"It has been an absolute honour." | Upbeat Communities' CEO Andrew Jackson to Step Down After 7 Years of Leadership
Upbeat Communities announces that Andrew Jackson, its Chief Executive, will be stepping down from his role after more than seven years in post. Andrew has worked with Upbeat Communities since 2006, initially as a non-executive director, and since 2017 as CEO.
During his time leading the charity, Andrew has made significant contributions to Upbeat Communities, expanding the support it offers to asylum seekers and refugees in Derby and the East Midlands, and growing the staff team from 7 to an overall workforce of over 70. The annual turnover of the charity has risen from under £300K to £1.4million during this time.
"It has been an absolute honour to lead Upbeat Communities and work alongside an incredible team and partners to make a difference to the lives thousands of people seeking sanctuary. This decision to step down comes after a long discernment period, but ultimately, I feel like it is the right time to hand on the running of the organisation to someone else, who can bring new gifts and skills to see the charity continue to grow and impact the lives of many.”
The Board of Trustees expressed gratitude for Andrew's leadership. Dave Priestley, Chair of Trustees commented: “As a Board, we are immensely grateful for Andrew's inspirational leadership of Upbeat Communities over the last 7 years. We have seen dynamic growth, both in terms of our income and development as an organisation, but much more significantly, growth in our reach and impact, providing vital support to thousands of asylum seekers and refugees, helping them to rebuild their lives.
Andrew has successfully led the charity through some recent turbulent times, including COVID, multiple humanitarian emergencies (Afghanistan and Ukraine) and a cost-of-living crisis. During this period, Upbeat has extended its breadth and depth of provision to some of the most vulnerable in our society, producing life enhancing outcomes.”
Recruitment for a New Leader
The charity is now embarking on the search for a new CEO who will lead Upbeat Communities into its next phase of impact and growth. The recruitment process will be conducted in partnership with Green Park – a leading executive recruitment and organisational consulting company, known for its focus on promoting diverse and inclusive leadership teams.
Dave Priestley commented: “We have now focused our attentions on recruiting the next leader for the charity, who will take Upbeat into its next strategic stage of growth and development. We sincerely thank Andrew for the investment of his considerable skills and energy, which have certainly set the charity on a strong footing for the future."
Looking Forward
Upbeat Communities seek to appoint a new Chief Executive in the coming months; Andrew plans to remain in post until the new person is in role. This will ensure both stability and continuity for the Charity.
For further information about the transition, please get in touch with Dave Priestley, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Upbeat Communities: dave@upbeatcommunities.org
Further information about the recruitment is available here - https://micro.green-park.co.uk/upbeatcommunities - for further information please get in touch with Valentina Serra, Senior Consultant at Green Park: valentina.serra@green-park.co.uk.