It’s official, Rosie has stepped down from the NUM board as planned. This is very bittersweet of course. She has committed years of her life and countless hours to NUM and led the organisation through many a storm. We sadly accept her decision, and we lose her as an asset in governance, but gain a very strong ally. We wish her well in her academic and other pursuits.

Rosie writes the following:

 

 

Dear NUM Board, staff and R&D Team,

It was agreed I would be standing down soon after the last board meeting  and I formally stepped down on Bank holiday Monday 25th August. 

It sounds like a cliche but it is true that it has been a honor to be on the board of NUM and for the last two and a bit years to be Chair. 

Having been involved with UKNSWP means I'm very much aware of the  efforts of many to get to the point where we had a National Ugly Mugs scheme and as each board member or member of staff or ally has got involved all have done their valuable bit. NUM and it's mission to end violence against sex workers tends to engender commitment and passion which is needed in a policy climate which can be challenging to say the least. Hence I very much value the work NUM does advocating for  decriminalisation, access to justice, protection and safety for sex workers and the confidence sex workers show in us when they join the scheme.

I stepped up into the Chair role for a three month period and that was over two years ago, there was never going to be an easy time for me to step down but now feels right  NUM is in a good place, we have you in place Raven as a dynamic CEO, financially we are in a good place, this includes the National Lottery Community Fund grant which will take NUM in new directions and massively enhance the NUM digital platform, we have an expanded committed case work team and NUM-RAD are in place.

I have every faith in Sian Prime who will be stepping up from Vice Chair to Chair role for a year, she has now been with NUM 2.5 years so we have someone who knows NUM well, there is continuity, also at a juncture that the focus over the next few months will be on a strategic plan for NUM, her skills in business planning will be an excellent fit for supporting that.

As they say, I hope it's Au Revoir rather then goodbye as I hope my path may cross with many of you in the future and that I'll find myself in a different capacity working on various things that involve NUM. 

It's been a pleasure to work with you all. Massive thanks to you all!

Rosie 

 

As for NUM, we enter into a new era with a focus on building infrastructure, digital service development and creation of materials to support greater benefits to adult industry folks with respect to their meaningful inclusion in health, safety and rights-based activities. Additionally, we work in partnership with many sex worker-led groups, front-line services, police and other stakeholders who will also benefit from a strengthened NUM!

Sian Prime will continue to bring immense enterprise and innovations expertise. She is a strategist who will help build the internal systems necessary for our transformation.

We are lucky to have many talented Trustees (past and present) and over the next couple of years we will develop the Board further through new membership, and grow in the ways that support the stewardship of NUM, the achievement of our mandate and the advancement of the sex worker safety and rights agenda.

More to come!

Dr. Raven Bowen, CEO