We are delighted to announce that Anne Stoneham has been appointed as the Chair Designate of St Christopher’s Council of Trustees and will take over from Bert O’Donoghue as Chair in September.
Bert will be stepping down after nine years as a Trustee during which time he has been both the Vice Chair and Chair. Bert has been a dedicated, pro-active and caring Chair and has guided the trustee board through retendering of the IoM contract and the pandemic. Bert will be very sadly missed but good governance practise dictates that Trustees should serve a maximum of nine years.
Commenting on his time at St Christopher’s Bert said: “Over the past nine years, I have had the honour of meeting so many funny, inspiring, brave and smart children and young people – it has been a joy to see the difference St Christopher’s makes to their lives. I have learnt so much from their expertise and experiences. On top of that, I have spent time with many dedicated foster carers and members of staff, whose commitment to putting children and young people’s needs first shines through above everything. They work tirelessly to build genuine, meaningful relationships that bring stability and consistency to children and young people’s lives”
Anne will be taking over as Chair in September and is currently looking forward to learning about St Christopher’s and visiting some of our services to meet our young people and staff. Anne’s background is as a lawyer and an academic specialising in governance. She brings a wealth of experience serving on boards which includes as the Chair of UK Youth and as a non-executive Director and Chair of the People and Organisational Development Committee of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust.
Anne commented that: “I am honoured to be selected as the new Chair of the Trustee Board of St Christopher’s. St Christopher’s has an impressive 150 year I record for providing care and support for children and young people in need. I am really looking forward to working with the committed, passionate, child centred and dedicated team who help the children and young people in their care overcome their challenges, create bright futures and strive for the best possible outcomes for them. This is an exciting time to join the charity in a changing time, and I welcome the opportunity to build on all the excellent work already achieved, develop a new and bold strategy to grow the charity and embrace what the future will bring.”