Our team

Jilly is the founder of Beyond the Wire. She was an army spouse for nearly 20 years until the death of her husband Colonel Nick Carrell, who died while serving in 2021. Her experience of navigating the bureaucracies, rules, and fragmented support available to bereaved Armed Forces families highlighted the need for increased focus on the issues, and a desperate need to drive improvement and change.

In a professional capacity, Jilly has worked for a number of Armed Forces charities across policy, development, and grant-giving roles. This combination of professional insight and powerful life experience is at the heart of the mission of Beyond The Wire. Jilly is a passionate advocate for improving thriving lives for the military bereaved. She is a Winston Churchill Fellow.

Steve has a comprehensive background in the defence industry having worked in this sector throughout his career spanning over four decades. Steve is now a Non-Executive Director of General Dynamics UK Limited having previously been employed by the Company as Chief Operating Officer. He is a Trustee of Bovington Tank Museum where he chairs the Collection Committee and is also a business mentor to military veterans for the Charity Heropreneurs.

Elle left the RAF in 2003 having had an active operational career as an RAF Operations Officer, mainly with the Support Helicopter Force. Her service career was followed by senior management roles in local government and the NHS which covered Customer Relations, Mental Health and Acute Care Commissioning and Transformation Programme Management. Elle most recently worked for a boutique cross-sector management consultancy company working in Europe and Asia and she is now an independent management consultant.

Her initial focus is to ensure clear, fair, and consistent governance is in place to give Beyond the Wire a firm foundation on which to achieve our aims.

In a wide-ranging career Fiona has worked as a news journalist for BBC, ITN, APTN, and Reuters before becoming Chief of Staff to a senior UK government minister and working across a number of departments including Foreign and Commonwealth Office, International Trade, Justice, Education, Environment, and Food & Rural Affairs.

Fiona is the founder of Parly Connect – a UK and Europe based government, communications and external relations consultancy. She is also a trustee of the Keystone Development Trust, a community resource and support charity operating in the East of England. Her experience of navigating the complexities of government and policy, combined with a strong news sense in recognising the best ways to engage external audiences, is an essential part of how Beyond the Wire will make a difference to Armed Forces bereaved families.

Harriet is a counsellor/psychotherapist, EMDR Therapist and clinical supervisor. Her background is 28-years as a nurse in both the NHS and the Army. She specialises in working with people navigating bereavement, trauma, anxiety, and life limiting illnesses and works in both the third sector and in private practice.

As an Army spouse for 22 years, Harriet brings lived experience of the unique pressures and emotional demands placed on armed forces families.

Her aim is to add value to Beyond The Wire’s mission by shining a light on how to find compassionate, trauma informed support, information and specialist help when a bereaved armed forces family needs it most.

Spike has had a long career within the Royal Army Pay Corps and Adjutants General Corps, serving 22 years, Warrant Officer Class 1. He also was a freelance lecturer in accounting and tax, shortlisted for Financial Accounting Tutor of 2005.

Spike is currently involved in Charted Management – Hd Finance, Security Services Group (MOD) who provide technology-based security solutions to Critical National Infrastructure sites.

Spike provides Beyond the Wire with much welcomed guidance and advice in relation to funding, the financial aspects of operating a CIC, and governance support.

Caroline is a senior HR and change professional with over 40 years’ experience across the corporate, public and voluntary sectors. After 13 years in the Army which included tours in Germany and Northern Ireland, she moved into advertising and then into management consultancy with PriceWaterhouse Coopers and British Telecom. She now works as an interim helping organisations deliver significant change initiatives. She has delivered a number of major change programmes including most recently for BP, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Tate and Lyle and Philip Morris International. Much of her work has focused on increasing capability and enabling people to learn, develop and grow.