We have been lucky to welcome some new members to the Ashdale Care Team recently. Caroline has been a member of the team for a while now, but recently stepped into the exciting position of CEO. We talked with Caroline about her new role to learn more about her background and what she hopes to achieve at Ashdale!
Hi Caroline, talk us through your background before Ashdale Care.
I didn’t take the route you might think to land my role here at Ashdale. I initially qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC Dublin in 1999 following a B.Comm and Masters in Accounting in UCD.
I worked in the Horse Racing Industry for 12 years in various roles including Group Financial Controller, Head of Betting Division and General Manager of Fairyhouse Racecourse- so commercial, financial and regulatory roles.
In 2011 I moved into the Children’s Residential sector and worked in growing that business before joining Ashdale Care in 2018.
My role initially was to build the platform for growth in terms of properties and structures etc. I have been Deputy CEO since May 2022 where I got more involved operationally and helped extend the management team across the structure in preparation for Paula’s departure.
After such a varied career path what drew you to Ashdale Care?
Paula Kane attracted me with her passion and positivity to deliver high-quality services across Ireland for its most vulnerable children. Our goal is to reach more children in Ireland and I love working with people who are committed to a common goal and work with drive and energy to achieve that. When I joined we had 4 homes and we are now about to open our 17th in 5 years- an amazing team effort resulting in significantly more placements available for those that need it most.
CEO is a big role to take on – Why do you think this role is for you?
I’m passionate about what we do. Ashdale has a very clear set of cultural values: personal accountability, mutual respect, pursuit of excellence and honesty and integrity. I quickly realised these values aligned with my own.
My background in finance combined with 13 years in Residential Care equips me well too.
What does your role involve?
As CEO I’m responsible to the Board of Directors for the overall running of the organisation. This includes day-to-day operations, strategic planning, financial performance and a whole lot more.
What do you hope to achieve in your new role?
I want to continue with the legacy that Paula created so that in 100 years Ashdale Care is still the forerunner in the provision of therapeutic residential care.
This means I want to widen our footprint to meet our goal of reaching more children in Ireland.
I also want to develop our incredible managers into leaders. The people who work at Ashdale are the backbone of the company. Without them, we couldn’t deliver the much-needed care we provide. So, I hope to deliver some exciting programmes for our high-performing people.
What has stood out to you so far at Ashdale Care?
I’m always blown away by the commitment, drive and passion that our people have across all levels of the organisation with the absolute goal of providing the best experiences for the young people we care for.
What are you looking forward to most in the coming months?
With the move of centralised services to The Ridge from September I’m looking forward to linking in with the teams in the homes more often and ensuring that we have an open-door culture.
I also really want to finally get images of everyone at Ashdale. So organising a photographer and hairdresser is on my to-list!!