Help through Hardship helpline secured £8.5 million in expected financial gains for those who came to us for help in its pilot year. We began work with TSB and Mind to increase our volunteer capacity and get more people the advice they need to find a way forward. These collaborations have already made a difference to many people’s lives. And we’ve continued to embed equity, diversity and inclusion in our ways of working, ensuring our services are accessible, particularly for those at greater risk of discrimination, disadvantage, detriment or harm, and creating an inclusive working environment across our service. Finally, in this year of change, we also said farewell to Dame Gillian Guy who stepped down as Chief Executive in October 2020 after 10 years leading the organisation. Gillian led us through significant digital transformation—including the introduction of a national phone service and the provision of advice through webchat—greatly helping our ability to respond to the pandemic so effectively. We were delighted to welcome Dame Clare Moriarty to Citizens Advice as our new Chief Executive in April 2021. Clare is a strong, authentic and inclusive leader with unrivalled experience running large, complex organisations. Her expertise in transformation will help us build on the incredible progress we’ve already made towards providing advice to people over the phone and online, as well as strengthening our face-to-face offer for those who need it. And we’d like to thank our Chief Operating Officer, Alistair Cromwell, for guiding us through our change in leadership as Acting Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive. In a time of rapid change, our long-term goal remains the same—to help more people in England and Wales and to achieve that by delivering seamless, multi-channel services that keep pace as the preferences of those who come to us for help change. Warren Buckley, Chair We’ve continued to embed equity, diversity and inclusion in our ways of working. 6 Introduction