Hafan Cymru is a charitable association with a charitable purpose, providing housing and support to women, men and young people across Wales. Primarily working with those in crisis to help them regain their independence by offering a complete package of support provisions, and helping them with a wide range of needs. These needs can often be as complex as physical, or psychological abuse, those recovering their mental health, ex-offenders, substance misusers, or care leavers.
When I arrived at Hafan Cymru as its Chief Executive Officer in January 2016, I found an organization that had forgotten to look after itself. The company was suffering financially and culturally, nearing the point of no return. I did not expect to find a business that was failing due to a lack of leadership, financial controls, and complacency. It was clear to me that between the reality of the marketplace and the business’s ability to act within that reality, something fractured until it was nearly too late to fix. It was a difficult time, particularly the first 12 months, as I experienced a number of barriers and blockages from within the business. However, I did successfully tackle the cash flow issues with the support of the Head of Finance, who, in my opinion, had not been allowed previously to implement much-needed financial controls in order to ensure there was tight cost management and transparency. Together we introduced new financial processes and procedures to tighten up the costs and expenditure of the business as we were bleeding money. A plan was introduced to ensure we addressed every aspect of the business and within a two-year period, we managed to successfully turn the organisation to the sustainable thriving business we are today. Hafan Cymru is also in the process of rebranding and relaunching its business in the changed reflection of what it has become today.
I am an accomplished executive with a track record of success in Business Development and Project Management while working for a variety of Government Bodies and private sector organizations. I have worked closely with local and national governments in a number of social and political arenas and my specialization lies within people and business development. Through my years of experience, I have developed an excellent understanding of the ‘Learning Culture’ and the various methodologies involved and I am very passionate about organizational development/growth and relationship building, having worked for many years in this field with various businesses.
