Colleague Arun Panikasserry is celebrating securing a paid role in our Procurement Team as a Buyer. Arun has been volunteering as part of #TeamCHFT for a few months, often for three days a week.

Volunteering Services Lead, Stevie Cheesman, said: “Arun contacted Volunteering Services last September and told us how he’d worked previously in procurement in India. He was hoping to be able to volunteer in a similar capacity, to both support CHFT and help his own personal and professional development.

“Procurement colleagues, Thomas Wareham and Cheryl Gibbons were really supportive of the request, and Arun started on placement last November, mentored by Thomas.”

Arun, pictured left with his new line manager, Senior Category Manager, Sohail Khan, wrote to Stevie saying: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your invaluable support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my time as a volunteer. The experience has been immensely enriching, and your mentorship has significantly contributed to my professional development and growth.”

Sohail added: “Arun has been a truly dedicated volunteer, and I know he’ll take that into this new role. He had some great experience from his time in India, but he needed to gain some knowledge of the NHS sector.

“The fact that he committed to volunteering for three days a week for around five months, when we weren’t even sure if we would have a vacancy in the team, shows his dedication.”

Arun is the second volunteer in the space of two months to gain employment with the Trust through volunteering at CHFT, demonstrating our ethos of Growing our Own.