New Trustees Appointed to the VSC Board

New Trustees bring valuable experience to support the VSC’s Charitable Mission

The Victory Services Club has welcomed two new trustees whose complementary experience will help it strengthen its commercial activities, reach more members of the Armed Forces community and expand its charitable support.

Heather Lishman and Air Vice-Marshal Tamara Jennings join a board that combines military knowledge with expertise from the legal, finance, hospitality, events, communications and marketing sectors. Both bring more than 30 years of experience in their respective fields, but from very different perspectives.

Heather is well known across the events industry through her work as Association Director of ABPCO, the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers. Her career has also included hotel and venue operations, sales, key account management, quality assessment and membership organisations.

This breadth of experience will be particularly valuable as the Club continues to develop its events business. Income generated through conferences, meetings, accommodation, food and beverage helps the Club keep its prices accessible for members and fund its charitable work.

Colin Francis CBE, Club Secretary and CEO of the Victory Services Club, said: “Heather’s appointment is a major coup for the Club. She brings more than 30 years of events experience and an exceptional understanding of the association sector.

“She will bring a knowledgeable and critical eye to our events business, helping us identify new opportunities, improve what we already do and reach a broader range of clients. The better we perform commercially, the more we can do from a charitable perspective.”

Air Vice-Marshal Tamara Jennings brings extensive senior leadership experience from a distinguished career in the Royal Air Force. A former Director of Legal Services and head of the RAF Legal Branch, she also has connections across all three Armed Forces and the wider defence community.

Her knowledge and networks will help the Club communicate with serving RAF personnel around the world, as well as veterans and their families. This will support efforts to ensure more eligible people know about the Club, the benefits of membership and the charitable help available to them.

Colin added: “Tamara understands the RAF from the inside and knows how to reach its different communities. Her connections extend beyond the RAF into the wider defence community, and she will help us raise awareness of the Club among both serving personnel and veterans.”

The appointments come as the Club looks to build on a record year for its charitable programme. During the 12 months to the end of March, it delivered 307 Respite & Welfare and Reward & Recognition Breaks for members of the serving Armed Forces community and their families.

These breaks can provide vital time away for people experiencing bereavement, serious illness, injury or other challenging circumstances. They typically include accommodation for the whole family, meals and tickets to a London attraction, removing everyday pressures and giving families the opportunity to spend valuable time together and create lasting memories.

Having achieved its previous ambitions for the programme, the Club now wants to increase its support and begin extending appropriate provision into the veteran community.

Heather and Tamara will contribute to that goal in different but connected ways: Heather by helping the Club strengthen the commercial income that makes its charitable work possible, and Tamara by helping it reach more people across the serving and veteran communities.

Colin said: “What has impressed me most is the passion Heather and Tamara have both shown for our charitable work. They understand the difference these breaks can make and are keen to help us extend that support to more military families.

“All our trustees are volunteers. They give an enormous amount of their own time, alongside their professional and family commitments, to support the charity. Heather and Tamara bring fresh perspectives and considerable experience, but they will also be involved in every aspect of the Club as we plan for its future.”

Together, their appointments strengthen the balance of skills on the board and will help the Victory Services Club continue evolving while keeping its members and charitable purpose at the heart of every decision.