Episode keywords:

Charity CEO, First 100 days, Eating Distress, Eating disorders, VCSE Sector, Frontline Charity, Mental Health, Leadership, Strategy, Organisational Resilience, Support Network.

Episode transcript:

You can access the transcript for this episode here. It is AI generated and not 100% perfect but I think it is good enough to follow the conversation. Unfortunately I don’t have the resource to manually make the corrections. 

Episode description:

The first 100 days in a leadership role can be daunting, especially when it’s your first time as a CEO. In a recent podcast interview, Anne Fry, CEO of Eating Distress Northeast, shared her experience and insights from her first few months leading this growing charity focused on early intervention measures for people experiencing eating distress and eating disorders.

In her first few weeks as CEO, Anne used a book called “Your First 100 Days” by Niamh O’Keeffe as a guide to create an action plan around vision and strategy, people and teams, and results and deliverables. She also met with all staff and trustees one-on-one, asking each person three questions:

• What do we do well?
• Where can we improve?
• And what do you want from me as a chief executive?

This approach allowed Anne to gain valuable insights into the organisation’s strengths and areas for improvement, helping her focus on key priorities.

One of the most significant challenges facing Eating Distress Northeast is the increasing demand for mental health support, particularly for children and young people. The pandemic has worsened mental health issues, and eating disorders often stem from underlying mental health problems. To address this need, Anne is focused on stabilising and strengthening the organisation through a 12-month strategy that prioritizes organisational resilience, data and theory of change, communications, and fundraising and income generation.

Throughout her first months as CEO, Anne found it essential to tap into both formal and informal support networks. She joined Ella Forums, a national leadership development network, which provided her with valuable insights and advice through action learning sets. Anne also emphasised the importance of self-care and knowing when to slow down, as well as seeking out trustee roles for those looking to develop their careers in the charity sector.

As Anne continues to lead Eating Distress Northeast, she remains committed to making a meaningful difference in people’s lives by addressing the increasing need for mental health support around eating distress and eating disorders.

Links to resources:

• Book recommendation: Your First 100 Days by Niamh O’Keeffe
• Ella Forums – established to bring a successful development and peer mentoring programme from the commercial world to the charitable sector

Anne Fry, CEO Eating Distress North East

Anne joined Eating Distress North East as Chief Executive in October 2022 from VONNE where she was the Deputy Chief Executive for three years.

Anne is also Chair of the Board of Trustees at Rape Crisis and a trustee at WWiN domestic abuse services in Sunderland.

You can find Anne at Eating Distress North East and on Linkedin and Twitter.