Our People

Ciára joined the Dublin team in January 2020. Since then, she has gotten more and more involved. During the initial lockdowns, Ciára took over a lot of the logistical side of the project and was responsible for collecting and dropping donations to our community partners. Ciára also set out to grow social media presence for The Hygiene Bank in Ireland. Ciára is now responsible for the main Hygiene Bank Ireland social media pages and creates the marketing materials for any national campaigns.Ciára is also Chair of the Board.Ciára has a Bachelor of Civil Law, a masters in International Human Rights Law and is currently studying to become a barrister at the Kings Inns. She has a passion for human rights and equality.

Tom Poynter has over 20 years of experience in building global and domestic brands through strategy, advertising and digital transformation. Tom has fulfilled many CEO positions within the advertising agency landscape and is currently CEO of the creative agency Southpaw working with brands such as Honda, YMCA, Coty, Diageo, Brown Forman, Molson Coors and Ahmad Tea.

Late August 2018, Lizzy watched the Ken Loach film ‘I Daniel Blake’. Moved by the scene where a single mother is caught shop lifting for basic toiletries, Lizzy sent a WhatsApp to friends saying she was collecting items to take to her local foodbank. Driven by a belief that everyone in society deserves to feel clean and dignified; that no-one should be left struggling to wash their hair, brush their teeth, or be unable to change their baby's nappy as often as needed because of low wages, high housing costs, benefit cuts, illness, or bereavement, Lizzy set up The Hygiene Bank.In October 2019 she was proud to receive The Woman Of The Year, Boots sponsored Wellness Warrior for her work with The Hygiene Bank.​Lizzy started her career as an intern in the press office of Action Aid before working for PR company Freud Communications. FMCG agency marketing roles followed before finally becoming Marketing Director of The Carbon Neutral Company and teaching yoga at Holloway Prison. Lizzy then took a long career break to raise her family before being inspired to launch The Hygiene Bank. In 2011 she was suddenly widowed and so has personal appreciation of how life circumstances can change dramatically.