Mike Gardner, a retired Chartered Accountant who spent all of his career with KPMG, has joined The Children’s Centre’s Board of Trustees. The Island’s leading charity for children and families is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees which delegates the day to day running of the organisation to a Chief Executive and a Senior Management Team.
Mike, who lives in Kirk Michael, says he is delighted with his new appointment and is looking forward to playing a part in supporting the charity’s comprehensive range of services across the Island. He added:
“I have always been impressed by The Children’s Centre’s work and the positive impact it has had over many years in providing services and projects which benefit everyone in our community. I look forward to working with my fellow trustees and to making a contribution towards The Children’s Centre’s continued success.”
Mike’s association with charity goes back some time as he has taken part in several adventure challenges to raise funds for the charity. He completed the Three Peaks Challenge - which involved climbing to the top of Britain’s three highest peaks Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon within 24 hours - and has also taken part in the Race The Sun round the Island 24-hour running relay race on three occasions. Mike is also a keen endurance cyclist and pedalled 3,000 miles from coast to coast across the USA. This took 25 days and he followed the route of the legendary Race Across America (RAAM) event. In June this year Mike will be cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats as a part of a team of 24 riders raising funds for The Children’s Centre. It will be the third time he has cycled the 900 mile route and he will be one of three support riders using their experience to help the whole group to complete the challenge. In March this year Mike completed the Abu Dhabi Triathlon which involved a 3km swim, 200km bike ride and a 20km run.
Mike grew up in Bolton and moved to Liverpool as a young child. He began his accountancy career in Liverpool with KPMG in the late 1970s. The north west region for which he worked included the Isle of Man and he made regular visits to the Island during this time. In the 1980s he spent five years working for KPMG in the Cayman Islands and, in 1988, he came to the Isle of Man to live and work and has been resident on the Island ever since. He retired from KPMG Isle of Man in 2008.
The Chairman of The Children’s Centre’s Board of Trustees is Paul Cashin, Head of Banking at AIB. He commented:
“I'm delighted to welcome Mike to The Children's Centre and the Trustee Board. He is a very well know member of the local community and brings with him a wealth of experience from his previous role in one of the largest accountancy firms in the Isle of Man. As the charity has grown we have continued to focus on the Trustee Board make up and the overall governance of the charity, and Mike will play a key role in our future.”
Also on the Board are Max Kelly, Deputy Head of Murray’s Road School, Jonathan Hall, General Manager of Friends Provident International, Stuart Colligon, Managing Director of Auxesia, Findlay MacLeod, Managing Director of Isle of Man Creamery, Mrs Pat Heggs, formerly of the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Health, and Mark Humphrey, a partner in Long & Humphrey Advocates.
