KAREN MELLALIEU: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
My name is Karen Mellalieu and I am the Business Development Manager at Brandon Trust. I have worked in the learning disabilities field for over twenty years in a variety of roles, beginning my career at Connect, an information service for people with learning disabilities with close links to the advocacy movement across the old Avon area. From there I moved to a voluntary sector project piloting community based day services and since then have managed a day centre, community day service teams and service development, until taking up my present post three years ago.
I originally came to this field more by accident than design, but my first experiences of being with and sharing with people with learning disabilities came at the age of 5, with a close friend who was learning disabled. Although we are no longer in touch we were friends for a long time and the things she gave me have never left me. They still underpin what I do, whatever role I'm in.
My particular interests at present are how we move away from compartmentalised services to work with people to achieve their own unique futures and the challenges this presents for us and for other providers.
As for consultancy? My previous experience has included addressing failing services, day service modernisation and working with the Independent Living Funds.
