A Yorkshire lawyer has been appointed as a Trustee of Henshaws, the charity which cares for young people and adults with a range of disabilities and special needs.
Jonathan Oxley is Chair of law firm Lupton Fawcett, having previously served as its managing partner. He is a corporate lawyer with in-depth experience of buying, selling and financing companies, particularly helping new start-ups and spin offs to grow their businesses.
He is a former Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber region of the Institute of Directors (IOD) and continues to represent the IOD in the region on devolution and the Northern Powerhouse. Both roles have contributed to the expertise in corporate governance which he brings to the charity.
Jonathan said:
I have a strong belief in helping everyone to maximise their potential, which is something that Henshaws works to do every day.
Henshaws runs both a Specialist College in Harrogate, working with young people aged from 16 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities, and the Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough which works with disabled people of all ages and, in normal circumstances, is open to the public. It also provides a range of community services to visually impaired and disabled people across a large part of northern England.
The charity is looking at a number of ways of maximising its income, from sharing its intellectual property on a commercial basis through its Knowledge Village, which provides help and advice on everything from products to benefits, to ensuring its sites are put to the best possible use.
Jonathan said:
Charities are facing greater challenges than ever before and I want to make a difference by helping Henshaws to reach a robust and positive position for the future.
CEO of Henshaws, Nick Marr, said:
We are delighted to have persuaded Jonathan to become a trustee. His legal, business and strategic experience will greatly assist with our continued development.
