WHY TALL SHIPS YOUTH TRUST?
In my own youth I benefitted immensely from group collaboration learning activities. In particular, in the form of music through which we developed our playing together, gained confidence through performing, learned to welcome newcomers from all backgrounds and made lifelong friends.
The opportunity to join Tall Ships Youth Trust as a trustee, came at a time when I was looking to ‘rebalance’ the mix of family time, professional life, increased charitable activity and music. I could immediately see the importance and social value of the charity’s work with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and the resonance with my own collaborative experiences with young people. I strongly believe that successful collaborative skills-building goes a long way to building confidence in young people that can help them with direction, social skills and values in their adult lives.
BACKGROUND
I was born in North London although, my family originate from the west of Ireland. In my 20s, I joined the then Inland Revenue, which later became HMRC. I spent 20 years with the tax authority and gained first-hand experience in analysing financial statements, business financing and international tax. In 2009, I moved into professional services and have been a ‘Big Four’ partner since 2012.
I’m married with two teenage sons and we live in Buckinghamshire. My wife, Bettina, is from Jutland, Denmark and we spend a lot of our spare time enjoying the Baltic coast and life at a different pace. Both our sons are fluent Danish speakers.
My experience on the water is limited to motor boats and I have a Level 2 RYA Powerboat handling qualification. My pastimes, include rugby (supporting, not playing), developing my Danish language ability, recreational cycling and getting outdoors as much as possible. My favourite pastime, is Irish traditional music, which I’ve been playing since an early age and perform to support related community-interest causes.
