Andrew Donkin

Town of residence: Shiney Row                                                      Occupation: Technical Manager Depots                           
Age: 42                                                                                                         Ethnicity: White British

1. What is your current involvement in The Co-operative?
I’ve been an employee for nearly 21 years, a member of Area Committees for nearly 10 and a Regional Board member for nearly 8. 

2. What qualifications and/or experience do you possess that are relevant to the position of area committee member?
I manage a team of 20 Managers spread throughout the country and am part of a larger team working in Food which often requires me to work in cross functional teams. This gives me an in-depth understanding of the running of our business and the challenges that it faces .

3. What other qualities would you bring to the role of area committee member?
I’m a recently appointed Chair of Governors for Epinay, a Co-operative Business and Enterprise Trust School. In this role I work with the others to provide effective Governance looking at everything from Financials to Teaching performance. I regard this as role as that of a critical friend; challenging yet supportive. 

4. What aspirations do you have for The Co-operative?
I eat, sleep, work and breathe the Co-operative and co-operation. The recent calamity of the banking crisis has highlighted that there needs to be a rethink of the way that people, communities and organisations work together. The Co-operative needs to be commercially viable yet at the same time has to demonstrate that it and its members have a conscience that is driven by the needs of our society at large