Frances Lang - Treasurer 

What do you do in your role as Trustee at Become? 

As Treasurer my role is to help Trustees carry out their financial responsibilities to ensure that Become operates in a financially responsible and efficient way while maximising the impact we make in supporting young people in and leaving care.

I enjoy working with the dynamic staff team and board on our strategy to deliver meaningful change.

Can you say a bit about your relevant qualifications and experience? 

Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant nearly 30 years ago, I have had a variety of senior finance roles and worked closely with a large number of boards. I was a partner of a private equity investment fund before moving into the charity sector as Director of Finance and Operations then Interim CEO for Media Trust and CEO of Variety, the Children’s Charity.

While much of my professional expertise lies in financial and risk management, business planning and strategy development, I have loved developing productive partnerships and collaborations.

I am a Trustee of the Criminal Justice Alliance which campaigns for a fairer and more effective criminal justice system. I have also enjoyed volunteering for a number of charities including Little Village, UK Youth, The Shannon Trust and the Charity Finance Group.

What drives you? 

It seems so obvious to me that we should be better supporting children and young people who are care experienced. Talent is distributed equally, opportunity is not. This can and must change. Care-experienced young people must have the same opportunities as those from more privileged backgrounds to reach for the stars and fulfil their potential and live happy, secure and healthy lives. This is not rocket science and together we can make this happen. That is what drives me.

What do you like about being a trustee at Become? 

I love being a part of Team Become. There’s real strength in our diversity of skills and experience, combined with the passion for our shared vision that care-experienced children and young people must have the same opportunities as other young people.

It’s important to me that care-experienced people are at the heart of everything Become does, from designing this website to telling their own stories, both in the media and directly to those with the power to make change happen. Half our board are care experienced, as are many of the staff team.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

I love spending time with family and friends. Love long walks in the countryside and trying new things, albeit with varying degrees of success (not bad at life drawing but my salsa needs work). Avid collector of recommendations of brilliant TV, films and books. Enthusiastic but dreadful cook.