Already a familiar face at our Centre, we are delighted to welcome Karen Dodd to our Board as Secretary. She brings with her extensive corporate experience, having worked at AXA Health (formerly PPP Healthcare) for 35 years. She started in customer service and then moved to a health and safety role, followed by an operational risk role and then business continuity planning.
Karen then moved back to customer service, where she managed a department responsible for customer service audit, quality assurance, data protection, vulnerable customers and complaint management.
“I enjoyed my career there and met some great colleagues,” Karen says. “Then, two years ago, I became a full-time self-employed mental health counsellor, which I find extremely rewarding.”
She first visited Pickering 15 years ago, as part of a company charity day, clearing our garden and helping with decorating. Since then, Karen has volunteered at the Centre for the last six and half years, as a mental health counsellor.
“The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre is an amazing place with amazing people and provides support and sanctuary for so many,” Karen says. “The energy and atmosphere are unique and I feel very passionate about the environment Pickering offers. I wanted to become a trustee to support Pickering, as I understand the ethos, the benefit of and need for the Centre.”
In her spare time, Karen walks a lot with her husband Tim and whippet Rodney and likes to explore different places in the UK.