Rosie’s Trust is delighted to announce that Aileen Martin has joined our Board of Trustees in the role of Chairperson to help steer and deliver the strategic vision of the charity.
Aileen joins Rosie’s Trust following a 30-year career with the Hastings Hotel Group. Due to retire in September 2023 from her role as Commercial Director, Aileen was on the hunt for a new challenge when the role of Rosie’s Trust Chair caught her eye.
With her own dogs having recently moved to live with her daughter and the recent death of her father from cancer, this opportunity felt like the perfect fit.
Aileen brings to the role a wealth of significant experience in sales, marketing and commercial strategy. She steered the Hastings Group through ‘The Troubles’, a time when it was almost impossible to persuade tourists to come to Northern Ireland and through the more recent Covid days when tourism and all business came to an abrupt halt. Now however, in 2023 she leaves the hospitality industry at an all-time high with Northern Ireland being a sought after tourism and conference destination, and Hastings Hotels continues to flourish.
As she begins her new role, Aileen reflects on what appeals to her about becoming Chairperson for Rosie’s Trust,
‘My love of dogs and my heartfelt desire to help all things cancer related was the motivator to apply for this fantastic role and of course some more free time as I’m about to retire.
I’m really looking forward to building great relationships with my fellow Trustees and all involved in Rosie’s Trust. Beyond this, I hope to help lead Rosie’s Trust into a period of growth and expansion where more and more beneficiaries can be helped.’
Aileen’s love for dogs is illustrated in her 20-year tradition of creating family Christmas cards featuring the family dogs. This has included her first dog Windsor with a crown and a slogan “Good King Windsor last looks out…” or a card from “The House of Windsor”. Aileen’s personal favourite was one of him singing in a choir robe “Bark The Hairy Angel Sings”. Windsor died age 15 and her next 2 rescue dogs, Ted and George, have played a starring role in the card creations including a card with the slogan “We wish you a GEORGEous YuleTED.”
Aileen will now spend some time out and about meeting our beneficiaries, volunteers and staff team and we are all really looking forward to working with her.
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