Greg Ellison has been appointed chairman of the board of Junior Achievement Isle of Man.
Mr Ellison, who is chief executive of the Boston Group and has been a non-executive Junior Achievement board member for more than five years, succeeds Jim Dale who now holds the role of patron.
Praising Mr Dale’s contribution to the charity Mr Ellison said: ‘Jim was chairman for more than six years and in that time he transformed Junior Achievement, strengthening the board of directors and governance processes and bringing in Sue Cook as chief executive. Having created a legacy of changing every aspect of the organisation for the better and delivering improvements across the whole operation Jim is a very hard act to follow.’
Mr Ellison said he hoped to attract a greater diversity to the board, develop more resilient fundraising mechanisms and for Junior Achievement to have greater influence at European level.
‘It’s important the board represents a wider cross section of the Island’s economic sectors. At the moment the majority of members are from the finance and professional services sectors, so I was pleased to see that Chris Allen, a senior figure from the engineering sector, had joined the board recently. I’d also like to see tourism and retail represented.’
Junior Achievement needs around ?300,000 a year to run its operation. ‘At present we’re heavily reliant on fundraising events and the good will of sponsors. In the future, though, I’d like our funding to be set on a broader-based longer-term footing; this will allow us to plan our resources better and increase our reach in schools.’
Mr Ellison also has his sights set firmly on seeing an Isle of Man student team lifting the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year trophy. ‘My hope is for our Company of the Year winners not merely to represent the Island in Europe at the finals but to win the competition outright.
‘We’re clearly on our way towards that goal with our winners this year, Simple Minds from Ballakermeen High School, being voted People’s Choice and team member Rio Allinson receiving one of only 15 JA-YE Europe Alumni Leadership awards at the July finals in Tallin.’
Mr Ellison said it was ‘a huge privilege’ to have been appointed chairman. ‘Together with Sue and my fellow board members I’ll be working towards seeing Junior Achievement increase its reach, delivering more programmes, more frequently to more students.’
Photo - Greg Ellison, the new chairman of the JA IOM board. Picture Andrew Barton.
