Staff Showcase – Marcella Aldous-Brown

Your name and job title:

Marcella Aldous-Brown, Head of Operations

What made you initially interested in interfaith work?

Once I had started to look at the work the charity was doing via the website and the relationships it builds and maintains in our communities, I felt compelled to get involved and see what I could offer, as well as learn, from F&BFs work.

One huge pull was the staff survey results – they were astounding. I had never seen an organization score 100% with feedback from its people in this way.

The question is – Who wouldn’t be curious about how this was achieved and want to get on board?!

What motivates you?

I am motivated to work towards becoming kinder and fairer by the gift of becoming a parent. Seeing how my children embrace and support others without question lays bare how effective an accepting and open approach is at yielding fabulous results.

I am also motivated by equality- and have spent a lot of my life questioning perceived ideas about who we should be, who sets expectations and why. I feel it’s imperative to engage and challenge limiting frameworks when we see them – for both ourselves, and others.

What is your favourite aspect of your job role?

Operations demands a level of enterprise and innovation, but also a rational outlook. I enjoy the interplay between the 2 aspects and the continual need to seek, secure and maintain a balance that helps the charity, its people and its vision to thrive.

What is the most common misconception about your job? And what is the truth?

The term ‘Operations’ can be a confusing one… in a straw poll it seemed to conjure up all sorts of images including factories, surgeons and office management!

Operations oversees all of the moving parts of an organisation, ensuring cohesive, progressive and supportive approaches to the framework that holds it all together. It is both a driver for strategic direction as well as an enabler for the day-to-day delivery – so it’s nestled at the very heart of the charity.

Think of it this way – You may not know entirely what we do but you know pretty quickly when we stop doing it!

What didn’t you realise about interfaith until working at F&BF?

I perhaps didn’t appreciate breadth of the activity that goes on around interfaith and inter culture dialogue and have stepped into a new arena. With F&BF delivering so much of this dialogue and programming I can see that it is facilitating a laudable body of work that clearly cuts across age groups, socio economic backgrounds and communities.

In particular, I had real knowledge of the work of the Parliamentors programme when I joined the charity. This really is such a fantastic initiative for younger people -and I look forward very much to contributing and learning when involved in the selection process for the next influx of participants.

What are you most proud of during your time here at F&BF so far? (if applicable)

Too soon to effectively comment on this one, really!

However, is worth noting that I am in a new workplace and surrounded by people who are completely passionate about the work they do to change things for the better – so there is a certain pride I feel in joining those people on a journey together.

I think we all want to feel we are contributing and making positives changes, both professionally and personally, and I am genuinely excited to have been invited on board at such a key time for F&BF.

What floats your boat outside of work?

• Family time, the Sussex coast, guitars, meditation and marmalade toast.
• Vintage furniture, a cold sea swim, Italian glass and a crossword whim.
• Building teepees , kicking off shoes, playing the drums – and tattoos!