Testimonials

Deborah is a visionary, inspirational and inclusive leader. Her honest, open, positive and forward thinking approach enables her teams to deliver and exceed results. She instils confidence into her teams enabling them to perform consistently and at a high level. She is a pleasure to work with and someone who naturally creates loyalty in her teams.

Deborah led a newly appointed Board through the significant challenges of setting up a company and going live.  This demanded guidance, relentless legal and financial negotiations with multiple stakeholders as the Company was established as a stand alone subsidiary from the Council and considerable foresight regarding the future state of the business.  She chaired the organisation with passion, energy, an innovative mind and true focus on the goal of delivering better care for children.

Working with Deborah during the set up and first year of Brighter Futures for Children has been a delight. She has been a fantastic Chair. Deborah has an infectious energy and creativity which she brings to the table at every meeting or interaction, whether it be with senior executives and key stakeholders or customers - in our case children and their families. As a result she is brilliant at bringing together, working with, and developing new teams and organisations, with a clear focus, tenacity and sense of common endeavour and purpose.

I have known and worked with Deborah across a range of organisations – charitable, public sector and profit seeking – for almost three decades. She brings an enthusiasm and energy to everything she touches. Her positive and optimistic  ‘can do attitude’ is accompanied by an intellect which is second to none. She possesses that rare combination – an ability to analyse a situation with rigour and discipline and yet also see and empathise with the human and emotional context. As a result she is an adept coach and mentor for senior executive leaders. She is an accomplished chair who commands respect from all who work with her. It is a privilege to work with her. She has taught me much.

Deborah is a highly skilled networker with an innate ability to effectively connect individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and focus their skills and enthusiasms on a common goal.  She sees opportunities for collaboration where others wouldn't and her warm and engaging personality inspires people to want to work with her and together.

A strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit, Deborah is a superb facilitator who brings out the best in the people she works with. Unfailingly enthusiastic and good humoured, Deborah is a joy to work with and repeatedly demonstrates her ability to grasp abstract concepts and use her vast network and knowledge to turn them into practical projects.

I have had the pleasure of working with Deborah for 3 years on the board of NCFE. Deborah brings impressive experience to the challenge of leading a board. She is a true visionary - looking to create novel and sustainable paths to growth, for both the organisation and its people.  Deborah never shies from the difficult decisions that accompany the role of Chair , she is a true collaborator and commands the respect of all she works with.