She has replaced Head of Accounts, Gareth Warner, who has stepped down from the committee, after a number of years in the role.
Ayla, who has always worked in Residential Property, joined our team two years ago. In that time, she has thrown herself into our charity challenges – taking part in the Walk Tonbridge Marathon twice and then, in 2023, conquering 100km in one go, as part of our Race To The King team!
While we involve our whole team in selecting our charity of choice – which is currently Jigsaw South East – our charity committee plans and drives our fundraising initiatives. In addition to Ayla, the committee currently also includes Partner, Lisa Connolly, from Residential Property and Senior Associate, Katie Hilsdon, from Corporate & Commercial.
"Since I joined CooperBurnett two years ago, I've been impressed by the dedication the firm has to raising funds for charity and supporting the local community," says Ayla. "I've enjoyed - well, mostly enjoyed! - taking part in some charity challenges over that time and am looking forward to working with Katie and Lisa to coordinate our fundraising efforts. It's an exciting time to get involved, with our next big charity challenge for next year in the early planning stages."
Gareth, who has been part of our team for more than 25 years, has made a huge impact on our charity committee during that time. He has also jumped into our challenges – climbing the Three Peaks in 24 hours, cycling from London to Paris in 24 hours, participating in the Walk Tonbridge Marathon and being part of our Race To The King team last year.
“We are so grateful to Gareth for his time as part of our charity committee,” says Partner Joseph Oates. “Our big charity challenges require a lot of planning and he has played a big role in making them happen. While he’s stepped down from the charity committee, we will still be relying on him to oversee all the financial aspects of our fundraising. And, we’re sure he’s already training for our big charity challenge for Jigsaw South East next year!”
