This week is Trustees' Week (1-5 November), an annual event which highlights the wonderful work Trustees do and encourages others to get involved and make a difference. 

Here at Aspens we have ten fantastic Trustees who volunteer their time for us and benefit our charity enormously by providing invaluable support and guidance through their wide breadth of skills and expertise in a variety of fields such as law, marketing, technology and finance. We take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to them all for all the vital work they do for Aspens. 

Throughout the week we're hearing from some of our Trustees and learning what their role involves, what they enjoy about it and why others should consider becoming a Trustee, and today we hear from Aspens' Trustee, Ian Arnold. 

Ian held senior roles at Camelot Group plc and Playtech plc, before joining one of the Big 4 consulting practices to advise UK clients on governance, risk and compliance.  He also owns and runs a private consulting business and, as well as being a Trustee for Aspens, is Chair of a Community Interest Company.  Ian  is committed to using his expertise in technology, regulation and auditing to support Aspens as a Trustee.

"As A Trustee my role is to objectively help steer the Charity’s leadership to operate professionally, fairly and to communicate transparently with stakeholders. I'm also a member of the Financial Accounting and Reporting committee, so this includes considering the ongoing financial health of the charity.

I have always supported the Third Sector through a variety of ways but never in a Governance sense and feel that I can make a valuable contribution along with my fellow Trustees. I am blessed with 3 daughters and becoming a parent over 20 years ago prompted me to buckle down at work and I have held several leadership positions since then.  I have also had health setbacks that were challenges to overcome but are now in the past.  Now I have a lot of business experience (I am a director at a global business as a risk consultant) and compassion (through my strong faith) in equal measure which are very important in your role as a Trustee.

I think others should consider becoming a Trustee as there is so much talent that could be used to further the work of different organisations and it takes people to step forward and choose to be involved, which in return is very enriching for us as Trustees.

The best thing about being a Trustee for Aspens is the people you meet.  I spent time at the head office this summer and met so many amazing characters and people committed to the Charity. It is such a diverse organisation you can’t sum it up without experiencing it in person."

Ian Arnold

Find out more about #TrusteesWeek and ways you can get involved here.