Growing the Shared Interest Team

I don’t know many people who truly look forward to coming back to work after the Christmas holidays but for 4 of the Shared Interest staff the New Year also signals a new challenge for the coming year.

We have 4 new members of staff joining the existing team here in Newcastle. Joining our Supporter Relations Team is Adam Gaines and Stacey Toth who will be fulfilling the newly created roles of Digital Marketing Manager and Communications Officer. Both Stacey and Adam will be supporting our Communications Manager in ensuring that all of Shared Interest’s marketing and media communications are successful in raising the profiles of the Society and Foundation with the aim of increasing out shared capital.

Our third new member of staff is Louise McLaren, former Traidcraft employee, who is our new Project Leader working for the Foundation. This is the first time that the Foundation has had 2 full time permanent members of staff and is an indication of how the Foundation continues to grow and continues to help more and more disadvantaged groups to find the training they need to run and improve their businesses.

Finally, Tim Morgan, formerly of Traidcraft and Ethical Superstore, has joined as the Society’s new Finance Director. Tim will be heading up our small Finance Team as well as sitting on the Board of Directors. All 4 of our new staff are currently underway with their induction programmes finding out about the history of Shared Interest and getting to know the existing team while finding out exactly what their new roles will entail. I know staff will be making them feel at home as much as possible as we have all, at one time or another, been the ‘new starter’. With this being our 20th Year, the new members have joined at an exciting time in the organisation and fair trade and I’m sure they will all rise to the challenge.