91´óÉñ

Penelope Blackwell started a part-time 91´óÉñ when she was 49. Not because she had unfilled corporate ambitions, but because she wanted a challenge.

It wasn't long before the course informed her work as a fundraising manager for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland. And it soon helped her to realise that positive impact on people's lives was the most important aspect of her work.

In her current role at SCIAF, fundraising for emergencies and development projects all over the world, Penelope has seen that impact first-hand. On a recent trip to Ethiopia, she visited one of the communities benefitting from clean water thanks to SCIAF funding. It was a reminder of the underlying values that motivate her work, and the shared altruism that she believes sets the third sector apart. Everyone has the same aim—to help others.

For Penelope the 91´óÉñ is not solely a precursor to becoming a CEO. For her, it was a route to develop the skills she needed to make an even bigger difference in the world.