Elaine Smethurst
Elaine Smethurst is the founder of Starting From Here. She is a senior manager with many years experience in the voluntary sector and has a strong network of expert associates.
In her career in charities Elaine has been Head of Marketing at NSPCC, Director of Marketing at Mental Health Foundation, Executive Director of Working For A Charity and Head of Workforce Development at NCVO. Until July 2017 she was Managing Director of Gordon Moody Association, a charity providing residential treatment and online support for problem gamblers and those affected by problem gambling. As a result of this experience she has developed a keen interest in responsible gambling tools and is using her expertise to advise on measures to prevent problem gambling. In January 2018 Elaine was appointed to the Board of IBAS (Independent Betting Adjudication Service).
In her voluntary work Elaine has taught adult literacy, advised the trustees of Asian Women Lone Parents Association, been a primary school parent governor, provided one-to-one coaching support to women returning to work and was Chair of Trustees of a local youth charity. Elaine currently volunteers as a tutor in English in a London primary school. As a consultant Elaine has worked with a number of voluntary organisations, large and small, advising trustees and senior management teams on organisational change and workforce development issues.
Elaine believes in the role of the voluntary sector in making a positive difference to society and to the lives of individuals. As an independent consultant, charity manager, trainer and coach she offers her skills and knowledge to help organisations and individuals move forward and become even better at achieving their goals.
Elaine brought full breadth of knowledge, experience and sector understanding for our charity. We recruited our Director for Saheli Enfield, assured to lead the way for the organisation. Elaine came as a breath of fresh air for the charity, she consistently worked to high standard.
Bilay Want, Chairperson, Saheli Enfield
Elaine/Starting from Here helped Shaping Our Lives to recruit a new project manager and administrator at a time when we had limited resources beyond our committee members. As well as the actual help getting the job done in terms of drawing up and placing adverts, shortlisting, arranging interviews and communicating with candidates, Elaine’s input and expertise was invaluable. It was a real pleasure working with you throughout the process.