Taylor Root UK Trustee Network: Interview with Fleur Al Jayousi

What does your charity do?

I am a Trustee of a Multi-Academy Trust Board called the Kingston Educational Trust and an advisory board member supporting an organisation called “Be the Business”.  For the purposes of this interview, I will focus on TAG Youth Club where I am the Chair of the Board of Trustees.  

TAG is a youth club open to children, young people and young adults between the ages of 8-25 years.   

TAG started almost 25 years ago, with a group of parents who got together to create an inclusive space for their disabled children to socialise. From those humble beginnings, TAG has now grown to over 250 members and supports over 750 family members.  

Our priority is for our members to have fun and the club is now so much more than an inclusive space for members to meet.  TAG now makes many activities available to young disabled people that would not ordinarily be available to them (such as climbing, skiing, archery, parkour, scootering and skateboarding). Our activities provide members with opportunities to meet new people, make friends, learn social skills and develop confidence and independence to take on the world!  

What motivated you to become a Trustee of this not-for-profit organisation? 

Back in 2014, when I was the General Counsel of Carillion Canada, I attended a course (at a firm called Blakes) aimed at providing female GCs with the tools to become board members. Through that course, I became really interested in joining a board so that I could work towards a NED portfolio career in later life. Unfortunately, that plan was interrupted by the high-profile collapse of Carillion plc, which also affected Carillion Canada, so I moved back to the UK in 2018. The seed, however, had been planted and I joined Women on Boards a few years later, with the aim of finding a board role in the UK.   

I’ve always been told that most board roles come through your existing network and that’s been true for me. My role at ‘Be the Business’ came through my membership with Women on Boards, while my positions as Chair of TAG Youth Club and Trustee of the Kingston Educational Trust were both secured through personal connections to TAG and the Trust. 

Although I was initially motivated by a desire to build some experience to secure a NED portfolio career in the future, I really enjoy all of my board roles and love the feeling of making a difference/the sense of purpose I get from the roles. 

In what ways do you see your role as a Trustee complementing your professional responsibilities as a General Counsel?

My role as Chair of TAG means I am responsible for overseeing all the workings of the charity, so that covers all aspects of running a business: from finance to business development and marketing, human resources and recruitment of Trustees, through to management of the board, legal, strategy and so much more. 

I see this as being incredibly complimentary to a General Counsel role. As General Counsel, you have already had exposure to all the various functions of a business and can understand their challenges.  Also, as General Counsel, we liaise with the board on many matters – what better way to understand a board’s priorities, than by being part of a board yourself.  

What do you perceive as the primary benefits of serving as a Trustee of a not-for-profit organisation from a personal and professional standpoint? 

Personally, I find it incredibly rewarding. I don’t view any of the board work I do as work – it is very enjoyable. I really enjoy leading our board of Trustees and our management team at TAG. They are a fabulous group.  There is a completely different dynamic when you are working with people who are volunteers and genuinely want to make a positive difference to people’s lives, to that experienced in a corporate environment. I also have a great sense of pride, gained from helping to grow a charity and make a great charity even better. 

Our charity is quite small, so we can make positive changes quite quickly and the impact of those changes are also felt quickly.

Professionally, as I mentioned above, my role as Chair of TAG means I am responsible for overseeing all the workings of the charity, so that covers all aspects of running a business. This is great experience for my executive role, which involves liaising with boards and functions. The role also provides me with a different kind of leadership experience to that in the legal sector and I am hoping the role will also pave the way for paid board roles later on in my career.

What advice would you give to other General Counsels considering becoming a Trustee of a not-for-profit organisation?

Don’t hold yourself back if you feel ready.  I delayed starting this journey as I always suspected that I wouldn’t have time and that I might join a board later on in life. If it’s something you are interested in, and you have a passion or a personal connection to the charity, you will find the time.   I thoroughly recommend starting your journey sooner rather than later.  It is an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience, but it’s important to choose a not-for-profit that is the right fit for you, so it is worth taking some time to find the right role.   

If you are interested in a Trustee role or are looking to hire a Trustee position, please get in touch with Sarah Ingwersen to find out more.

If you would like to join our Trustee network, find out more here. 

We want to reiterate that this is not a paid service and forms part of our referral programme.