Manager, Inchgarth Community Centre

Paul O’ Connor MBE is the chair of ACVO’s board of trustees and has 29 years of experience managing organisations in the third sector.Having joined the board of  ACVO in December 2014, and being Chair since May 2020, Paul continues to volunteer his time in the city in addition to his day job of Managing Inchgarth community centre, which has been recognised by the Queen’s Award for voluntary service. Paul is a strong advocate of the vital role ACVO plays in Aberdeen and our sector – his simple message is to get involved, see what ACVO can do for you and what you can do for your city and communities.

Managing Director, TechFest

Sarah Chew, managing director at TechFest, is passionate about developing young people and the wider community, particularly within the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. With TechFest, Sarah has worked to encourage young audiences and ensure all young people reach a positive destination and especially highlight the benefits of a career in these sectors. With a BSc in psychology and a MSc in Marketing, Sarah has a wide range of knowledge across the business sector and how to engage with various audiences, promoting education and engagement with audiences in a fun and enjoyable way.

Head of Property & Asset Management, NHS Grampian

Gerry is Head of Property & Asset Development at NHS Grampian and is an experienced Director/Senior Manager  within  both the private and public sectors. Gerry also chairs the Health Action Plan Steering group within Grampian which has a particular focus on access to healthcare and the impact on healthcare from transportation and currently sits on the Nestrans Board as one of the non-council Board members. Gerry has sat on several private sector Boards and led the establishment of hub North Scotland a collaboration of the public and private sectors working in partnership.

Lord Provost, Aberdeen City Council

David is currently an elected Member of Aberdeen City Council and has been since 2012. Previously he was a non-executive Member of NHS Grampian Board for 7 years and the last 4 years as Chairman of the Board. During the same time, David was also a non-executive director of the UK Food Standards Agency. He has run his own Food Safety Training and Consultancy Business, with his wife, since 1990 and prior to that was a member of Academic Staff at RGIT (now RGU).

David has been Lord Provost of Aberdeen since 2022 and takes pleasure in celebrating the achievements of the third sector in the city.

Manager, Aberdeen Care and Repair Services

Prior to joining Castlehill Housing, Karen had various roles in customer focused services within both private and public sectors including, health, housing and energy gaining a wealth of experience across all sectors.  Over the last 22 years she has worked in the third sector managing and delivering services to vulnerable people, and been involved in the changing face of third sector, moving from fully funded services to develop services that income generate around 40% of total costs. Over the years, Karen has volunteered on various Committee’s/Charitys including community groups, playgroups, ABSAFE, CIYP, as well as overseeing the Services own charity and fundraising.

Chief Executive Officer, Avenue

Cliff is a highly experienced leadership professional and is currently Head of Development for a national mental health charity. His career has focused on developing and managing health and social care services at both local and national level within the third sector. He has particular interest in specialist mental health and suicide intervention services, as well as experience developing crisis and emergency response services both here in the UK and internationally. Born and raised in Garthdee, Cliff began his volunteering career as a cadet with St Andrews Ambulance Association whist still in primary school and has been a passionate supporter of the voluntary sector ever since.