The MACS Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Naomi Bowman as the next Chair of MACS. Naomi, who is already a MACS Trustee, will take up the role in January 2022 when Robbie Crow, our current Chair, steps down.
Naomi, joined the MACS Board as a Trustee in June 2020 and brings a wealth of experience in charity governance, strategy and financial oversight. She is a Financial Services Consulting Partner at KPMG and also a City Liveryman and Chair of the Finance Committee of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers. .
As a MACS adult with microphthalmia and optic nerve coloboma, Naomi understands first-hand the importance of MACS and is passionate about supporting individuals and families affected by MACS conditions, as well as furthering work in the development and treatment of vision impairment. She is married to Mark and they live in Kent with 3 year old Elijah, a German Shepherd Dog and four rescue cats. There is also another little Bowman due very soon!
Naomi said
“I am delighted to be taking over as Chair of MACS. I’m incredibly grateful to Robbie for his invaluable contribution to MACS as Chair over the last 6 years and am glad he has agreed to stay on as a Trustee to support me in my new role. We have come a long way as a charity, and I look forward to supporting members in the future by continuing our great work as well as further developing our fundraising strategy and ensuring that our charity is able to support as many MACS families as possible.”
Naomi takes over from Robbie Crow who is stepping down after 6 years as Chair. During this time, Robbie not only transformed the Board of Trustees, but also the charity itself. He steered the Board in redefining the charity’s mission and developed a set of core values more relevant to MACS members. He also led an extensive member engagement exercise, which resulted in MACS’ first published strategy: Confident and Connected. This strategy ensures that MACS’ current and future services are both member-led and relevant to the needs of the wider MACS membership.
Importantly, Robbie has steered MACS through what has been the most challenging 2 years of its history as a result of the global pandemic. Through his foresight in recruiting a professional staff team, MACS was able to continue providing a range of much needed virtual services for MACS members throughout the pandemic. Crucially, having a capable staff team meant the charity could continue raising vital funds enabling MACS to more than just survive. Despite the economic challenges every charity has faced over the last two years, under Robbie’s leadership, MACS has continued to thrive and is now ready to launch more new services for members once it is safe to do so.
Robbie said
I’m really pleased that Naomi is taking up the position of Chair and that I’ll be passing the baton onto a fellow MACS adult. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last 6 years as Chair. The global pandemic has shown that MACS now has a good operating model to continue through almost anything and we couldn’t have said that 5 years ago – that’s something I’m immensely proud of. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me in my role as Chair over the last 6 years, everyone who has served as a Trustee with me, volunteered for MACS or fundraised for us during that time. It’s been an absolute honour to lead the organisation that made me into who I am today, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for MACS with Naomi at the helm”.