Marcia, welcome to ella Forums! It was great to have you join us for our Strategy Day in London, tell us about yourself:
I am currently the CEO of a Charity in Birmingham that provides holistic support and refuge to women suffering domestic abuse. I also have a coaching business BlueSky Executive Coaching, where I support Business owners and Entrepreneurs.
At the time of joining the charity, leadership development was one of the main objects, recognising as women we are often a leader in our own homes. The programme focused on utilising the instinctive leadership skills we have within us. I had always found myself in leadership roles, at church, school, and in my family after participating in WAITS leadership workshops I began to see skills like decision-making, negotiation, delegation and presenting were already inside me and are a part of my life.
Before going into senior management, I had a role within the charity as a community organiser. I enjoyed supporting women to develop community-based support and campaign groups, seeing women grow as leaders, and becoming active citizens in their communities. I have continued developing and delivering leadership programmes for the last 30 years.
I am passionate about people, I love that while we are our own unique individuals, as humans we have the same traits, fears, and passions the world over. I am often in roles either chairing meetings or initiating a project to support others, and their commonalities, as opposed to what separates them, is a joy to see.
How long have you been a member of ella Forums and what’s been the most impactful memory?
I have been a member of ella Forums since 2016, my most impactful memory was attending my first conference. Meeting leaders, who are like me, from all sizes of charities and all doing amazing work. We were treated to a day of inspiration and thought-provoking business ideas and strategies – many of the things I have since used in my leadership role.
If someone was to ask the question ‘why become a member of ella Forums?’ What would you say?
When you join ella Forums, you join a group of CEO’s and executives who have the same tensions and demands no matter their size or services. You can gain access to expert speakers who give insights into business development and project management tools, with application and experience on a personal level that enable you to adopt learning and measure success.
Being amongst your peers you have the opportunity to learn and guide each other.
Lastly, what made you join the Board at ella Forums and what is your mission?
Effective leaders operate outside of solely executing policies and process. Effective leaders need resilience, cultural intellect (CI) and emotional intelligence (EI) to be effective in building and leading teams. ella Forums’ integrated approach facilitates the development of leaders to achieve measurable results. My mission on the board is to represent our members, keep the board abreast of the views of the members and to ensure their views are taken into account when planning and developing ella Forums’ strategies.