YMCA chief steps down

Alan Fraser, chief executive of YMCA Heart of England, has announced his resignation from the position that he has held for the past 15 years.

He will remain in post until May to complete a handover to Pauline Tomlinson, who is currently assistant chief executive.

Pauline will step into the CEO role for an interim period, before trustees make an announcement about recruitment of a permanent successor.

Alan (pictured) said: “The merger between YMCA Birmingham and YMCA Coventry & Warwickshire to form YMCA Heart of England in 2020, seemed to provide a natural point for me to bring my time as chief executive to an end.

“Obviously, Covid-19 then intervened and rather blew my plans off course. The world was plunged into a huge crisis and it didn 't feel right for me to leave the association that I had worked so hard to build up at a point when the future seemed so uncertain.

“Thankfully, the pandemic crisis is now easing and the association 's future looks secure. We now need to prepare for a post-pandemic future and that means moving forward on a number of initiatives that were paused because of Covid.

“It now feels like the right time to leave and to allow my successor to shape our work and to steer YMCA Heart of England into an even brighter future. ”