Here in the Channel Islands, the COOP is more than just a shop - it is a real part of our community, and that is something we need to protect.  

My commitment to the Channel Islands Coop is evident from my career history: after two years of working in professional services organisations, I  returned to providing HR support in retail and that was here, at the Coop. Although I chose to be a stay at home mum when the children were younger, I always missed the Coop - the people, the values, the sense of purpose and belonging that working here gave me so I applied for the role of non-executive director, which I was delighted to get. I often tell people that the position was the best decision I have ever made career wise and I stick by that - being a NED at the Coop allowed me to bring together all the knowledge I had gained working in a large retailer in the UK, plus my experience from professional services organisations and everything I learned in the UK when I was involved in recruiting and developing pharmacists and store managers. I felt very fortunate to have had that operational and practical experience in retail that I could team with my HR qualifications, which were more theoretical and strategic. I completed my Masters whilst working as HR Manager for the Coop and my dissertation was based on our recruitment needs, so I am very familiar with the issues faced by the Coop when looking for the right team members and I am also very aware of the challenges faced by the team members as I always made sure to walk around stores in both my HR and NED roles and am happy to say that people still say hello and remember me now. 

Whilst I was a NED with the Coop, I completed the IoD Certificate in Company Direction - this means I am fully versed in the responsibilities being a Director brings and that I first learned about this, relating it to this very organisation. Since this role ended in 2019, I have worked as an HR Consultant and an HR Director for a large charity that has a multinational presence but is headquartered in Jersey. These roles - especially during COVID - have given me a lot of experience that could benefit the Coop. As an HR consultant, it is a privilege to be able to see the workings of different companies, their policies, their board dynamics and their strategies all at the same time and while navigating the same external challenges - it teaches you to look at things from many angles; to be a critical friend to those you work with and to foresee unintended consequences when considering options. 

I have a really keen interest in fairness and I chair a subcommittee of a local branch of a professional membership committee - the subcommittee looks at diversity, equity and inclusion . This covers everything from the legally protected characteristics to looking at how accessible food and education are if you are in a lower income family and getting businesses to discuss how these issues can be improved and how barriers can be broken down. I believe the Channel Islands Coop plays a great part in helping to break down some of those barriers and I believe I could add to that by joining the board once more with the knowledge and experience I have gained in recent years.  

There has obviously been a lot of press attention in the last year and many changes since I left in 2019 - I am keen to understand those changes and the reasons behind them. 

As well as the professional experiences I have detailed and perspectives I have gained from working with different organisations, I am also a mother and a small business owner so I am acutely aware of the pressures facing many of our islanders in terms of inflation and balancing the need for nutritious food with making sure our families don’t go hungry. 

If I am lucky enough to be elected for this role again, I commit to always looking at everything from the following perspectives: 

The customers  

The employees 

The Coop and our members 

The community  

The environment  

I hope the above shows that I am standing for election because I have not only skills and experience that could benefit the Coop but because I actually really care about it. 

Many thanks for reading this far.