TTI says a fond farewell to Quen
As Trauma Treatment International (TTI) welcomes its new chief executive officer Sarah Cutler, her predecessor Quen Geuter is looking back on her time at the helm, and ahead to her new position as trustee.
Quen joined TTI as its first CEO in January 2021, drawn to the charity’s mission to provide trauma treatment to people affected by human rights atrocities like torture, trafficking, slavery and war.
She brought with her 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector, helping start-up and smaller non-government organisations to build scale, capabilities and relationships.
And that’s certainly what she has done during her almost five-year tenure at TTI.
She said: “I joined TTI at an exciting time. At that point, it was still being run by its founders; they had so much passion and enthusiasm, but they needed someone to formalise the organisation and build on their foundations. We had £20,000 in the bank, and they told me to take TTI where I could with the funding we had.”
Since Quen joined as CEO, our annual budget has increased to £350,000. This means we have been able to appoint a number of new staff members and contractors, including a larger internal clinical team, a communications consultant, a projects and partnerships lead, and managers in business development and operations.
The appointment of these roles means we have been able to react dynamically to worldwide events including wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the rise of the far right, and the evacuation of women from Afghanistan following the Taliban resurgence.
Quen said: “I’m very proud of the proactive nature of our work over the last five years. Previously, the trauma treated by TTI was around events that had happened in the past, but we’ve since been working with people experiencing traumatic situations in real time.
“For example, we have provided evidence-based psycho-social support to journalists who were in a war zone with their office shaking as bombs fell. It’s our hope that this reactive approach can help prevent post-traumatic stress disorder, rather than treat its effects after the event.”
Loyal donors
She adds that the growth of TTI wouldn’t have been possible without funding from several donors, including the Swedish philanthropist Karl-Johan Persson, who is chairman of H&M. “Karl-Johan has supported us since my first year in the role,” says Quen, who herself lived in Sweden for nearly a decade.
“His funding has enabled us to grow to meet our beneficiaries’ needs globally. We are extremely grateful for his support; we wouldn’t be where we are today without him.”
Beatrice Bondy, Karl Johan Persson’s advisor, said: “It has been a great pleasure to work with Quen and help develop TTI. I look forward to working with her in her new board role.”
Work-life balance
Quen, a mother-of-two, has been keen to ensure that TTI practices what it preaches in terms of staff wellbeing, taking the Swedish approach to work-life balance.
“At TTI, we have fostered a way of working that allows people to have flexibility in their lives,” she explains. “Many of our team members have young families, other jobs and other responsibilities, and it’s so important that they’re given the flexibility they need. That really is key to resilience in this sector.”
She added: “We have an amazing team who work above and beyond to make TTI a success. It’s a cliché but it’s true. Each person brings so much and has helped us achieve a massive amount. And we really do care for each other. We’re like a family.”
Quen’s future with TTI
Now, Quen is preparing to move onto the board of TTI where she can oversee the charity’s work from a governance perspective. “We have got a lot more to do together,” she says. “As a trustee, I would like to see TTI having a real impact when it comes to systemic change in trauma treatment across the world.
“I am so excited to hand over the reins to Sarah, who is an incredibly capable and driven charity professional. She has all the attributes needed to lead TTI to the next stage in its development with energy and momentum. I’m really looking forward to supporting her from my new position on the board.”
She adds: “I want us to keep growing, find new ways to deliver our mission, and help even more individuals and communities to move forward from the impact of trauma.”