Taylor Root UK Trustee Network: Interview with Christian Fahey

As part of our interview series for our Trustee Network, Taylor Root Managing Director, Sarah Ingwersen recently spoke to Christian Fahey Deputy General Counsel for Ankura, about his experience as a Trustee for Aerobility

What does your Trustee charity do?

Aerobility is an incredible UK charity founded in 1993 that changes lives by helping people with all types of disability to experience the magic and wonder of flight. With a fleet of specially modified aircraft and equipment the charity provides hundreds of people every year with the chance to spread their wings from airports in Surrey, Staffordshire, Kent and Cornwall. In addition, they provide ground-based education programmes for disabled youngsters to learn about the world of aviation and through their Equal Skies initiative advocate for disabled people to make the aviation sector more diverse and inclusive.

What motivated you to become a Trustee of this not-for-profit organisation?

I had been looking for a Trustee role where I could apply my skills and experience for the benefit of a charity with a cause I was passionate about. As a carer for my uncle who has various disabilities and developmental disorders, a charity supporting those with disabilities was a natural choice. I also worked in the aerospace sector for a number of years in my previous role at Inmarsat (now part of Viasat Plc) as the Vice President of Legal Affairs to the Aviation Business Unit and am a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society so when Aerobility advertised for new Trustees I immediately applied.

Through the interview process, meeting with the other Trustees and stakeholders and hearing more about the charity’s history, purpose, vision and the profound impact they have on people’s lives, I knew I had found a great fit and was delighted to be welcomed to Aerobility’s board.

How does your experience as a General Counsel contribute to your effectiveness as a Trustee?

General Counsels, through the nature of their role, bring a wealth of learned experiences and valuable skills to Trustee boards. They are great communicators and are trained to anticipate obstacles, analyse issues from different perspectives and are natural problem solvers. They also deal in risk assessment and mitigation on a daily basis, which makes them uniquely qualified for positions requiring business strategy and decision-making.

I also have a strong governance background having both advised and held positions on a number of boards previously and recently completed exams to qualify as a chartered governance professional with the Chartered Governance Institute. I was therefore very happy to also accept the board secretary role to help with the charity’s governance matters.

How do you stay informed about the legal and regulatory landscape relevant to the not-for-profit sector in your capacity as a Trustee?

It is essential to first determine what laws and regulations apply to your particular organisation and your role within it. Aerobility for example is an incorporated company limited by guarantee,  its Trustees are also directors so have additional responsibilities and duties imposed by the Companies Act 2006.

Some of the key resources I use and subscribe to for updates include the Charity Commission’s website which provides essential information on the responsibilities of Trustees, HMRC’s Charites Newsletter and the Chartered Governance Institute for governance matters and best practice guidance. I also subscribe to updates from law firms who advise on not-for-profit and charities law.

For my particular charity, I also keep abreast of changes applicable to the aviation and disability sectors from the Royal Aeronautical Society and various Disable People Organisations.

What advice would you give to other General Counsels considering becoming a Trustee of a not-for-profit organisation?

Do your research. If you are just starting to consider taking on such a role then Taylor Root’s Trustee Toolkit is a great place to start and has lots of valuable information. I’d also recommend the Charity Commission website.

Find the right fit. The not-for-profit sector is varied and diverse so when choosing the right non-profit to apply to, consider its mission, who it serves and how they go about it. Motivation is important and you may find you are more interested in an organisation with a particular focus on charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes (to name but a few). I found setting up Trustee role alerts on LinkedIn and creating a profile on sites like Reach Volunteering helped narrow in on the type of sector and organisation I was interested in supporting and then finding out when roles became available.  

Tailor your CV. The role and responsibilities of a Trustee are different to those of a lawyer so you will likely need to revise your CV to showcase your relevant skills and experience for the particular role.

Understand the time commitments. This will vary depending on things like the schedule of board meetings (which can be anything from monthly, quarterly, biannual or annual), the amount of preparation needed for board meetings, the size of board packs, whether you will be involved in any sub-committees or assume any project duties. Trustees could find themselves in breach of their Trustee duties if they do not have sufficient time available to perform their duties. Equally it is important to be transparent with your existing employer about how much time you will dedicate to the Trustee role.

Go for it. While I have only been a Trustee at Aerobility since July of last year, I’ve already found it to be a hugely rewarding experience and would recommend anyone considering doing the same to get involved.

If you are interested in a Trustee role or are looking to hire a Trustee position, please get in touch with Sarah Ingwersen to find out more.

If you would like to join our Trustee network, find out more here. 

We want to reiterate that this is not a paid service and forms part of our referral programme.