News

Hello Team Derian !

 

I thought I should say an e-hello to everyone as getting round to personally say hi would literally take weeks.  I’m now in Week 2 and have had the most wonderful warm welcome from everyone which has helped me really settle in, so thank you for that, I really appreciate it.

 

My first few weeks are fairly jam packed and so I might not get the chance initially to meet or chat with you directly, but be assured that once my formal induction process concludes I will absolutely be coming out and about, across offices and the hospice site, across our community services and across our retail sites, I’m very much a believer in getting under the skin of an organisation through its people and so I’m looking forward to seeing, hearing, experiencing and learning about everything that we do.

 

A little bit about me, we I’m 51 (crikey!), married to Peter, and have two adopted children, Mason and Dylan.  I absolutely love dogs, and have four of them, Angel, Moose, Barney and Amber.  I live in Westhoughton, and was the CEO at Bolton Lads & Girls Club, a charity supporting children, young people and their families across Bolton, before joining Derian.  I may as well it get out there…. I’m a Man Utd supporter, don’t judge me, and quite like a glass of wine or two at the weekend.  Things that are important to me are integrity, compassion, respect and doing the right thing.

 

So what am I going to be doing ?

 

1. My first three months will really be about understanding all aspects of the charity, across all departments, and this will include talking to families and key stakeholders.  I’ll be building a picture of who we are, what we do, what our strengths are and where our areas for development are, and I’ll need each and every one of you to help complete that picture.  From this I’ll be pulling together my recommendations and thoughts going forward.
2. Many of you will know that the SMT and the Trustees had commissioned a scoping exercise to look at how we might develop the site, this was known as an option appraisal or a Fit for the Future report, this was paused when David left awaiting my arrival.  I’ll be getting up to speed on this and will share an update on the current position for all staff on this very soon.
3. I will revisit our Strategic Plan to make sure that its fit for purpose and relevant, and clearly outlines what our aims and objectives are, and we will do this through a series of focus groups, sessions and consultation to ensure that everyone’s voice can be included and heard.  It’s important for me that everyone owns the plan and is committed to playing their part in its success.

 

Please do drop me an email, or give me a shout to say hello or send some feedback or even share some good news. Feel free to arrange to have a chat with me if you have ideas or concerns, I operate an open door policy and will always make time for our workforce.  I’ll also be chairing the We Are Derian group so please do come along.

 

I’m looking forward to working with all of you over the coming weeks, months and years, and together taking Derian House to its next exciting phase of development.

 

Keep being brilliant…..

 

Best wishes   Karen   Karen Edwards OBE Chief Executive Officer