Remembering Kate Vokes: Chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust
On the 5th June 2024, a memorial event was held to celebrate the lives of Kate and Archie Vokes. Family, friends, colleagues and the wider community gathered to share recollections and gratitude for the roles that mother and son had played in their lives.
One year on, Jane Oglesby – Chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust, sister-in-law and dear friend to Kate – shares her reflections on Kate’s public life, as fellow Trustee, Chair of the Trust, leader and advocate for the voluntary sector and the community.
Kate Vokes: Chair of the Oglesby Charitable Trust 2019 – 2023
Our wonderful Chair Katharine Jane Vokes, died on 28th December 2023, aged 54. She died alongside her fabulous 22 year old son, Archie, in an avalanche, doing something they both loved: skiing off piste on a family holiday. It was an activity that gave Kate great pleasure and at which she excelled. She had skied all over the world and when asked in a podcast in 2020 “what’s been the happiest day of your life so far?” She replied “It will probably have involved skiing in fresh powder. I love skiing and I love skiing with my teenage boys”.
Kate skied like she did most things in her life – with enthusiasm, determination, positivity and laughter. She brought a beautiful energy to everywhere she was and to everything she did. And she gave of her time willingly; often in unsung, unknown coffee catch ups with people who benefited from her wisdom and calm; but also in a committed, organised way to the myriad organisations that struck chords in her heart.
Formal roles included Deputy Chair at the Royal Exchange Theatre; Director of Shared Health Foundation and Focused Care; Trustee at Young Manchester; founding Chair at Manchester Youth Zone; Chair of FASTN; Chair at CityCo. She is missed by them and by us all.
Kate was born in Scunthorpe on March 4th, 1969, daughter to Michael and Jean Oglesby and much-loved younger sister of Chris Oglesby. She was married for 25 years to Phil, and the couple had two sons, Archie and Charlie.
The Oglesby family moved to Manchester when Kate was two, and she considered herself a Mancunian. She went to Cheadle Hulme School before studying for a degree at Leeds Beckett. Following her degree, she moved to London, where she worked for Reuters and then as a buyer in the grocery/food sector, before returning to Manchester to study for an MBA at the Manchester Business School. From there she took a role as a management consultant at Accenture before joining the family business in the year 2000.
Working alongside her brother at Bruntwood, she was instrumental in evolving the care for the workforce and the culture of its employees and wider work. She was at the heart of developing the company’s purpose of creating thriving cities and led its community impact work, playing an important role in linking the work of the business with the voluntary sector.
Kate was regularly seen in the city region’s arts and culture venues. She became deeply involved in that world, both as a philanthropist who took the time to understand the real needs of the sector and to give of her time and skills; and as an audience member who understood the role that artforms could play in portraying the often hidden, deep human issues that she cared so much about.
In 2010, Kate took a year’s sabbatical from the business to Chair and launch the Manchester Youth Zone. She was determined that fantastic opportunities should be available to all young people across the city region, regardless of their postcode. She worked with many voluntary and public sector organisations to remove the barriers that excluded some young people from those opportunities. She had enormous respect and affection for young people and always made time to speak to them, encourage them, and find out what made them tick.
As a woman working in business, Kate was a role model for women and girls – both in the workforce and the wider community. Kate helped dozens of successful women across the North of England believe in themselves and achieve their potential. She understood the importance of rebalancing inequity and one of her great legacies at Bruntwood is its focus on creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, with opportunities for all.
She joined the OCT as a Trustee with me, her sister-in-law, in 2000 and stepped away from her day to day role at Bruntwood to take up the OCT Chair role when her father, Michael Oglesby, was being treated for cancer.
Kate’s life was shorter than we would all have liked, but the impact she had; the guidance and love that she gave willingly; the positivity and enthusiasm she always brought; and the belief she had that things can be changed, means we will remember her easily, often, and with deep gratitude and love.
With love,
Jane Oglesby
Chair of the Board of Trustees
