Farewell Chris
At the end of December we said a fond farewell to our CEO Christine Stephen, who along with her husband Stewart is looking forward to enjoying a well earned retirement.
Chris has been at the helm of Outlookers since the back end of 2018 and will be greatly missed by staff, volunteers, members and associates alike. Across that timeframe she has seen the charity grow and flourish from two groups to an imminent six, seen the rebranding from Kirklees Visual Impairment Network to Outlookers, helped us connect more widely with regional and national stakeholders through her networking and link work, and been a pivotal driving force within the charity as well as a fantastic support within the team.
Robin Whitehead Binns, who volunteers as sighted support at Outlookers, said of Chris;
“Chris was the perfect combination of sensible and adventurous. She was the rock that helped tether Outlookers people to the cause and to each other.”
Sam Heaton, Communications Officer said, “ Chris was an absolute joy to work with, she was a fantastic support to staff, volunteers and members alike and saw the potential in people which helped give Outlookers such a diverse working team across both of staff and trustees.“
Moin Valli owner of Valli Opticians and Deputy Chair of Trustees at Outlookers
“I knew we had someone very special on our hands when David and I interviewed Chris for the CEO role for Outlookers. Her energy, positivity, knowledge, humility, humour, all shone through that day. The problem with making really amazing first impressions is that often you find that people can fail to live up to them over time.
Well, I can say with absolute certainty that in Chris’ case, she definitely lived up to every one of those qualities. She helped transform Outlookers and was pivotal in making it the incredible organisation it has become today.
On a personal level, I have made a good friend, someone I can trust, and I hope to stay in touch with Chris for many more years to come.”
Lots of Love
Moin Valli
We wish Chris well in her retirement on behalf of all the organisation.