ACEVO’s newly elected trustee and Autism at Kingwood chief executive Kate Allen talks about why she decided to become a trustee.
As a CEO frustrated at the lack of time available to do everything I want (or need) to do, I decided to volunteer for more.
Why? Am I a glutton for punishment, do I secretly thrive on the pressure or am I just plain mad?!
Hopefully none of the above. I expressed an interest in the role of trustee with ACEVO because I respect and recognise the charity as being such a rare and valuable resource for chief executives and senior leaders in the charitable sector. Whilst we invest time looking after our teams ensuring that their wellbeing is considered, their workloads are manageable and any development needs are responded to, we don’t always give the same consideration and time to ourselves. As a member, ACEVO allows and enables me to spend time on myself. Although I sometimes feel uncomfortable taking time away from the very busy and long action list, it is always so beneficial.
I’m rarely comfortable ‘blowing my own trumpet’ however, I think I have a range of skills and experiences that I am hoping will be of use to ACEVO in the Trustee role. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to engage with ACEVO more; and influencing the strategic direction of the work it is doing. I also find being a trustee enables me to be a better CEO as I can reflect on the needs of my own Board and it creates more opportunities to hone my critical thinking and/or analytical skills. Whilst I get plenty of that in my day job (sometimes too much!) there is something refreshing about applying it elsewhere. I would strongly recommend to anyone considering a trustee role to do it. It is worth finding the time.
