The Guild’s Chief Executive has said that she will be stepping down from her role, citing an inheritance combined with the desire to spend more time with her family.
Tracy Costello has worked for the Guild since 2005, starting as Commercial Development Manager, and worked in various positions before becoming Chief Executive in 2013.
She has announced to staff and trustees that she will be leaving at the end of July – a decision which she made two weeks ago.
The recruitment process for a new Chief Executive “will be designed to attract the strongest possible pool of candidates internally and externally, will be multi dimensional and will have 4 or 5 key component parts”, according to communications sent to Trustee Board. It will be supported by Keith Eales, External Trustee, who supervised the recruitment process in 2013.
In an all-staff email, Costello said that the only reasons for the change are a change in personal financial circumstances and the desire to spend time with her family.
“I have made what in my mind is a very difficult decision to, after 14 very happy, very rewarding years at the Students’ Guild to step down as Chief Exec, and the only reason is that I have got a two-year-old, soon to be three, and even though I have been able to balance so far a busy full-time job with being a mum to a toddler”, she told Exeposé.
“I have recently inherited a little bit of money (…) and it is enough money to allow me to, firstly, take a bit of a break, and then to move to something a bit more part-time.”
She said that while the Guild is a very family-friendly employer and it could be done, she personally would not be able to give the Guild “the commitment it deserves”.
Grace Frain, Guild President, commented: “We are grateful for Tracy’s many years of service and wish her well in her future endeavours. Her choice to inform the trustees in advance of her notice period allows us to run a full and rigorous recruitment process that will help ensure the Guild gets the best applicant for the role.”
