Our Matt is set to leave CLI after being at the helm for seven years

CLI co-founder and director Matthew Kidd is leaving the organisation after seven years.

He has been an integral part of the CLI team and will be missed by us all – but especially by fellow co-founder and director Peter Atherton.

Pete said: “Matt is a good friend as well as a business partner. We founded CLI together as we shared the same belief in doing things differently to help people change their lives.

“At the beginning, entering the unknown world of working with commissioners, local authorities and service funders was daunting but both professionally and personally, Matt and I pulled each other through and overcame the challenges we faced to launch CLI, to grow into the respected organisation we are today.

“Matt has been a leader and source of support not just to CLI and the team, but to me as well. His belief in not only making sure service users’ voices are heard but also to be used to shape ours and others’ services has been a driving force for CLI delivering the recognised accredited services we provide.

“I am so proud of what we have achieved together. We will all miss him and wish him the best of luck with his new challenges.”

Matt started at CLI in 2010 when it was a voluntary project in Tameside, and went on to play a pivotal role in the development of the organisation into a Community Interest Company that now has a client base across the country.

He started out by overseeing the day to day running of the service within Tameside, to leading on all aspects of training and development within CLI. This has included making CLI one of the first organisations in the country to offer the Level 3 Award in mentoring offenders and those at risk of offending.

Matt developed an education and support programme for family members to help them prepare for someone with a drug and alcohol problem returning to the family home after a spell in custody. He also worked with individuals in recovery to help change the culture within drug and alcohol services, with the aim of making them more person centered, flexible and recovery focused. And most recently, took the lead role setting up a new service in Bedfordshire to tackle drug and alcohol misuse.

Matt said: “It has been a long thought out and tough decision to leave CLI. The years that I have been working with CLI have been some of the best – not only helping all the people that we support to rebuild their lives but also working with a fantastic team of people.

“I am now looking forward to spending more time with family and taking on a new challenge. CLI is being left in the capable hands of a strong leader in Pete with a great team behind him. I will miss everyone and look forward to seeing CLI go from strength to strength.”