Liz Thorne

Experience

• 

  Brisley Communications Ltd

  Oct 2002 - Apr 2009

  Owner Director

  Providing a range of datacomms and telecoms consultancy, equipment, installation and maintenance services to companies of varying sizes throughout the UK.

• 

  Find A Voice

  Jan 2009 - May 2013

  Chief Executive

  Find A Voice is a registered charity based in Ashford, Kent. The charity helps people who experience severe speech and communication difficulties with a broad range of services. My role included:- Strategy and business planning- Financial management and compliance- Premises and facilities management- Funding applications, trading operations and partnership facilitation- Fundraising, donor management, stakeholder relationship management and networking- Operations and HR management of a small team spread across two locationsDuring my time at Find A Voice I expanded operations in both voluntary and trading areas, carried out a complete re-brand and gained Charity of the Year status with several organisations. Show less

• 

  Tenterden Social Hub

  Oct 2014 - Jun 2018

  Chief Executive Officer

  CEO of Tenterden Social Hub (formerly Tenterden and District Day Centre). The Hub provides social day opportunities services and activities for older people, people with dementia and adults with a disability, plus services for the local community. The charity comprises of several operating divisions within the Hub; Sixty Plus, Disability, Information (information and advice for the over 50s), Home Help domestic agency and the Meal Club which delivers freshly produced hot meals.In the time I have been at the Hub a complete restructure and rebranding operation has taken place to place the organisation at the centre of the community and ready to face the challenges of local authority competitive tender for older and disabled people's contract commissioning. Show less

• 

  Age UK Faversham and Sittingbourne

  Jun 2018 - Apr 2020

  Chief Executive Officer

  Age UK Faversham and Sittingbourne is an Age UK Brand Partner and an independent local charity. The charity provides a range of services for older people including day care, dementia services, information & advice, befriending and meals-on-wheels. It operates from three centres in the Swale borough of Kent.My short-term aims are the development and Board approval of a new strategy for the organisation, including the development of sustainable income streams to replace reliance on diminishing statutory grants, and the redevelopment and refurbishment of our Faversham centre. Additionally, the switch to digital client management and communication is a high priority to streamline the way we work and to enable the better demonstration of outputs and the impact of our work.The charity has a staff team of 70, with a further 50-70 volunteers at any one time. Show less

• 

  Outcomes First Group

  Apr 2020 - Feb 2023

  Business Manager

  Heath Farm School is an independent SEN School and part of the Outcomes First Group. My role involves managing all the business elements of the school - Finance, H&S, recruitment plus the administration, facilities and catering teams.

• 

  Remember My Baby

  Mar 2023 - Nov 2024

  Chief Executive Officer

  Remember My Baby provides remembrance photography services to newly-bereaved parents. Volunteer photographers visit hospitals and capture portraiture of babies with their families, creating lasting memories.Founder-led between 2014 and 2023, my role is to build a strong executive team and increase the reach of the charity from 35% of UK hospitals to as near to 100% as possible; creating strategies, systems and processes to make this happen.

• 

  CharityShift Consulting

  Mar 2025 - now

  Consultant

  Helping charities and other non-profit organisations navigate change and create sustainable impact. Providing guidance and support in strategy, governance, operations and digital evolution alongside practical hands-on leadership support.

• 

  Caring Altogether on Romney Marsh (CARM)

  Apr 2025 - now

  Charity Manager - P/T

  Working part-time with this wonderful grassroots charity who are doing amazing stuff to bring older and disabled people together across Romney Marsh and rural Ashford.