February 2019 Blog …

Our new Chief Executive Officer, Ruth Dorman, outlines her hopes as she prepares to join the team at the NHS Credit Union. To find out more about Ruth, click on her picture.

The aspirations and needs of the NHS Credit Union at this time present a unique opportunity for an experienced and passionate individual, so the role of Chief Executive Officer is one which I am delighted to be taking up.

I have spent my entire working life in Health and Social Care, but what cannot be seen from my career journey is the fact that I have been involved with the Credit Union movement since 1976. My parents – along with other family and friends – were instrumental in developing the Credit Union movement in Scotland and I have been an active member of one of the oldest Credit Unions in the country since then.

My career choices and core value base have been driven by my belief in people and the strength of communities, and hugely influenced by the hope and collective achievements I witnessed in those early years.

I view myself as an individual whose core personal values resonate with those of the NHS Credit Union, and I am acutely aware of the challenges facing our communities and Credit Unions in Scotland and beyond, now and in the coming years.

These include the realities of the vulnerability experienced within communities, not least through poverty, social exclusion and social expectations – and the myriad of financial services available and accessible to some, but most with competing agendas and profit driven outcomes. Compounded with less certain security of employment, pensions, benefits and housing, this is leading our communities into what can be described as a very uncertain time.

However, I appreciate a challenge and believe that improvement can be ongoing. I work to a set of beliefs that everyone can achieve positive outcomes. This should be integral and core to all areas of the Credit Union sectors, and the belief that building capacity in everyone can be a fundamental part of an organisation.

I have shown my commitment to that approach in various senior positions and currently participate in a peer mentoring system to ensure I never lose sight of the positives within the community.

I firmly believe that working together at a strategic level we can contribute to the discussion and the influence that Credit Unions bring to the strategic development and direction of financial services and poverty reduction in Scotland and beyond. Working together, we can exert a positive influence on the direction of travel and shape of the future for members, and in turn, broader communities.

I am energised by the expedience with which the not for profit sector can act, the initiative which can be harnessed and in particular the impact this can make locally, nationally and, occasionally, internationally.

I am an eternal optimist who applies my caring and compassionate nature in both my career and personal life.

At a recent development event, some of the terms colleagues used to described me were “brave, passionate, approachable, supportive, confidence builder”. I use all of these attributes and more to inform my ability to take the “long view” in relation to organisational steadiness and development ensuring I build “future proofing” into the work I undertake with the Boards I work with and staff groups. In conclusion, I am delighted to be joining the NHS CU family and will continue to develop the amazing work being delivered.

Ruth Dorman,

Chief Executive Officer, NHS Credit Union