Our Board of Directors and Trustees

The Board of Directors and Trustees


Governance Role and Responsibilities

Action in Mind is a charitable company limited by guarantee. In 1987 it was registered as a charity with the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR) and as a company, limited by guarantee, with Companies House in 1994.

We revised and adopted our Memorandum and Articles of Association at the charity’s AGM on 23 September 2015.

For purposes of charity law, the directors of the Board are also charity trustees. They are elected each year and confirmed at the Annual General Meeting. Any trustee and director can stand for re-election. The Board may co-opt to vacancies during the year. The office-bearers (Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer) are elected by the Board.

The Board has overall responsibility for the strategic management of the charity.

A scheme of delegation is in place and day to day responsibility for the charity is carried out by the Senior Management Team.

The Board are responsible for ensuring that the company fulfills its charitable objectives as set out within the strategic plan and that services are delivered to the highest standards of care to people at risk of, experiencing or recovering from mental ill health.


Recruitment and Selection of Trustees and Directors

The Board is committed to ensuring that trustees and directors bring a complement of skills and experience to ensure good governance of the charity, recognising not only their strategic role and purpose but also their legal responsibilities. It is essential for the charity that Board members bring specific knowledge, skills and experience in areas of charity and company law, employment law, financial management and audit, fundraising and income generation, marketing and business development, including setting up trading companies or social enterprises.

We particularly welcome interest of individuals joining the board who have personal experience themselves of mental ill-health as we see this invaluable to keeping us grounded in working towards our charitable objectives.

 

Board of Directors and Trustees

 


DES FRIEL
BA, MSc, MBA Chair, Trustee and Director

Des is former local government Chief Officer with over 16 years’ experience at Director and Head of Service level. His areas of responsibility included young people, community development and regeneration, employability, economic development, city centre management, advice services, criminal justice, sport and leisure, safer communities, adult learning, local area coordination and alcohol and drugs Services.

He is a past Chair of Central Scotland Institute of Sport. He was also involved with various national groups set up by COSLA and the Scottish Government.

He has extensive experience in budgeting, service redesign, project management, community engagement, partnership working, strategic planning, commissioning and community planning.

Des strongly supports service user engagement in the planning and delivery of services they use. He has particular interests in young people’s mental health issues and employability.

 


BETH HAMILTON
Vice Chair

Beth has been a manager within the NHS for over 35 years. She is an Associate of the Institute of Health Management and achieved an MBA 10 years ago. Her career has covered a wide range of environments including acute hospital management, project management, establishment of Regional Care Networks, leading mental Health services in Dundee, as well as a secondment to the Scottish Government as Advisor in Mental Health.

Beth brings a range of skills covering management of organisations and in particular knowledge of current mental health issues and policy, particularly at a national level. She has been involved in developing commissioning strategies on a city wide basis from the perspective of statutory services and experience of working with the third sector in focusing development to provide services to meet these policies.

Mental health is not simply a professional environment in which she works, but is also a personal interest whereby she wishes to see mental health become destigmatised and for people with mental health challenges to feel supported in receiving the additional care and support when it is needed.

She has been a member of the Children’s Hearing Panels for over three years which has served to enhance her wish to make a positive step in making that support available across her own community.

Beth has two grown up sons, who are making her proud on an ongoing basis and has a long-standing love for dogs. She currently has four, who are not only her companions but, as she says, her personal exercise coaches. Any free time she has is spent reading and the occasional painting when the creative mood takes her.


 

MHARI RIDDELL
Fundraiser, Trustee and Director, Ex-Service User

Mhari was a client at Action in Mind for 16 years, receiving support to overcome anxiety, depression, agoraphobia and PTSD. Moving from a rural area to Stirling a few years ago has also helped in her recovery.

Following the support she received Mhari decided she wanted to give something back, and so stepped up her fundraising efforts and awareness raising of the charity. She was invited to The Scottish Parliament to take part in a radio discussion show with MP’s and asked a question about the lack of funding in Mental Health Services, especially children’s services.

Mhari was delighted to receive awards from Action in Mind - The Andy Lawless Award for Changing Attitudes Towards Mental Health and also a Volunteer of the Year Award. She is currently studying an online course in Mental Health Awareness, and looks forward to continuing fundraising and raising awareness for the Charity and mental health issues in the local area.