Welcome to new trustee Simon Riddiford

We recently welcomed three new trustees to the Aspens' board: Joanna Ford, Simon Riddiford and Harriet Smith.

To help get to know our new trustees a little better, we'll be sharing a Q & A interview with each of them over the next few weeks. 

This week we feature Simon Riddiford, who is recently retired following a 40-year career in the aerospace industry.

1. What inspired you to become a trustee for Aspens?

Throughout my professional career I enjoyed working with multi-disciplinary teams to overcome really challenging problems. When I retired, I wanted to find ways to share some of the lessons I've learned in support of the non-profit sector. I now hope to help Aspens' executive team with some of their very immediate challenges in an increasingly difficult environment for the voluntary sector, and also to help explore new opportunities to support our beneficiaries even more effectively.

2. What do you do in your career and tell us about your professional background?

I am now retired, having spent 40 years working for companies that design and manufacture a vast range of aircraft equipment ranging from cockpit displays, airborne computing and sensor systems all the way though to aircraft braking systems. I worked initially as a design and development engineer before taking on roles in project management, sales and marketing, strategy development and deployment, technology planning as well as getting involved in mergers and acquisitions. Looking back, the work was really varied, and always challenging.   
 

3. What is the most important skill that you bring as a trustee for Aspens?

 I've learned that most challenges can be best overcome when teams are fully aligned on what the problem they are trying to resolve really is, take time out to identify what the root causes of the problem are, and have a good understanding of what success would look like - rushing to quick solutions does not always turn out well. The skill I hope to bring as a trustee is to constructively question, to offer alternative perspectives, to help agree priorities, and to offer support to the team when maybe things are not going as well as they had hoped.    

4. Why is Aspens’ work and our vision for an inclusive society where people on the autism spectrum and those with learning disabilities can thrive as part of their local community so important to you?

5. What are you looking forward to about being a trustee for Aspens?

Seeing and celebrating the individual successes, big and small, that result from Aspens' work.

6. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I am a rugby enthusiast, in particular a keen follower of my home town rugby team, Gloucester, who I have been watching for more years than I am prepared to admit to: always a roller coaster experience! My wife and I enjoy walking with our sometimes-reluctant Norfolk Terrier - he is less reluctant when either, or both, of our adult sons join us.

7. What’s something surprising that not many people know about you?

8. What is your favourite food?

That is a far too difficult a question, I love the variety that enjoying many different cuisines offers.

9. If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and why?

10. Tell us a joke