Marie Cooil Steps Up as Chair of Trustees at Autism Initiatives

We are delighted to announce that Marie Cooil has been appointed as the new Chair of Trustees at Autism Initiatives, stepping up into the role following her time as a Trustee.

Marie has been a long-standing campaigner for autism on the Isle of Man, where she lives and has spent decades advocating for autistic people and their families. She holds a wealth of experience, including her work alongside regulators and the IOM Government on corporate and trust services legislation.

Marie has a very personal connection to Autism Initiatives, which all began with her son, who was only 14 when Marie started looking for specialist support. Unfortunately, she discovered that autism provision wasn’t accessible on the Isle of Man at the time, so Marie set out to make a change.

Determined to make a difference, Marie took on the challenge to change legislation. As a result of her efforts, Marie’s son became the first child on the Isle of Man to have his care formally shared between his family and social services.

Marie was approached to become a Trustee when she met the Autism Initiatives senior leadership team on the island, which she was proud to accept. Recently, she was invited to step into the role of Chair, where she hopes to raise the charity’s profile across the UK and help create a more clear vision for the future of the organisation.

Additionally, Marie aims to strengthen training and professional development for staff. She is committed to ensuring the charity’s staff feel valued and encouraged to progress in their roles, with a strong understanding of each individual person they support.

Marie highlighted:

“Everybody with autism is different. They have different needs and personalities. We have the framework to support that, but we must ensure it is of the highest quality and gives the best possible life to each individual.”

Marie replaces former Chair Brian Williams, who is stepping down after representing the organisation in a variety of roles, including Trustee and Chair.

Andrew Grainger, CEO of Autism Initiatives said:

“We’d like to thank Brian Williams for all of his hard work and unwavering commitment to the organisation. We’re fortunate to have high calibre trustees such as Marie on our Board. I’m looking forward to working more closely with her in her new role as Chair, working together to improve services for autistic people across the UK.”