Under this partnership, Hakluyt employees are being matched with a number of charities to provide them with pro bono advice and support via Pilotlight 360. One of the first people at Hakluyt to participate in the programme was Hari Sahathevan, a partner in Hakluyt’s London office. Pilotlight connected Hari with the Brandon Centre, a charity that provides mental health and other services to young people in London. Hari spent a year advising the Brandon Centre on governance, prioritisation and other strategic issues.
Julia Brown, CEO of the Brandon Centre, said: “The contribution of Hari Sahathevan and others who have worked with the Brandon Centre through Pilotlight has been immense, and we are extremely grateful. Hari’s advice on strategy and governance has helped us make a lot of progress, and I have no doubt this work will support the delivery of significantly improved outcomes for young people in London who have a wide range of mental health and wellbeing needs.”
Hari commented: “Working with Julia, fellow Pilotlighters, and the team at the Brandon Centre was a fascinating and rewarding experience. I learnt a huge amount from applying the advisory skills I have developed at Hakluyt in a different context, and I’m delighted to have helped this brilliant organisation in its incredibly important work.”
Find out more about how your business can partner with Pilotlight here.
Case study of a project: Helping to make a better world for people in Smethwick
The Dorothy Parkes Centre seeks to create a safe, welcoming space of opportunity for its community, by running activities within the centre that help tackle local issues.
Rob Bruce, CEO of the Centre, applied to Pilotlight in early 2021 for help to create a clearer vision for the charity, and develop its strategic future. Hakluyt Pilotlighter Chris Dilloway was matched with three other senior business leaders from across different sectors to help Rob achieve his goals. After spending the first three months getting to know the charity, including a site visit to Smethwick, the Pilotlighters began to present Rob with advice.
Rob commented:
I think we definitely benefited from having the space to discuss strategic planning in detail with our Pilotlighters. Their guidance and support meant we can now move forward as an organisation with confidence in our planning for the future.
The project has now ended, and the Dorothy Parkes Centre has already managed to diversify its board, and is looking forward to the six month catch-up meeting with the Pilotlighter team.
Pilotlight 360 was a fascinating experience. It allowed me to discover how the third sector works and has since inspired me to become a trustee for a national charity very close to my heart. Seeing how we were able to empower the charity CEO to implement the changes he needed in a time of need was a real highlight.
Chris Dilloway
Hakluyt & Co Pilotlighter