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Marsh to leave NSPCC to head up Clore Leadership programme

Finance | Becky Slack | 5 Jun 2008

Dame Mary Marsh is to step down as chief executive of the NSPCC in the autumn to become the founding director of the Clore Social Leadership Programme.

Marsh (pictured) has led the NSPCC since 2000, during which time she has contributed actively to the Full Stop campaign and has sought to strengthen partnerships with statutory services and other voluntary organisations. This included helping to set up the inter-agency group that works to improve children’s services throughout the UK.

Sir Christopher Kelly, chair of the children’s charity, said: “We will say goodbye to Mary with great regret at losing such a valued colleague and champion for children. She has achieved an enormous amount during her eight years at the NSPCC and has left the society in a very strong position to face future challenges.”

‘Strong campaigner’

On news of her departure, Annette Brook, the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for children, young people and families, said: “I have worked closely with the NSPCC and Mary through my work on the Lib Dem home affairs team, and since 2004 in my role as my party’s children’s spokesperson. I have the greatest admiration for Mary’s work on child protection. She has shown great leadership and has not hesitated to set up strong campaigns on vital issues not always fully understood by the general public.”

Marsh, who became a Dame in last year’s New Year’s honours list, said it had been a privilege to lead the NSPCC, and added: “It is with considerable pleasure that I take on responsibility for launching the Clore Social Leadership Programme. I am hugely excited by the challenge of adding value to the future development of the third sector in this way.”

Modelled on the Clore Leadership Programme for the cultural sector, the Social Leadership Programme aims to identify and develop aspiring third sector leaders.

Each individual selected for the programme will benefit from formal leadership training, secondments and access to a mentor, among other things.

The Clore Duffield Foundation will contribute £1.5m to the programme over its first three years. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is to provide £70,000 towards funding a fellowship while other co-funders will support it on a fellowship-by-fellowship basis.

The process to find a successor to Marsh has already begun and is being driven by Sir Christopher Kelly.

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