Introducing… David!

David joined The Door team in 2021 (during lockdown). So we caught up with him (over zoom of course) to find out a bit more about our new Income Generation and Marketing Director

To start us off, could you tell us a little bit about what it is you are going to be doing at The Door?

Income Generation and Marketing Director are only 5 words, but put together they create a really unique role. They mean that I am responsible for thinking of ways to help The Door receive the financial support, gifts and understanding that it needs to enable its mission to continue, flourish and grow. Practically this means I look after fundraising, including our charity shop as well as communications.

Well, that will certainly keep you busy.

Definitely!  I have to tell our story to as many people as possible, and hopefully move them to support us. As well as cherishing and polishing The Door brand that has been so carefully created by all the people here now and before me.

I’m looking forward to bringing together my years of experience in both the corporate and charity sector to help keep The Door moving forwards.

Tell us a bit more about your experience?

Where to start? Straight out of university I started my working life selling coca-cola to supermarkets. It was there with my business studies degree in tow that I learned what it meant to pick up the phone, organise my time and how to sell plenty of pop!

Since then I have been involved in all kinds of industries all over the world from selling Whiskey and in France to helping invent new tech for The Woolmark Company based in Australia. At one point it was bus adverts in Japan one week followed by US TV commercials the next.

That’s quite a CV, what brought you into the world of charity?

Eventually, my family life brought me back to the UK where I began working in finance, and eventually, a connection invited me to take on a Director role at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. I managed the estate, organised fundraising and developed their business.

More recently we upped sticks from London and moved to Cheltenham where inspired by my wife I trained as a teacher. I have been working as a substitute in a number of local secondary schools which really opened my eyes to the issues affecting our young people.

So is that what brought you to The Door?

Sometimes on life’s journey, one looks back at somethings that happen and you ask yourself how could I have arrived at a crossroads of life at exactly the same time that The Door bus was driving by?
How is it that the eclectic experiences that I have had, enabled me to virtually matched every skill set line of the job description?

I can’t explain what drew us together, it was as if the hand of the Holy Spirit had grabbed my collar and was not to be denied.

Amazing! So how are you finding life at The Door?

It has been a very steep learning curve to try and get up to speed with the fantastic work that has been achieved here over the past 30 years. But my new colleagues are so knowledgeable and patient and their systems so good that I have been amazed how much ground I have covered so quickly and I have not had to take one headache pill or apply an ice pack to the temples yet! So far all is exactly as I had hoped, and it has been hard work, but it has been fun.

I’ve had the privilege to look after and work for some beautiful brands and amazing businesses and I’m excited to add The Door to that list.

Well David, it’s a pleasure to have you join the team. Just a couple more questions before I let you get back to the ‘real work’! We’ve heard lots about your work experience but when you aren’t working hard, where might we find you?

Well, restrictions persisting of course I’m often out walking or rambling and helping the Cotswold wardens keep the footpaths open and marked, in the stunning Cotswold countryside around our home or in the garden cutting logs and preparing them for the winter. I’m also often maintaining my motorbikes to ensure they are in working order to commute on when we finally get back to an office.

And finally, is there a Bible verse that you would like to share with us today?

Matthew 7:1-5             “Judge others as you would like to be judged”

Thank you, David

You can find out more about the other members of The Door team including our trustees on our Meet the Team Page