valley Gold member. Supporter since 1961.

Best memory - Wembley 1998.

Worst memory - 0-4 at Millwall and the forty minute wait to be let out.

Favourite player - Clive Mendonca

TREASURER

Nigel Kleinfeld FCA

Company Director. Elected to the Board at 2016 AGM. Re-elected 2018 and 2020. Supporter representative on the CAFC Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and CAST representative on the Metropolitan Police Liaison Committee. Supporter since 1958.

Best memory - first match attended with my father in March 1963 (beat Plymouth 6-3).

Worst memory - the looks on my children's faces as we drove home after relegation v Sheffield Wednesday in May 1999.

BOARD MEMBER

John Barnes

John was elected to the CAST board in 2018 and Re-elected 2020. He has spent most of his career working in the NHS as a construction project manager. Outside of work he enjoys football, live music and real ale, and is an enthusiastic song-writer and all-grain brewer.

Despite his father exposing him to the dubious delights of Upton Park, Stamford Bridge, White Hart Lane and Selhurst Park while he was still young and impressionable, John decided to become a regular visitor to the Valley from 1966 onwards. Along with his mates, the match-day ritual comprised of a 2d bus-ride to Charlton village, the purchase of a whole load of sweets, crisps and a large bottle of R Whites lemonade, followed by a ramble across the heights, before scaling a concrete wall and then landing, amid a surprised urinating throng, in the gent’s toilets, next to the Sam Bartram entrance.

One of the happiest days in John’s life was the 5th December 1992. Getting back to the Valley after seven years away really was right up there alongside the day his son Joshua, was born.

Among his less happy memories include the disappointment of finishing third in the second division, behind promoted Crystal Palace, in 1969. Being relegated to the third division after a 5-0 defeat at Blackpool, in April 1972, and that piece of paper that was handed out at the turnstiles in September 1985.

John’s favourite players include Eddie Firmani, Charlie Wright, Alan Campbell, Derek Hales, Steve Brown, Mark Kinsella and Clive Mendonca. If he had to choose one from that short list it would have to be Mark Kinsella, a wonderful footballer and an inspirational leader.

BOARD MEMBER

Lauren Kreamer

Lauren Kreamer was co-opted onto the CAST board in March 2020 and formally elected at the AGM 2020.

Lauren is a barrister and has experience in a broad range of commercial and Chancery work, including insolvency, banking and finance, property, and commercial disputes.

She attended her first game at The Valley in 1997, and has been a season ticket holder ever since.

Best memories: Wembley 1998 and 2019.

Worst memory: Losing to Sheffield United in the 2014 FA Cup quarter final, and Chris Powell’s subsequent sacking.

Favourite player: Dean Kiely.

Longest-held Charlton-related grudge: against Jonatan Johansson, to whom she wrote aged 9 when tasked with writing a letter to ‘your favourite famous person’, and who never replied. (Since rectified very recently via the club!)

BOARD MEMBER

Sam White

BOARD MEMBER

Bob Munro

BOARD MEMBER

Paul Breen