Peter Moss, a businessman who works as a charity leader mentor through the business link charity Pilotlight, uses his own work to illustrate the advantages to business people themselves to mentor and coach senior charity executives, and how they should be aware of certain charity contexts so as to maximise their personal contribution.
Pilotlight is a charity which connects Pilotlighters (its business members) with charities to unlock solutions that help them become more effective and sustainable. Since 2003 the charity has worked with more than 1,800 Pilotlighters like myself who have served as mentors and coaches for over 800 charities and social enterprises in the UK, all tackling disadvantage.
A large proportion of Pilotlighters return year after year to participate in this shared learning experience. Indeed it is a two-way process as will become apparent, involving a recognition by business mentors of the achievements of charity leaders so far.
Let me first tell you about myself to show what business people like me can and do bring to the table. I am a Pilotlighter who has coached the leaders of five youth, welfare and community charities, each time forming part of a team of other private and public sector leaders.
I am CEO of Smartstream Reference Data Utility, a company which delivers data to financial institutions. I was a long-serving manager at Thomson Reuters, latterly running its $6bn global business providing services and technology to the financial services industry. As my commitment to Pilotlight deepened, I joined the board of trustees of the charity....