Simona Saunders

Simona Saunders

Head of Finance

I’m the Head of Finance, which is a Busman’s holiday for me as i’m a Chartered Accountant who is currently working at PepsiCo. I was first introduced to Scouts several years ago when I stepped forward to help run 1st Binfield Air Scouts as an Assistant Scout Leader. Having never had any experience of Scouts or Guides before, this was a steep learning curve which I threw herself into.

My proudest achievement was liaising with the Gliding Club at RAF Odiham which allowed the troop to actually experience gliding and flying for themselves. I was lucky enough to do a Loop-the-Loop while in the air – an experience I thoroughly recommends to everyone!

As an ASL, the first Scout Camp I experienced was actually WINGS 2014. I found this was such an amazing experience, and provided such an incredible opportunity for the young people that i am really excited to be part of the team who are responsible for delivering WINGS 2020. It is an experience I will never forget,  and I am looking forward to helping Create  Experiences that last a Lifetime!

Outside of work and Scouts, I’m married to Gary, a deputy head teacher in a local primary school and i’m mum to two children – Paul who is 16 and Chiara who is 12. As a family we love to travel and go on adventurous holidays. We have climbed the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, done speed-boating in Iceland, gorge walked in Arran, rock climbed in Transylvania and explored the jungle in Cambodia.

Being half Italian, I am also passionate about her food – and i’m known by my scout troop for never being at Scout Camp without cheese!