Independent Committee Members (ICM’s)
The board recognises that they may, at times, require additional skills and experience that the current board does not possess. For this purpose, they will seek to appoint Independent Committee Members (ICMs).
An ICM provides an opportunity for an individual to be involved voluntarily at board level in an innovative and expanding charity. The individual is able to bring specific skills, experiences or passions to a committee or project that works on behalf of the board, and helps steer the future success of the charity without the full responsibilities of a Trustee.
At Avenues, ICMs are appointed to committees by the Board, have full voting rights and count towards the quorum.
The core duties of an ICM involve:
- Exercising independent judgment in ensuring that a committee’s oversight is robust and effective.
- Gaining a good understanding of the objectives and priorities of the Avenues Group, the role of the Committee and objectives of the relevant projects.
- Providing challenge in a constructive manner, and to support and provide advice to the relevant committee.
Key roles and responsibilities
Although ICMs are not listed as ‘company directors’, there is still a certain legal standard you have to meet. ICM’s must understand and comply with governance requirements. These include:
- Complying with governance policies and procedures and supporting the Board to uphold the organisations values and objectives.
- Leading by example at all times and acting in accordance with the Avenues Trustee Code of Conduct.
- Respecting confidentiality of information and upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life (The Nolan Report 1995).
In addition the Board requires ICMs to:
- Always act in the best interests of Avenues and the people we support.
- Set targets, monitor and scrutinise progress in a range of areas in liaison with committees.
- Provide leadership, challenge and support in a constructive manner to the Executive Management Team.
- Develop excellent stakeholder relationships both internally and externally, remaining open and transparent.
- Positively promote Avenues to other bodies, including partners, representing the charity when requested.
- Understand the legal and constitutional framework under which Avenues operates and act within its parameters.
- Understand the clear division of responsibilities between the board and the executive.
- Keep informed of developments in social care, sharing knowledge and intelligence as appropriate.
- Prepare in advance for – and fully engage with – committee meetings, as well as any other training and development opportunities.
The ICM role is one that can offer considerable satisfaction, challenges and experiences. Read about our ICM’s below:
Caroline Turberfield
Finance committee
Caroline has over 20 years of experience in financial management and leadership, predominantly within the social housing and charity sectors.
A Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), Caroline currently works as the Finance Director at Peabody, one of London’s largest social housing providers. Caroline leads a team working across a wide range of disciplines, including rental income collection, financial inclusion, finance business partnering, and management reporting supporting Peabody’s Care and Support business and Community Foundation.
Caroline lives in Guildford and is married with two teenagers; she spends her free time baking and trying to perfect her lemon drizzle cake.
Clynt Hall
Finance committee
Clynt has worked in the social care sector for close to 15 years, in both profit and not-for-profit organisations. He has held various leadership roles, typically as the FD or CFO as well as holding wider leadership responsibilities.
Clynt has a passion for the sector and hopes to play a role in supporting the continued success of the Avenues Group.
Gabi Ashton
Quality, local focus and engagement committee
Gabi has worked in the Health and Social Care Sector for over 15 years, in CQC Regulated Services, and as an Adult Social Care CQC Inspector.
This experience on both sides of the CQC has given Gabi valuable insights into why and how services are rated from Inadequate to Outstanding. Gabi is extremely passionate about supporting teams to provide high quality care and support in line with the relevant legislations and best practice frameworks.
Sandy Gulyurtlu
Quality, local focus and engagement committee
Dr. Sandy Cabrita Gulyurtlu FRSA, is the Head of Insights and Impact at Starlight Children’s Foundation. Sandy has a PhD in Social Policy, and degrees in Childhood Studies (MSc), Psychology and Physiology (BSc Hons).
Sandy has long worked for the voluntary sector and academia, conducting research into rights, welfare, safeguarding and well-being to create better outcomes for children, young people and vulnerable people.
Throughout her career, Sandy has developed pioneering research on policy, innovation, and civic action, understanding vulnerability and inequality and how people across society are working to make change happen which has led to changes in legislation, policy, and practice.
Sandy is currently the Head of Insight and Impact at Starlight Children’s Foundation. Her previous roles include being a Trustee (Treasurer and Safeguarding Lead) for the Women and Girls Network, Principal Researcher/Interim Director of Research at the Young Foundation, and, Head of Research for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England.
Richard Sanderson
People, culture and reward committee
John Howarth
People, culture and reward committee
John is a management consultant and transformation professional with over 25 years’ experience of working with Board, Senior Executives, and Leadership teams to define, manage and implement change successfully.
John specialises in supporting organisations with Business Transformation, Programme and Project Management, Operating Model Development, Organisation Design, Culture Change and Change Management, and has an extensive track record of working across a wide range of private, public, and not-for-profit sector organisations.
John has had a working relationship with Avenues for c.15 years on several organisational change projects and has a keen interest in supporting Avenues with the work it does to improve people’s lives in the communities it serves.
Ines Gjoni
Audit and risk committee
Ines brings over 15 years of invaluable experience in internal audit, risk management, and compliance primarily within the telecommunications sector. Ines currently holds the position of Head of Audit, Group Corporate at Vodafone, where she leads audit and assurance activities across multiple entities. Her focus is on governance, financial integrity, and regulatory compliance.
Ines is truly passionate about building robust control environments and supporting business objectives through pragmatic risk management. She has a proven track record of leading teams in delivering integrated audit plans, championing the use of data analytics, and in developing frameworks for continuous improvement. Ines expertise is further underscored by her credentials as a certified lead auditor in information security, quality, and environmental management systems.
Ines holds an MBA in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.
Based in London, Ines enjoys exploring new cuisines and traveling in her spare time.