Jim has been a member of Advance union since he joined Abbey back in 2001 and became a Rep in 2003. Since then he has held a number of positions within Advance, starting as a local rep before being elected to the National Executive Committee (NEC) and later becoming the Chair of the NEC. At the time the bank acquired B&B,  UBAC (B&B union) merged with Advance and he was brought on to Linda’s full-time team as a caseworker and later become Assistant General Secretary before winning an election to be the General Secretary of Advance in July 2024.

The reasons he became a rep in the first place are still as relevant today as they were all those years ago, to work hard to ensure that people are treated fairly and with dignity, while at work and in accordance with our agreed policies and procedures,  to help grow Advance and to actively promote Advance’s core values.

He is proud of the contribution Advance has made to people’s pay and conditions, in particular, the work Advance did to develop the Pay Progression Scheme as well as leading the way both in banking and Trade Unions with our affiliation to the Living  Wage Foundation.

Away from work he is happily married to Clare and has a son, Jack. He is a supporter of Millwall F.C, a keen gamer as well as an avid cyclist.

Keith grew up in a mining village in South Yorkshire and felt first-hand the impact of the miner’s strike in 1984, as the pit where it started is 1 mile from his home. Whilst he can recognise both sides had their faults in the dispute, the fellowship and community support showed him the power of unions when looking after their workers and each other.

He has always been a long-time campaigner on equality and green issues, locally and nationally. He has worked through different roles in Advance from 2003 from workplace representative, National executive and now a full-time consultant for over 12 years.

Keith is an advocate for partnership working. Whilst we accept we have common goals, as an independent trade union acting in the interests of our members individually and collectively helps ensure we look after the interests of the workers and will always be our priority. However, as a union looking after our members, we can’t ignore it remains a factor we must work with change to ensure the company remains prosperous to maintain Job Security.

Outside of work, he supports Sheffield Steelers’ (an ice hockey team), one of the leading UK teams with crowds of 8,000 to many games. He knows they are still a relative amateur compared to the big boys in the NHL.

Gerry has worked for Advance for over ten years and is proud to be Assistant General Secretary.

In his previous role as head of communication, he was responsible for much of the written communication Advance produces, including our magazine. He combines this with broader duties and attends partnership meetings with Santander to discuss the bank’s strategic changes and concerns raised by Advance. Gerry recently also supported the North Branch Division from the union leadership perspective.

He is also responsible for coordinating and organising meetings of Advance trustees accountable for decisions relating to Advance assets. Like all of Jim’s team, Gerry also supports members with all aspects of casework and has a broad knowledge of Santander policy and employment law.

“The member is at the Centre of everything that I do. Whether it is representing them at hearings, attending meetings with senior management, or writing communications to our members, my focus is on how the needs of the member can be best served”.

Roberta has been involved with Advance for over 20 years.  She has held various positions including local representative, national representative as well as vice-chair of the NEC.  She is now a full-time consultant supporting members with various meetings and hearings inside Northern Ireland and Scotland.   She was previously based at the Belfast Mays Meadows site and worked as a Team manager inside the mortgage division. “I believe in being available to support and improve the working lives of our members and being a specific point of contact for members in contact sites and branches in Scotland and Northern Ireland”

Graham has spent many years in marketing and communications, primarily in defence, aerospace, aviation, IT distribution and trade association organisations. With over 20 years of experience, Graham is focused on delivering exceptional communications to Advance members. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the team to help drive forward the union’s marketing and communication strategy.

Away from work Graham is married to Marie and has a daughter and son. A keen yet frustrated West Ham supporter, he attends to cheer the Irons on when he can. A lifelong cricketer, Level 2 coach and Essex stalwart, Graham somehow finds the time to enjoy mountain biking, Golf (+12 handicap) and DJ’ing..

Abbie works as part of the office team.  She helps coordinate meetings between Advance and the Bank.  In addition, she coordinates all minutes, and agendas and supports attendees by ensuring relevant collective records are kept.

“The thing I like most about my role is that I feel that I am making a real difference in the working lives of our members.  That itself brings its reward.”

Irene works on the helpline, assisting members with general queries by telephone and email.  Irene has been with Advance for over 16 years and has a comprehensive understanding of the role.  She has a background in Therapeutics which brings a whole new dimension to the team.

She deals with direct debits, payments and membership applications.  The central part of her role, however, is to work on the helpline giving advice and support to Members.

She says she loves her job because she is helping people in difficult situations in their working environment.