Meet Roy Brown – Director of Governance Support

I joined Cobseo on secondment from the MOD in February 2019 at a time when the third sector was in the news for the wrong reasons, and it was recognised that the Service charity sector needed to be proactive to ensure that its reputation was not tarnished by governance failings elsewhere. While many may have seen me as the Grim Reaper in those early days, the opportunity to engage with Cobseo members to ensure that they have the support needed to meet their governance responsibilities, whilst maintaining a focus on beneficiary services, was truly inspirational. The governance tool and associated guidance developed during that time, and the analysis based on Cobseo members sharing their governance returns, was key in confirming that the sector was in a good place, and informed follow-on initiatives such as the establishment of the Safeguarding Working Group, and our webinar programme which addresses key challenges in more detail (watch out for the next webinar on Cyber Security on 25 June).

This is now business as usual, but the Governance Support Team (ie Natalie Chambers and me) remain available to assist Cobseo members.

Not surprisingly for such a small team, my role has evolved to incorporate other responsibilities, including facilitating the activities of our Cluster network, which is Cobseo’s engine room; coordinating consultations on programmes such as extending the scope of the Armed Forces Covenant, and the development of the Veterans Strategy, as well as supporting the Cobseo Chair across a range of ad hoc issues and opportunities.

There are always new challenges to embrace, and the chance to do things that will make a difference in how our members support the Armed Forces Community. That’s why I was delighted to have the opportunity to become a permanent member of the Cobseo team in June 2022.