My first 90 days as Tinnitus UK’s CEO

It is now three months since I joined Tinnitus UK so I thought that it would be a good time to update you on some of the things that have been happening.

Our financial security

In my last update I focused on the first two things I wanted to address. Top of this list is our financial security so that Tinnitus UK can continue to support the tinnitus community. Our urgent fundraising appeal launched on 1 November, and we have been delighted with the amount of people who have responded to our call for help and amazed at how generous they have been.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed, it is looking like we will not have to reduce our services for this financial year and can concentrate on our future strategy.  Our predicament is still an issue though, so please do support if you haven’t already and you can.

Our new strategy

In recent weeks I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the UK running ‘Your Voice, Our Future’ workshops. I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to come along to one of these events. I’ve heard some humbling stories about the impact of tinnitus but also some hope and reassurance about some techniques and methods which have helped people. The insights you have given us are so important as they have revealed common themes which we will address in Tinnitus UK’s new strategy.

I appreciate this is a busy time of year for many people so, if you’ve been unable to make one of our events(there are still a few left before the end of the year), I would still be delighted to hear from you. You can contact me directly at alex.brooks-johnson@tinnitus.org.uk.

We will be developing the new strategy in January and in February we will be going back out to present the first draft and look forward to receiving your feedback.

Board update

The Chair of our Board, Lynne Gillon, stepped down at our AGM last month.

We are now actively looking for a new Chair to lead our board and support both myself and the rest of our team as we move forward with the new strategy. This is an incredible opportunity for someone as we look to rebuild after a few very difficult years. The future is beginning to take shape and with new Trustees joining, a dedicated and expert group of world-leading experts in our Scientific Advisory Board and a new energy in our Board and staff team it is a great time to get involved.  If you would like an informal conversation about this role, please do get in touch – you can find more information here:

I continue to be amazed at the goodwill and support Tinnitus UK receives from the tinnitus community and I am looking forward to an exciting 2025. I hope you have a restful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Alex