Association of Chairs (AoC) has announced that Ros Oakley is leaving her position as chief executive, 10 years after setting the organisation up.
Oakley is one of the charity’s two co-founders, having began the charity in 2013 and increased its paying members to over 1,000.
She will leave the membership organisation, which supports chairs and vice chairs of charities and social enterprises, on 30 November.
There will not be an immediate recruitment to the role of chief executive. The AoC board has put in place a transitional plan and will use the time to develop its strategy which will inform the focus for the next CEO.
Oakley: Ability to step away ‘a key measure of success’
Oakley co-founded the AoC with Ruth Lesirge who came up with the idea of an organisation dedicated to chairs. Lesirge served as chair from September 2014 to September 2019 and is now AoC’s honourary president.
She said: “I’m very proud of how much the team at AoC has achieved in its first decade. We’ve gone from an idea to an organisation that has reached and helped tens of thousands of chairs and vice chairs.
“Most importantly, people tell us that our support has made a difference – enabled them to overcome a challenge or be inspired to do something better, that their organisation is stronger because of something AoC has offered them.
“10 years is an important milestone and I’ve decided it’s time for a new chapter, not just for AoC, but for me too. When Ruth Lesirge and I co-founded the charity we were both very clear that a key measure of success would be the ability to step away and see others take on the leadership.”
AoC said it has, with board consent, run a planned deficit budget for each of the last two years, but is now on course to break even this financial year.
Charity Commission data for the financial year ending 31 March 2022, puts its total income at £197,000 and total expenditure at £229,000.
Oakley added: “I’m pleased to say the staff team and trustees, led by our new chair Joe Saxton have the energy and ambition to make sure AoC’s impact accelerates further in the next decade, broadening and deepening the support AoC offers chairs and vice chairs.
“It's been a huge privilege to be AoC's chief executive. I've been inspired by the chairs we work with and I've learnt loads along the way. I am very grateful to our trustees and staff and all the people who have supported us with money, time, ideas, and goodwill. And especially to the four AoC chairs I’ve worked with.”
Chair: ‘Ros has worked tirelessly’
Joe Saxton, AoC's chair said: “Ros and Ruth saw the need for chairs to be recognised and supported. First as a volunteer, and then as CEO, Ros has worked tirelessly on behalf of chairs and vice chairs.
“As a CEO of a small charity, with a small team, she has had to turn her hand to everything. She has been a consistent voice speaking up for chairs and developing thinking on chairing.
“Collaboration has been key to her approach, she has steadily built a network of relationships and support that have made AoC a trusted organisation delivering real value. We are immensely grateful to her for her leadership and achievements and we are keen to build on these foundations.”
Over 10 years, AoC has brought in £1.4m of grant income and 4,500 people have joined AoC.
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