Beni Benstead Email & Phone Number

North West

A year-long secondment made permanent, I have arguably the best job on the planet, working with cats - and people who love cats! I recruit and support a team of over 150 volunteers at Warrington & St Helens Adoption Centres, as well as out and about in the Merseyside Community.While this covid business is going on, centre volunteering has taken a back seat.

Yorkshire, Humberside & North Lincolnshire

I led 15 retail charity stores and a paid staff of 39. My year one focus was to embed the KPIs and to empower, support, coach and motivate my people, yada yada, don’t these profiles all sound the same after a while? To put it another way: I worked to develop a collaborative team who love what they do, trust & support each other and have fun while they’re.

Europe, SE Asia, Australia & NZ

In 2013 I ceased paid employment to care for my terminally ill wife. Later, I took my campervan to Europe to enjoy ‘Workaway’: living with host families in other countries in the spirit of cultural and skills exchanges. I skydived NZ for my 40th birthday, climbed mountains in a dozen countries, got 'back to the floor' as a sales assistant in a Cornwall.

Northern Ireland

I offered advice and guidance on best practice and legislation to 30 independently-managed and run St Vincent de Paul charity shops across N.I. and negotiated with local Shop Committees to business plan and ensure compliance. I worked with and supported individual Shop Managers to improve merchandising, stock generation and volunteer recruitment, and I.

Newry, Northern Ireland

I set up this social enterprise from scratch - reducing, reusing and recycling timber, furniture and textiles within the community. I wrote business plans and policy & procedure, ensuring compliance in all areas, and I designed and delivered training programmes for volunteers of all abilities and from deprived communities.

Beds/Bucks/Cambs/Herts/Northants

Within 2 years, I became the charity's no.1 charity retail Business (Area) Manager (from no.13) and became the first to deliver £0.5M profit to the charity (16 stores). I led a successful team of 56 permanent and 14+ casual staff, responsible for a £1.5M annual turnover. I was seconded to Business Development to facilitate Britain-wide electrical contracts.

Cambridge, England

Working my way up from van volunteer, I had sole management responsibility for this community social enterprise, providing people in need with affordable household goods, diverting tonnages of used furniture and appliances from landfill, and designing & delivering meaningful volunteering and training programmes. My team and I attained Investor in People.