Penny Newman to lead newly-launched Platform 51

Governance | Vibeka Mair | 12 Jan 2011

Penny Newman, former chief executive of the Jamie Oliver Foundation, is to be the new head of Platform 51, the new brand for YWCA England & Wales.

Newman (pictured) has a long history in the charity and ethical business sector, which includes a chief executive officer role at Cafedirect and marketing roles at the Body Shop.

She also holds an OBE for her services to ethical business, and is a member of the advisory board to the Office of Civil Society, a Social Enterprise Ambassador and a non-executive director of Social Finance.

YWCA England & Wales, which formed 155 years ago, rebranded as Platform 51 late last year.

A YWCA spokeswoman said: “Our new name more accurately represents who we are and what we do: 51 per cent of people are female, and girls and women use us as a platform to have their say and as a place from where they can move into the next stage of their lives.”

However, the decision to drop ‘Christian’ from its name has caused consternation within some Christian groups. The Christian Institute said in a statement that the ‘contentious decision could heighten concern over the increasing marginalisation of Christianity in the public sphere.'

Mike Judge, head of communications at The Christian Institute, added: “Many believe there is an anti-Christian bias among those who decide which charities get state funding.

“It was the Christian character of the YWCA that made it great. It is a shame that it’s turning its back on those values.”

Kate Rayner, head of communications for Platform 51, said:

"We have been working with girls and women for 155 years and the work we do has evolved gradually to reflect changes in society and the needs and expectations of women in its work. This is true not only of the work we do, but also of our name. Our original name no longer stood for who we are or what we do and we felt a change was necessary."

Directory: Office for Civil Society | Social Finance

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