A South Cumbrian hospice has announced the appointment of a new chief executive.
Catherine Burn will join the team at St Mary’s Hospice team in Ulverston in October, succeeding Val Stangoe, who is retiring after leading the organisation for the past 11 years.
Catherine will join from Carlisle Mencap, where she has been CEO since 2021.
Originally from Nottinghamshire, Catherine moved to Cumbria to take up the Mencap post.
She studied at London South Bank University, graduating with an honours degree in food science, and began her career in the manufacturing industry in South Yorkshire, spending 14 years in a commercial environment.
Catherine said: “It wasn’t until I joined the voluntary and community sector in 2008, becoming a volunteer for a local charity, that I found a real sense of purpose and belonging from which I have never looked back.
“My first paid job in the sector was as a volunteer co-ordinator for an infrastructure organisation in North Nottinghamshire, Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service, where I became the chief executive Officer in 2013. I have worked alongside the NHS in South Yorkshire to develop services and represented the sector at both a local and regional level as the chair of multi-agency partnerships.
“I have always immersed myself in my local community as an active volunteer and over the years I have been part of a diverse range of organisations supporting a wide range of causes including community centres, food banks, grant-giving trusts, school and college governance. I currently hold a governor’s role at Ullswater Community College, Penrith and volunteer at Eden Animal Rescue with my daughter, Isabelle.
“Apart from my children, Jacob and Isabelle, one of my proudest achievements was being awarded the British Empire Medal by the Queen in 2020 for services to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
St Mary’s chair of trustees, Professor Andrew Wren, said: “We are delighted to have attracted someone of Catherine’s calibre to St Mary’s. She brings a passion for social justice and twenty-nine years of management and leadership experience, gained across a variety of sectors and communities.
“Catherine will be a great asset and has big shoes to fill, as Val leaves us after 11 years of sustained growth and delivery, even in the face of major challenges like the pandemic and the temporary closure of our in-patient unit.”
Catherine’s first official day in post will be October 7, but she has already started working with Val and the senior management team to ensure a smooth transition of leadership, the hospice said.
Catherine added: “I want to thank Val for her warm welcome, and for leaving St Mary’s in such good shape. I am honoured that I have been chosen to serve the Ulverston, Furness and South Lakes communities and I look forward to what the future holds.”
