BECOME A CHANGE PLEASE FOUNDATION TRUSTEE

OVERVIEW

Help us create opportunities, challenge homelessness and change lives.

Change Please Foundation is the charitable arm of Change Please. We support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness through barista training, employability support, wellbeing services, outreach programmes and employment opportunities.

Over the last year alone, we supported more than 3,200 individuals through our training and Driving for Change programmes, delivered over 21,000 hours of barista training, and supported 76 people into employment or education outcomes.

As our impact continues to grow across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, we are looking to strengthen our Board of Trustees and welcome new voices, perspectives and expertise.

Pink coffee truck with 'LIFE-CHANGING COFFEE' sign on a tree-lined street.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Trustees play a vital role in helping Change Please Foundation achieve its mission.

Working alongside fellow Trustees and the leadership team, Trustees provide strategic guidance, oversight and constructive challenge to ensure the Foundation remains sustainable, impactful and true to its charitable objectives.

Trustees are responsible for:

Supporting the strategic direction of the Foundation.
Ensuring good governance and compliance with charity law.
Monitoring organisational performance and impact.
Supporting effective financial stewardship.
Acting in the best interests of the Foundation and the communities we serve.
Bringing expertise, insight and diverse perspectives to Board discussions.

No previous Trustee experience is required. We welcome applications from people who can bring relevant skills, lived experience or professional expertise.

Group of people celebrating in front of a pink double-decker Driving for Change bus with confetti.

TIME COMMITMENT

The Board currently meets quarterly.

Trustees are expected to attend Board meetings, prepare for discussions and occasionally support strategic events, working groups or stakeholder engagement activities.

Further details regarding term length and commitments will be discussed during the recruitment process.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Change Please Foundation is committed to building a diverse and representative Board.

We particularly welcome applications from people from underrepresented backgrounds, including people with lived experience of homelessness, people from ethnically diverse communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals and those whose experiences reflect the communities we serve.

We believe better decisions are made when different perspectives are represented around the table.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

Please see the individual role descriptions for further information about current opportunities.

Together, we can create opportunities, challenge homelessness and help people build brighter futures.

APPLY FOR TRUSTEE ROLE

GOVERNANCE

The Change Please (CIC) and the Change Please Foundation (CIO) operate separately but work closely together and share the same purpose of ending homelessness.

We use 100% of our profits from coffee sales to fund our mission and Impact Programmes. We never have, and never will, take money out of the business through director’s bonuses or dividends.

CHANGE PLEASE CIC

man standing in black shirt against a brick wall

CEMAL EZEL

CEO & DIRECTOR

Cemal is the Founder and Co-CEO of Change Please CIC; his passion to tackle homelessness is the driving force behind our mission.

Man wearing a suit and tie against a plain background

ROB GILLON

CO-CEO

Rob is the Co-CEO of Change Please CIC. His early involvement with the CIC & CIO through the Trafigura Foundation enabled the creation of the Change Please Training Academy, step-changing our impact. His continued support helps to further shape and deliver our life-changing mission.

A women wearing glasses smiling against a orange coloured brick wall

ALISON EGAN

CFO & DIRECTOR

Alison is the CFO of Change Please CIC, a qualified ACA with Deloitte where she spent 9 years before becoming CFO for Jimmy Choo & LK Bennett. She met Cemal in 2017 and has been with Change Please ever since!

CHANGE PLEASE FOUNDATION, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Cemal Ezel, Rob Gillon and Alison Egan are also members of the Change Please Foundation Board of Trustees.

GLENN EARLAM

Glenn joined David Lloyd Leisure as CEO in 2015, later becoming Executive Chair in 2021. He also holds positions as Non-Executive Chair of TeamSport and Director of HB Leisure Ltd. Prior to his current roles, Glenn held various positions at Merlin Entertainments Group, including Managing Director for Midway Attractions, Director of Marketing at Alton Towers, and Divisional Director at Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park.

a portrait picture of a man against a brick wall black and white

JUSTIN ERWIN

Justin has over twenty-five years of experience in the charity and public sectors, starting in the press team at Samaritans before becoming Director of Services at ChildLine. He specialises in governance consultancy and interim leadership, focusing on UK social issues such as poverty alleviation, equity creation, and mental health improvement, particularly in organizations serving young people and children.

A portrait picture of a man in a grey suit against a white wall

NIMESH SHAH

Nimesh became CEO of Blick Rothenberg in 2020, with close to two decades of experience in personal tax, he specialises in advising entrepreneurs across diverse industries on personal and corporate tax affairs throughout their business life cycles. Actively engaging in shaping UK tax policy, he advocates for simplification and reduced barriers to entrepreneurship.

Black and white circular portrait of a person wearing glasses.

SIMON DOW CBE

Simon was Chair of the Regulator of Social Housing, before then Group Chief Executive of The Guinness Partnership, Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation and Chair of Homeless International (an international development agency).In 2016 he was awarded a CBE for services to housing and homeless people.