Leadership Spotlight – Victoria Miles, MBE DL, CEO, The Parks Trust

Welcome to our leadership spotlight series, where we ask each leader 10 quick-fire questions so that we can give a little insight into the person behind a leadership role.

I am an experienced CEO in the charitable sector and until taking up my recent role at The Parks Trust, I have been involved in the development of community foundations for 20 years and bring varied skills, expertise and knowledge including the building of endowment funds to create a community asset for the longer term. I’m passionate about helping to generate thriving, local communities, through building local philanthropy and long term investments to enable excellent stewardship for local people in perpetuity. I also have extensive experience on trustee boards and have served as trustee, vice-chair and chair for local, regional and national charities. Prior to that most of my career was spent in local newspapers working with communities to provide opportunities through various education initiatives to mainly disadvantaged families, children and young people.

What was your first job?

My first job was a Saturday job when I was 14. I worked in a fresh fish, fruit and vegetable shop in Hartlepool. I can still ‘dress a crab’, but never understood the scales for weighing the fruit and veg!

What is the best piece of leadership advice you’ve been given?

Take time to listen to your team, be interested in people, don’t forget their lives outside of work and remember the important stuff that clearly matters to them. Admit when you’ve made mistakes. Talk about the ‘we and us’ rather than the ‘I and me.’

What or who is your most admired purpose-led organisation or person?

Caroline Taylor who is the CEO at Essex Community Foundation, she is insightful, focused, has integrity and vision. If I need advice and support, or a good old rant, she is my go-to person.

What do you do to help ensure good mental health?

I have two gorgeous Labradors, Tallulah and Nellie and I exercise them daily. Walking them clears my head, keeps me happy and if I’m stressed or have to problem solve, this undoubtedly clears the fog in my brain.

What is the most impactful leadership decision you’ve made?

Making the decision to embrace digital transformation by convincing the board of trustees to invest in new technology. This made the small team we worked with at the time, work in a synchronous and effective way. We never looked back – just forward.

If you needed some sound advice, who would you call?

Currently my Chair or Vice-Chair of trustees, both of whom are excellent and inspiring leaders, they are sensible, pragmatic and experienced professionals. We’re lucky to have them.

What is your dream job? (Apart from your current one!)

A presenter on Countryfile.

Favourite place to eat?

At home on a Sunday, surrounded by my family.

Why are you in the purpose-led sector?

I grew up on a council estate in Peterlee, a new town on the East Durham coast, and went to school with a lot of children and families living in poverty, many of whom came from the surrounding coal mining communities. It struck me at a very early age, that it shouldn’t just be the ‘survival of the fittest’, but that we needed to help and support those who were the most disadvantaged through giving back what we could with our kindness, love, time and money, if we were in a position to do so. It’s something I still strongly believe in and has shaped my career in the charitable sector.