We are excited to welcome Tony Chasteauneuf to Emmaus Suffolk as our new Chief Executive. With 30 years of experience in the charity and homelessness sector, Tony is committed to building community, promoting inclusion, and celebrating individuals. Get to know him more below.
It was thirty years ago, almost to the day, that I first stepped into the charity sector. Once I graduated from university, I started looking for work. I heard about the local night shelter through my church and I started volunteering with them.
I’ve always had a keen awareness of social justice issues, a strong sense of how we all rely on each other to get through life and how that relates to community and wider society.
It was a privilege to volunteer at the shelter, to listen to people, make them a cup of tea, and be part of the community. After a while of volunteering, I had the opportunity to join the staff team there.
Throughout my whole career, I have recognised that the people we work alongside have gone through so much and continue to do so. People are so resilient in so many ways, but when it comes to homelessness, they’ve had their dignity completely stripped away. In this work, you want to make sure that the support being offered truly reflects people’s worth and the dignity we all deserve as human beings.
I’m passionate about creating and nurturing places where everyone can be celebrated for all the skills, experiences and quirks they bring.
My focus broadened throughout my career. I started off in the homelessness sector, and from there I went to work more around third-sector leadership. I worked with organisations to ensure charitable resources were being fully utilised and that the support offered was the best it could be. I’ve worked with The Salvation Army here in the UK and in Australia when I lived there. I’ve been involved in projects around community organising, strengths-based approaches and asset-based community development. Everything I’ve done has centred on bringing people together, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment, and celebrating who people are.
Many of us are lucky enough to be a part of a few communities, but often one of the most important ones is where we spend our days – where we work, whatever that may look like. I love how central that idea is to Emmaus. Emmaus works to help people find their purpose and gives them the opportunity to be positively occupied and valued.
I’m thrilled to join the Emmaus Suffolk team. I’m looking forward to developing new relationships and helping to deepen the amazing work that already happens. With Claire (former Chief Executive Officer, Claire Staddon) having been so much a part of Emmaus Suffolk since the start of the charity, people are very sorry to see her go – myself included!
I’m excited by the potential of the charity and of the people we support. I bring with me a lifelong solidarity with Emmaus’ values and experiences from across the charity sector that I’m ready to share and put into the mix with everyone else’s contribution. I want to help grow the powerful community Emmaus has built and support more people in finding a place where they feel truly accepted and at home.