It’s hard to believe it’s already been six months since Catharine Brown stepped into the role of CEO at St John’s Foundation. After having served as Interim CEO since July 2024, she smoothly transitioned into the role of permanent CEO earlier this year and has continued to bring fresh energy and a real passion for helping St John’s grow.
In that short time, there’s been plenty to learn, celebrate and reflect on, both within the organisation and across the wider community we serve. We sat down with Catharine to find out more about the first half of her year with St John’s: the moments that have inspired her, the challenges that have shaped our direction and the opportunities she sees on the horizon.
What’s one piece of feedback that stuck with you?
One moment that has really stayed with me was hearing one of our residents speak in a short film about moving into one of our almshouses. She shared how wonderful it was to live in the building, and how full of love St John’s is. You could just feel how much it meant to her to live here; it really touched me and highlighted how special our community is.
Most of my job involves high-level planning and strategy, so I don’t always get the chance to spend as much time with residents as I’d like. But moments like that are so grounding. I remember attending a coffee morning at Combe Park early on in my role, and a new resident told me: ‘I feel so lovely, safe and warm here’. It made me think, this is why all the meetings and planning are worth it, it’s a huge privilege to spend time with the people we serve.
What’s been the most uplifting moment so far?
Our annual Founders Day celebration in June really stood out for me. It was the first time I really saw our trustees, staff and residents all together, smiling, relaxed, and enjoying the day. There was such a lovely atmosphere – it felt like a true celebration of everything St John’s is about.
What are you most excited about in the next six months?
I’m really looking forward to helping shape the direction of St John’s next chapter – building on all the incredible work that has come before – while making sure we’re ready for what lies ahead. We’ve been around for 851 years, and I want to make sure we’ll still here in another eight centuries, with a clear focus on what really matters.
What opportunity do you think St John’s is uniquely placed to seize?
For me, it’s all about honouring our roots. Our primary purpose is housing for older people, and both in the UK and across our region, we’re experiencing an acute housing crisis. There are so many people in need, and currently only around 10% of those on waiting lists for social housing get housed.
What makes almshouses like ours so special is that we don’t just offer housing, we offer community. In this next phase of our journey, I think there’s a real opportunity to double down on this knowledge, to focus more deeply on what we do best and what our community needs most.
What’s one challenge that’s taught us the most?
While long-term vision is important, I think the past few years have shown us how quickly things change. From COVID to new technologies, the world is moving fast, and we have to be ready to adapt.
I think the key learning has been to stay agile and open to change. As an organisation with over eight hundred years of history, we want to ensure we continue our legacy of supporting those who need it most, but we can’t do that by standing still. Technology advances, and the needs of society are evolving constantly – it’s so important that we keep pace.
One word for the team? The mission? The future?
Team: Supportive.
What really impressed me about our team was seeing them deal collaboratively with a power outage we had at one of our almshouses back in June. The whole team was working together, making cups of tea and supporting each other and our residents. That sense of community and calm under pressure is something special.
Mission: Critical.
Between the housing crisis and an ageing population, the work we’re doing at St John’s has never been more important.
Future: Exciting.
We’ve got so many possibilities ahead and a real chance to shape the next era of St John’s. It really is such an exciting time for us!
Catharine’s reflections offer a personal glimpse into life at St John’s, from heartwarming feedback to moments that truly capture the heart of our mission. Her leadership balances big-picture thinking with a genuine respect for the lived experiences of the people we serve.
As we look ahead, we do so with renewed purpose, a strong sense of direction and a deep commitment to the community at the heart of everything we do. We can’t wait to see what Catharine’s next six months will bring.
