Philip Ingleby is our new Chair of Trustees
Following the retirement of Terry O’Leary, who has chaired our Board of Trustees for the last eight years, we’re thrilled to introduce you to our new Chair of Trustees, Philip Ingleby.
Philip is already well known to our hospice having served four years with us as a Trustee. In this time, Philip has closely supported our mission to reach more local people in need of hospice services. As part of this he has been a central figure in two of our Board sub-committees. He has also supported fundraising events and contributed to our new build programme.
Through his regular participation in our Quality Committee Philip understands the valued work our hospice does in support of local GPs, District Nursing Teams and the hospital team at Redhill. In addition, as Chair of our Financial Sustainability Committee, he has a detailed understanding of the income and costs associated with running a hospice that serves over 2,000 people each year.
But beyond his achievements as a Trustee what makes Philip tick and why did he put himself forward to be our new Chair? We spoke to him to find out more.
“I’m originally from Horsham and attended Forest School and Collyer’s there – my family still live in and around the town. I’ve lived in Reigate for the last 20 years and before that was in Germany and London. I’m a chartered surveyor by profession and have worked in the management of professional services firms in the UK and elsewhere in Europe for over 35 years now.
My wife and I have three grown up children. I enjoy spending time outdoors, keeping fit and enjoying other hobbies like beekeeping and classic cars. I’m also a magistrate and sit in the courts in Brighton and Crawley.
My connection with St Catherine’s goes back to the founding of the hospice in the 1980’s. My parents were friends of John Ebdon who was one of the original founders and it has always been present in my life. I had the opportunity to become a Trustee four years ago and have greatly enjoyed getting involved. Much of this is down to working alongside the incredible people we have at the hospice, not just our wonderful employees but also the many volunteers who make this place so special. As mentioned above, I’m currently Chair of the Financial Sustainability Committee (FSC). This has a critical role overseeing the finances of the hospice and making sure we are positioned to serve the people in our area well into the future.
I decided to put myself forward for Chair as I felt that the experience I had built up as FSC chair would stand me in good stead and enable me to contribute towards leading the hospice into its next phase of development. Like most organisations in the health sector we have challenges ahead but we have great people and a strong leadership team. I feel confident that we are well placed to navigate our way through the coming years.”
Commenting on Philip’s appointment, Terry said, “I am delighted that Philip will succeed me as Chair of Trustees. Philip has a long association with St Catherine’s prior to joining as a Trustee in 2020. With his appointment, I am very confident that the future of our charity is in excellent hands.”
Giles added, “I have worked closely with Philip for the last four years. I have no doubt he will make an excellent Chair given his passion for our work and his appreciation of the significant challenge facing us and all UK hospices to remain sustainable with cost of living and inflationary pressures, so valued services continue for local people facing a vulnerable time in their lives.”
