Our Board
Aberdeen Cyrenians is a charity registered in Scotland with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (No: SC014849) and also a charitable company limited by guarantee (No: SCO70903). Our Directors are both Trustees of the Charity and Directors of the charitable Company.
Our Board is composed of a group of professionals from a diverse background, with a wide range of skills who give up their free time to support the charity in achieving its aims.
They are responsible for:
line management of our Chief Executive
working with the Leadership Team to set the strategic direction of the organisation
the overall governance of the charity and ensuring that both the charity and the company are legally compliant
management of the charity’s finances and ensuring its financial health.
Our Board has two sub-committees:
Finance and Investment - responsible for undertaking detailed reviews of the charity’s finances and making recommendations in relation to any investment decisions
Regulatory and Compliance - responsible for reviewing policy in relation to compliance and dealing with any regulatory and/or compliance issues delegated to them by the Board.
Both sub-committees are made up of Board Members and members of our Leadership Team.
Our Board are not remunerated in any way. They meet once a month, with the exception of June and December, but meet more regularly if there is a requirement to do so.
Our Board Members
CHAIRPERSON | Bruce Bricknell
Bruce joined our Board in 2017 and has served as our Vice-Chairperson since 2019 and Chairperson since 2021. He has over 30 years experience in the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry, primarily in the North Sea, although he has also gained international experience working with a variety of companies, from Supermajors and Independents to Consultants and the Service Industry. He graduated in Physics and initially worked as a Petroleum Engineer before gaining an MBA and moving into Commercial and Corporate roles. Bruce has extensive formal and informal leadership experience and is known for his authentic leadership style and skills in coaching, facilitation and mediation.
Bruce is a member of our Finance and Investment Sub-Committee.
VICE-CHAIRPERSON | Rebecca Walker
Rebecca joined our Board in 2016 and has served as our Chairperson since 2019 and Vice-Chairperson since 2021. She is a solicitor with a local Aberdeen firm, specialising in dispute resolution and insolvency law. Originally from New Zealand, Rebecca has lived in Aberdeen for over 10 years and has been an active supporter of local charities during that time.
Rebecca is a member of our Regulatory and Compliance Sub-Committee.
TREASURER | Alastair Bisset
Alastair joined our Board in 2019 and he currently serves as our Treasurer. He is an oil and gas industry professional who has held a number of different roles in his career to-date. Though born in Aberdeen, he grew-up in Elgin but moved back through here to attend University in 2002 and then joined the world of work thereafter. He’s involved with various community activities, through King’s Church in Aberdeen and also the Street Pastors initiative. He began volunteering with Aberdeen Cyrenians in 2009 as part of our Street Alternatives programme – running a rota for several volunteers from his work, which continued to support that service for almost 10 years. He is married, and he and his wife have 4 young children – all boys, so he tells us that the odds are good for at least one of them being a golfer!
Alastair is a member of our Finance and Investment Sub-Committee.
BOARD MEMBER | Lachlan Bursle
Lachlan joined our Board in 2022. An expert in investments and finance, he started his Financial Planning business to enable people focus their time on what’s important to them in their lives. Originally from Australia, he has braved the cold of Scotland since 2014 where he now resides in Aberdeenshire with his wife and son. When not talking or writing about finance you can find him exploring the countryside with family, watching rugby, or trying to learn new skills.
Lachlan is a member of our Finance and Investment Sub-Committee.
Join our Board
Do you share our values? Want to make a difference?
You can express interest in joining our Board by sending us a message below.
We welcome applications from people from all walks of life, but are particularly interested in hearing from applicants who have extensive work experience in Social Care or Social Work.
We also welcome applications from those with lived experience.
Please note that our Board are all volunteers so it may take a little time for them to get back to you, particularly during peak periods.
Requirements
Given the nature of our organisation and the vulnerable people that we support, all staff and volunteers (including our Board) are subject to background/reference checks and must undertake an enhanced Protecting Vulnerable Groups (“PVG”) check with Disclosure Scotland. We reserve the right to determine if charges/cautions/convictions affect your suitability for joining our Board.
To be eligible to join our Board you must:
be at least 18 years old
not previously have been removed as a trustee, or as a charity officer, agent or employee, by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (“OSCR”) or the High Court due to misconduct or mismanagement
be able to hold the position of Company Director and not previously have been disqualified
be of good financial standing and have no issues that would prevent you from becoming a Company Director, such as undischarged bankruptcy
provide us with two references and satisfactorily complete an enhanced PVG check
be of good character and work with and share our values.
We ask that you give consideration to the requirements of being a trustee of a charity - you can find more information on the website of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (“OSCR”).
We are a diverse organisation and our staff team and Board should represent the community that we serve, so we welcome applications from groups that are under-represented, including those with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ and BAME applicants and those with lived experience.
Recruitment Process
If you wish to make an application to join our Board, you should make an informal enquiry using the contact form below. We will then contact you to ask that you provide us with a copy of your CV and a cover letter (no more than 1 x A4 page) outlining why you wish to join our Board and what you believe you will bring in terms of your skills, qualities and experience.
If on initial review we wish you progress your application, a member of our Corporate Services team will contact you to arrange for you to come along and have a coffee and an informal meeting with our Chief Executive or a Board Director. We receive a large volume of applications at times and make appointments to our Board based on skills and experience. You should therefore note that not all applications to join our Board are successful. If your application is not successful, you are welcome to explore alternative volunteering opportunities with us.
If following the informal meeting we wish to progress your application, you will be invited to attend a Board Meeting as an observer. Thereafter, if you still wish to join our Board, you will be appointed in line with our Articles of Association, either by Director resolution or at our Annual General Meeting, subject to you meeting the requirements outlined above. You must at this stage apply to become a member of Aberdeen Cyrenians. Board Members are appointed for an initial three year term, and must be re-appointed every three years.