The CFS team
Dr. Karl Dayson
Executive director
0161 295 2827, K.T.Dayson@salford.ac.uk
Dr Karl Dayson is the co-founder and executive director of CFS. Karl has 10 years of research experience in the field of community finance, financial exclusion and institutional forms of collective and communal ownership. In 1999, together with Bob Paterson and other colleagues, Karl developed a model for lending to low-income, financially excluded households, called Community Reinvestment Trusts (CRTs). The model was laid out in the first publication of CFS: Investing in People and Places. Since then, Karl has helped set up over a dozen of CRTs across the UK. Karl has also been a key player in the development of CFS’s work on Community Land Trusts (CLTs). In April 2007 a CLT practitioners guide edited by Karl was launched.
Currently Karl is working with colleagues at Sheffield University on a research project funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Barclays Bank, and the Small Business Service, examining the longitudinal impact of microfinance lending in the UK and he is working on a national demonstration project on the creation of CLTs. Karl is also currently advising the Salford City Council on its financial inclusion strategy.
For a list of Karl’s publications and other information, please visit Karl’s staff profile at http://www.espach.salford.ac.uk/sociology/staff/karl.php
Bob Paterson
Project director
Bob Paterson is the co-founder of and a project director at CFS. Bob has over 25 years of experience working for housing associations and in local government. Bob has used his extensive knowledge of current housing policy and community development issues to develop and test models to facilitate the access to financial services and affordable housing. In 1997, Bob joined the University of Salford as a Senior Visiting Research Fellow where he conducted research into how community-based financial institutions could make an effective contribution to the long-term regeneration of poorer communities in the UK. This work laid the foundations for the creation of CFS which he co-founded with Dr. Karl Dayson in 1999.
Currently, Bob is involved in providing technical advice to CLTs and developing a range of tools to assist CLTs nationally. He is also applying his strong accounting and financial planning skills in aiding five UK CDFIs identify and implement best-practice in financial and operational management in a project funded by Lloyds TSB.
Jennifer Powell
Information manager
0161 295 4454, J.E.Powell@salford.ac.uk
Jennifer worked with the founders of CFS from around 1998 and was appointed to this post in 1999 when CFS was set up. Her first major task was organising the launch of the first publication ‘Investing in People and Places’ and inception of CFS by Patricia Hewitt MP, then, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury.
Jennifer is the Information Manager (a former Chartered Librarian), Administrator and Action Learning advisor for CFS. She works across the project subject areas and co-ordinates joint efforts such as entering for the North West Excellence Innovative Enterprise Awards won by CFS in 2003. Jennifer provides information gathering and current awareness for CFS staff, project principals, associates, user groups and project partners; is the co-ordinating hub for staff, project director, associates/researchers working over a widespread area across England; has a leading role in running conferences, seminars, publication launches and in the presentation of published material and other media.
Jennifer currently works on the CLT National Demonstration Programme and the DBERR face to face debt advice project with a supporting role in all other current projects.
Jennifer Aird
Research assistant, Community Land Trusts
0161 295 4951, J.Aird@salford.ac.uk
Jennifer joined CFS in May 2007 from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, where she contributed to rural partnership development and policy evaluation and was also responsible for a forum which advised the Council on countryside access legislation. She has two and half years of experience working on rural development issues in the UK and Uganda. Jennifer has MSc in Rural Development and Resource Management from the University of Newcastle, as part of which she evaluated local food supply chains for a Rural Community Council.
Jennifer is currently researching several pilot Community Land Trust projects as part of CFS’ National Demonstration programme, and manages the Community Land Trust networking forum. Jennifer has also recently completed a study trip to the US, where she attended the National CLT conference and visited several Community Land Trust projects.
Pål Vik
Research assistant, Financial Inclusion
0161 295 2841, P.M.Vik@salford.ac.uk
Pål joined CFS in April 2007 from ECOTEC Consulting and specialises in financial exclusion and the social impact of community finance initiatives. He has MSc in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics, as part of which he analysed the impact of microcredits on microenterprise expansion in El Salvador. Pål has over three years of research experience in urban economic planning and community finance in both Developed and Developing countries. He has previously worked as a researcher for London School of Economics and Political Science and for the Centre for Rural Development Studies in Costa Rica. His methodological expertise includes survey design and execution, statistical analysis of household data and case study research.
Pål is currently working on the most extensive social impact assessment to date of the UK community finance sector in collaboration with the University of Sheffield. He is also conducting research on the extent and nature of financial exclusion in Salford for the City Council.