Jan Sheldon has been CEO of St Martins since 2018. She has a passion for working with people, supporting those that need a helping hand, and was Sherriff of Norwich from 2023-2024. We spent an afternoon getting to know her better:
What is your background?
I didn’t do well at school, so I was encouraged to look at hairdressing or care work. I don’t see myself a creative person, so I decided to give care work a go. I found that I had a passion for this and continued to work in social care and workforce development. Skills for Care invested heavily in my learning and Development which gave me a springboard into my 1stCEO role. This is my second CEO role.
How long have you been at St Martins?
I joined early January 2018 so just over 7 years.
What do you enjoy about your job & working at St Martins?
I love the diversity of the services we offer, how varied my role is – from being with the people we support, to working with teams and the media work I do – no one day is ever the same as the last one!!
What has been the highlight of your time here so far?
St Martins receiving Freedom of the City of Norwich – that was such a public reflection of the way St Martins is valued in our City – we received this in our 50th anniversary year. It was a real tribute to all the team members and Trustees past and present and to the people who founded us in 1972. It was an incredible honour.
What challenges have you had to face?
The obvious challenges come with being responsible for such a diverse organisation and this year in particular has been challenging in terms of agreeing a budget for the next financial year (we’re not quite there yet).
The less obvious challenges have been working with local communities when we are setting up a new project. I’m not always popular and sometimes even when anti-social behaviour has nothing to do with the people we support, people think it has!
Challenges are always made easier when you work alongside a great leadership team and have a supportive board of Trustees. I consider myself fortunate to have the support and expertise of some fantastic people.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I have a love of old buildings especially Cathedrals and Churches. I’m currently doing an evening course on English Cathedrals: Art, Architecture and Legends.
I enjoy running (but I’ll never be a marathon runner), reading and theatre/films.
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