My personal memory of Jane Slowey, who died on 7th October. Always much loved.
Within the first months of Jane’s arrival at Foyer Federation, I met with her at Victoria Station to tell her that I had decided to leave in order to pursue other interests. ‘What things?’ she replied, with that distinctive rub of her hand over her chin. ‘Developing ideas’, I said, ‘challenging the system – radical stuff.’ ‘Then why don’t we do it here?’
So began a precious relationship that lasted professionally over 11 incredible years. ‘What things’ was a question she’d ask on a few occasions. Whether it was my desire to harness energy flows from the moon in the work place, or stage an experimental theatre show, she calmly opened paths for the possible rather than reach to shut doors. There was always a stylish touch of purple to add somewhere, too.
Jane had infinite depths of wisdom, humanity, and the linguist’s art for a good story. Most of all, to me at least, she had a burning hunger for people’s ideas - and knew how to get the best from them. She lived to make things happen. Drawing on each other’s strengths and the teams around us, ideas and opportunity flowed through an exciting line of programmes, culminating at their asset-based best with things like Open Talent, Advantaged Thinking, Healthy Conversations, a reclaimed youth offer. They were never just ‘projects’, more an inquiry into shifting our understanding of, investment in and work with young people. In many ways, she was inseparable from the words within the programmes. I might have written the tests of Advantaged Thinking, but it was Jane who lived them –the understanding, the belief, her nuance of knowing where to invest, her passion for challenging others.
As a CEO, she was someone you could rely on in a crisis; who’d offer you space and energy. She was generous with her time with lots of people, and did much to encourage new leaders, particularly other women. Building roads to drive down together, not toll gates that limit access, was one of many things she cared about.
I last saw Jane before her summer holiday, at the Tate members bar. We talked about starting to work together again once she’d returned – our ideas were sparking. There was always a sense with Jane of things that could be done. As I left for another meeting, she said she wanted to stay at our table for a little longer to take in the view. She was enjoying the time she had, finding love in every moment. Though I dearly wished there’d been more, I’m grateful for what she achieved with us all.
