I’m Catherine Burn, and I joined St Mary’s as Chief Executive in October 2024.
I’ve previously worked in the charity sector, most recently as CEO of Carlisle Mencap, a social care provider in the north of the county, where she has been CEO since 2021.
I’m originally from Nottinghamshire, and I really enjoy working in the third sector, having moved across in 2008, after working in the manufacturing industry in South Yorkshire.
My first paid job in the sector was as a volunteer coordinator for an infrastructure organisation in North Nottinghamshire, Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service, where I became the Chief Executive Officer in 2013. I have worked alongside the NHS in South Yorkshire to develop services and represented the sector at both a local and regional level as the chair of multi-agency partnerships.
I have always immersed myself in my local community as an active volunteer and over the years I have been part of a diverse range of organisations supporting a wide range of causes including community centres, food banks, grant-giving trusts, school and college governance. I currently hold a governor’s role at Ullswater Community College, Penrith and volunteer at Eden Animal Rescue with my daughter, Isabelle.
Apart from my children, Jacob and Isabelle, one of my proudest achievements was being awarded the British Empire Medal by Her Majesty the Queen in 2020 for services to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic.