New Chief Officer

The Executive Committee is pleased to announce that Derek McAuley has been appointed to the post of Chief Officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. It is anticipated that he will take up the position in December 2009.

Derek, aged 50, has been active within the Unitarian movement at congregational, district and national levels and has been a member of the Executive Committee since April 2008 and General Assembly Treasurer since April 2009. He served as a member of the Hibbert Trust collaborative inquiry into the future of liberal religion: "Shaping the Future".

He has been a senior manager in the National Health Service for 17 years in Merseyside and Manchester and also brings long experience as a voluntary sector trustee and chair.

Derek said;

"I am excited to be offered this opportunity to serve the Unitarian denomination in a new way and look forward to working closely with current staff at Essex Hall, members of the Executive Committee and Unitarians across Great Britain and Ireland.

I want to play my part in developing the movement across the spectrum of its activities and for Unitarianism to grow both numerically but also as a group of communities sharing common values of liberal religion.

I have benefited immensely from my association with Unitarianism and I want to see others share that experience. I have a lot to learn but am looking forward to starting work as soon as I can at Unitarian Headquarters."

Executive Committee Convenor, Sir Peter Soulsby said;

"The Executive Committee are delighted to be able to appoint Derek to the post of Chief Officer. He brings a wealth of experience in leadership and management from both outside and within the Movement. His commitment and experience will be a tremendous asset and we look forward to working closely with him to take forward an agenda of change."