A welcome from our Chair, Anne-Louise Clark

Dear applicant

Thank you for your interest in the role of Trustee with Platfform. We are looking to recruit a number of new Trustees to our Board which we intend to do in two tranches over the next twelve months. As we complete a merger with the Mayday Trust, we bring our learning and experience together and expand our work in Wales into England. It is a busy and exciting time.

I joined the Platfform Board in 2020. I was initially attracted to Platfform because of the organisation’s purpose and ambition, and the clarity of its strategy. It was clear we had a shared value and commitment to social justice. This is very much at the heart of our thinking and actions.

I was particularly taken by the honesty of Platfform’s anti-racism statement. This not only acknowledges being part of the problem but sets out an action plan, demonstrating a commitment to becoming an anti-racist organisation. We still have much to do and as Chair part of my role is to ensure we stretch our ambitions and do not become complacent.

I stepped into the Chair role in September 2023, following in the footsteps of Ubongabasi Obot. I am proud to be part of the leadership of an organisation where we strive to live our values in all that we do, and work hard to deliver on ambition. I am also so happy that we do the work, even when it’s tough with smiles on our faces, with kindness and humour. We work hard, and we laugh a lot.

For me, the culture of our Governance sets the bar for what we expect from the rest of the Platfform team – our values of connectedness, compassion, bravery, and curiosity are how we do our business together.

We are welcoming, open, honest, and kind to each other. Our meetings, whilst focused and well-structured, are relatively informal and relaxed, encouraging diversity of thought plus opportunities for innovation.

We meet as a full Board every six weeks and have two standing committees, the Governance and Remuneration Committee and the Business Resilience Committee, which meet four times a year. We are keeping this structure under review as we ensure our governance is fit for now and the future – so things might change.

We are growing fast and we need to ensure robust scrutiny whist ensuring there is enough time at full board meetings for generative thinking, strategy and a deep understanding of our impact, influence and delivery of our purpose.

We expect high standards of papers and presentation from our CEO and the executive team, and we keep things moving at pace. We expect preparation, attendance, and engagement from our Trustees.

I thank you again for your interest in our work and wish you well with your application. If you would like an informal discussion about the role, you are welcome to talk to Ewan Hilton our CEO. You can arrange a time for a call with him by contacting Heidi O’Driscoll, Executive Team PA, at heidiodriscoll@platfform.org.

With my best wishes,

Anne-Louise Clark
Chair of Board of Trustees