Chair of the Board of Trustees

Valerie Surgenor,
Chair of the Aberlour Board

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the role of Chair of Trustees at Aberlour Child Care Trust.

My name is Valerie Surgenor and I have been the Chair of the Board of Directors for 6 years. Before that I was member of the Aberlour Board of Directors for the previous 5 years. Despite the demands of being a Partner at MacRoberts LLP, supporting Aberlour through fulfilling the role of Chair of the Board of Directors has been a much-loved part of my life. However, it is now time to give someone else the opportunity to lead this fantastic organisation.  

Too many children in Scotland don’t have real chances to make the most of education and schooling or to develop into confident adults who can gain employment and pursue careers or start businesses of their own. There are many children whose families are living in situations which present real challenges to them being able to fully support the development of their children. Aberlour’s mission is to challenge inequality and support children living with adversity and facing discrimination to flourish.

The children, young people and families that Aberlour work with deserve the very best support that we can give and that is why we want to recruit a Chair of the Board of Trustees who can provide not only the best leadership to the Board, but ensure a place of open discussion and debate, and provide support to the Chief Executive and Senior Management team whilst ensuring that the board can be confident in its role in challenging and holding the executive to account.

We have an ambitious plan in place to reach more children and grow the size and influence of Aberlour.  We have an exciting future ahead and it is the board of trustees who have ultimate responsibility for the organisations strategy, growth as well as its stability. This is why the role of the Chair is so critical to Aberlour and to its continued success.

The Chair of the Board requires to be a values driven person with an unswerving commitment to the vision of Aberlour. You will be someone who understands the importance of building relationships and reflecting the value base of Aberlour. You will have strong communication and organisational skills including experience of chairing large meetings with busy agendas, a commitment to building strong teams, a partnership approach in supporting the Chief Executive role and the senior team, a strong understanding of developing strategy and a commitment to support our campaigning activities through using networking and influencing skills. 

This microsite should provide you with all the details that you need to be able to consider Aberlour as your future employer. However, if you need any further information please contact Catriona Mackie at Aspen People on 0141 212 7555 in the first instance.

If you have leadership experience and have contributed at Board Level and are excited about making a significant contribution to Aberlour through the role of the Chair, then I’d be delighted to read your application.

Valerie Surgenor
Chair of the Aberlour Board