As Jon Quinn begins his role as Chief Executive of ellenor, he is clear about one thing: leadership at this moment is not about arriving with all the answers, but about listening, understanding, and earning trust.
“I’m very conscious that I’m still getting to know the organisation,” Jon says. “Until I’ve spent time with people and understood what’s working well and what isn’t, it would be wrong to pretend I have all the answers.”
It is a deliberate and measured starting point from a leader whose career has been shaped by complex, highly regulated environments where public trust matters deeply. Jon joins ellenor after more than seven years as a director at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, where his responsibilities spanned fire safety regulation, prevention, community partnerships, communications, and public engagement.
During his tenure, the service’s fire safety regulation teams moved from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’ in its most recent inspection, making it one of the first fire services in the country to do so.
“That inspection felt like a real moment of completion,” he reflects. “It was the point where I thought: I’ve done what I came here to do.”
It was also the point at which Jon felt ready to step back into the charity sector, where much of his career has been spent. Before joining the fire service, he was Chief Executive of a disability charity and previously worked at Shelter, building a professional background rooted in communications, campaigning, and organisational leadership. While fire and rescue may seem a world away from hospice care, Jon sees strong parallels.
“Both are deeply people facing, highly regulated environments where trust really matters,” he says. “You’re working with colleagues who deliver critical services every day, often in emotionally demanding situations. Governance, safeguarding and accountability shape day-to-day decisions and have real consequences for people.”
That perspective, he believes, is particularly relevant in a hospice setting. Having spent years operating on the regulatory side of inspections, Jon is comfortable in environments where scrutiny is constant.
“If an organisation doesn’t follow regulation or legislation, it puts people at risk and it puts its reputation at risk,” he says. ““For a charity like ellenor, which is built on trust within its communities, this perspective is particularly important.”
Jon brings deep experience to the role and is clear he is not arriving with all the answers, but with a commitment to listen, understand and lead well.
“I’ve seen leaders come in and say, ‘This worked where I was before, so this is what we’re doing,’” he says. “That rarely works.”
That approach is reflected in how Jon leads day to day. At Kent Fire and Rescue Service, he became known for spending time walking the building, sitting with teams, and visiting frontline colleagues.
“That’s where you really understand what’s going on,” he says. “People will tell you what’s working, what’s frustrating them and where things could be better – but only if they feel heard.”
Raising concerns, he adds, should be part of a healthy organisation.
“If someone comes to me with a genuine concern, I will always listen and talk it through,” he explains. “Those conversations are often what help organisations learn and improve.”
As he begins his role, Jon says his focus is on building confidence within the organisation and across the communities ellenor serves.
“I want people to feel confident in the leadership of the organisation,” he says. “There’s hard work ahead, but ellenor has a strong reputation, a skilled and committed workforce, and deep roots in North Kent and Bexley. My role is to support that, remove barriers and help the organisation continue to grow and adapt.”
Above all, he returns to the importance of people.
“ellenor is a people-centred organisation,” he says. “It’s about being clear on where we’re heading, delivering the right services well, and supporting the people and communities we serve. If we stay focused on that, I’m very confident about what we can achieve.”
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