Jan Fletcher OBE
The Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which supports young people and organisations working with them across the region has appointed three new trustees.
Joining the Board are Jan Fletcher OBE, Dipesh Mistry and Fiona Robinson.
The Foundation makes grants to individuals and organisations across Yorkshire, raising money through the annual Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards which celebrate their 30th anniversary this year.
Jan Fletcher has been a supporter of the Foundation and one of her businesses, CHR Group, sponsors the Achievement in Management and Enterprise Award at the annual dinner.
She has successfully owned and operated a large number of diverse businesses and is currently a Board Director of INW Group and Chairman of Mera Investment Management, Rougemont Estates, CHR Group and Fletcher-Smillie Investments. These companies operate in sectors as diverse as property development, investment, lending and finance, the manufacturing of nutrition and wellness products and the syndication of commercial property. She was awarded the OBE for Services to Industry in 1997 and is a winner of the Veuve Clicquot British Business Woman of the Year Award.
Dipesh Mistry
Dipesh Mistry takes over the role of Treasurer following the sad death of Martin Gerrard earlier this year. Dipesh is the founder and director of Illuminate Wealth Management Limited. Working in banking and finance for 25 years in Yorkshire, he now specialises in working with business owners, professionals and families’ intergenerational wealth. He currently is also a mentor at Leeds University Business School.
Fiona Robinson is an experienced HR professional who has experience of both strategic and operational HR across a range of businesses in the local authority, financial services, recruitment and education sectors as well as with small-medium sized regional and international charities (Mind and Emmaus).
Foundation Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “We count ourselves incredibly lucky to have three such talented individuals joining us and are very grateful to them for offering their time and expertise to the charity.
Fiona Robinson
“I have no doubt they will prove an asset and it is pleasing to be welcoming them in such a significant year for us.”
The Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards first took place in 1993 and have grown over the years to now include eight categories of Awards. Previous winners include entertainers, such as Kimberley Walsh and the Kaiser Chiefs, sportsmen and women including the late Rob Burrow, Archie Gray and Hannah Cockroft, and a host of high-profile personalities. The event was unable to take place in 2020 or 2021 because of the Covid pandemic, hence this year marking the 30th anniversary Awards.
The Awards have now raised more than £1.5m for young people across the region.
This year’s Awards take place on Thursday 14 November at the Leeds United Centenary Pavilion and tickets are already on sale at www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk.