25 Years at YMCA

Our CEO reached his 25th work anniversay on the 21st August 2025. Here is his story:

“I’ve hit a milestone I never imagined: 25 years working for the YMCA.

When I left school, I didn’t leave with much. I underachieved, and I knew it. Back then, I felt like I’d let myself down, a view that followed me for years. What I did have, though, were a few adults in my life who believed in me. Through my church and the youth club, I saw the power of ordinary people quietly transforming the lives of others and their communities.

Growing up, crime was everywhere in my community. Properties on my street were raided regularly for drugs, and it left me convinced that if I joined the police, I could make a difference.

At 19, while working at Odeon cinema, I spotted an admin role at the YMCA. I thought it would look good on a police application. Instead, it became the start of a story I could never have written for myself.

From day one, the YMCA didn’t just give me a job, it gave me belief. It saw value in me as a young person, at a time when I struggled to see it myself. That simple act of trust became a turning point.

One of the first people to shape that journey was Louise, my CEO at Doncaster YMCA. She taught me what it really took to keep a YMCA alive and thriving, the grit behind the mission, the determination to fight for young people every single day. Her honesty and belief in me changed the way I saw my own potential. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without her. I will always remember the time she sat me down to explain politics and the diagram she drew.

A few years later, Ken, then the North East and Yorkshire Regional Secretary, opened my eyes to the YMCA on a much bigger scale. Through him, I experienced the organisation not just as a local charity but as part of a huge, interconnected movement. Ken used to say he was “standing on the shoulders of giants.” It took me a while to really understand what that meant, but now I do: the giants are the young people. They are the reason we stand taller, and the reason we fight to create spaces where they can belong, contribute, and thrive.

Those early experiences, and the incredible opportunities that followed, changed everything. Travelling the world as part of the YMCA’s global family, serving as a national board member, chairing the North East & Yorkshire Global Reps for a decade, contributing to the YMCA Brand Strategy, every role taught me something new about leadership, community, and the responsibility that comes when an organisation believes in you.

By the time I was 27, I stepped into my first CEO role. I was young, full of determination, and if I’m honest, a little terrified. The journey was exhilarating and, at times, felt insurmountable. But I had something priceless: people who allowed me to make mistakes and supported me to learn from them. I discovered that empowerment isn’t just about being trusted to lead, it’s about taking responsibility when things don’t work and using every failure as a teacher.

Through all of it, there’s been one constant: Katie, my wife. She’s been the calm when I’ve been in the storm, the patient ear when I couldn’t switch off from work, and the person who quietly picked up the slack with our children when I dashed off to yet another YMCA event. Her understanding of what this role demands has carried me through more challenges than I can count.

Now, standing at this 25-year mark, 16 of them as a CEO, I feel two things deeply: immense gratitude and an even greater determination to make sure the YMCA continues to be a force for good in the lives of young people here in Northumberland and across the world.

This isn’t a story about a perfect career or a flawless leader. It’s about what happens when people believe in you, when you believe in a cause, and when you’re willing to learn, fail, and grow along the way.

To anyone at the start of their journey, unsure of where they fit: sometimes the best paths are the ones you didn’t plan. And to everyone who’s been part of my YMCA story, thank you. You’ve changed my life.”

(Photographs: Left, Rob in 2000. Right, Rob in 2025)