Following an early career in finance, I moved to Shelter and trained to become a housing advice worker. This involved two years volunteering, followed by a post responsible for the rural communities within North Nottinghamshire. In 1999 I became Deputy Manager of Shelter in Nottinghamshire, a post I held for two years until moving on to manage a general legal advice service in Sheffield in 2001. During my time in this post I secured significant new income for the charity, developed new contracts and managed a building purchase and renovation project.
In 2006 I took over the role of General Manager at Our Celebration in York. In addition to the general management, finance and fundraising functions, I successfully managed the organisational change necessary to move the service away from ‘day service’ type activity to recovery-focussed projects that integrated individuals back into the community. In 2011 I led the merger with York & District Mind, creating a new, unified service for York.
After moving on from York Mind in October 2013, I spent a year as Director of Development at The Retreat working at senior level with responsibility for maximising new opportunities, sales, marketing and communications in a charity carrying an international reputation for excellence going back to 1796. After a short spell of consultancy work I took up the role of Chief Exec at Hill and East Yorkshire Mind in early 2015 where I worked on developing the charity, expanding its housing provision, registered as a housing association and established a trading company deliver specialist regulated care.
In December 2018 I joined Teesside Hospice as Chief Exec and have spent my time there focussing on financial sustainability, growing the retail and fundraising income and ensure the hospice plays an active role in the wider health and social care system.
I have volunteered on several management committees, including York CAB, a housing association, live at home scheme for the elderly, an out of school club, a voluntary sector umbrella organisation, and Your Consortium Limited (formerly North Yorkshire Learning Consortium). I am currently a trustee at Hospice UK and ACEVO (Association of Chief Execs in Voluntary Organisations)
My philosophy in life is to do the very best with what we have available. Within the charity sector I have strong beliefs that we should evidence the impact we have on the individuals we work with and do things because we know they work, not because they have always been done in the same way. Helping to shape the strategic environment for the benefit of our beneficiaries is a fundamental part of my work.
When not working I indulge my geek tendencies to the max with lots of sci-fi, movies and an ever growing collection of 1980’s computers that I renovate and tinker with!
David Smith 