Our Bedfordshire homelessness charity Emmaus Village Carlton was recently delighted to welcome Rob Avann as our new Chief Executive.
Rob brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience of charity leadership and governance, having been Chief Executive of the Open University Students Association for the last eight years. Rob is also an active trustee of two other charities and a mentor to new charity chief executives. Before joining the charity sector, he previously worked in leading and managing community safety partnerships and commissioning support services for victims of crime.
Rob will be overseeing Emmaus Village Carlton’s current operations, continuing our work supporting people to overcome homelessness and social exclusion. Future plans include a review of our charity’s strategy and a potential repurposing of our site’s former chapel into a workshop, art studio and a space for training and meetings.
Speaking about his appointment, Rob said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Emmaus Village Carlton. It is an immense privilege to be given the opportunity to lead a charity with such a fantastic mission, especially given the current spiralling cost of living crisis which means our work has never been more important or more relevant. Our site has huge potential for the future, but we must also reach out and play a wider role in tackling homelessness locally across our area, working together with other partners and other Emmaus communities.”
“I’m grateful to the trustees for choosing me to lead us on this next stage of our journey. I am excited by the challenges and opportunities which lay ahead. The level of support we have from the local community is absolutely fantastic and we couldn’t do what we do without them.”
If you spot Rob when you next visit Emmaus Village Carlton, please do say hello.