Girlguiding UK has appointed Felicity Oswald, who was until this month chief operating officer at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), as its next CEO.
Oswald joins the charity after a decade in the government intelligence and security sector, having previously worked at GCHQ before moving to the NCSC in January 2023.
The NCSC, where Oswald also stepped up to CEO level on an interim basis for nine months in 2024, provides cybersecurity advice, guidance and support to the public and private sectors. The organisation said in a statement she had led “with integrity, vision, and a deep commitment to excellence”.
In all, Oswald has 20 years’ experience as a civil servant, and received an MBE in 2023 for services to British foreign policy. Since 2023 she has also been a trustee at social justice charity Nacro, and was from 2014 to 2018 a trustee and board member at NCT, which supports parents.
Oswald said she was “honoured and delighted” to be taking up the new role.
“In a fast-changing world, the views of girls and young women are all too often under-represented,” she said, adding that she wanted to “amplify girls' voices and ensure the world sits up and listens”.
Oswald will take over from Angela Salt, the Girlguiding CEO since 2019, who will step down at the end of June.
‘Passion for empowering young women’
Announcing the appointment, Girlguiding UK said it welcomed the skills Oswald would bring to her new role, describing her as a dedicated advocate for girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Denise Wilson, Girlguiding’s chair, said: “On behalf of the board of trustees and everyone at Girlguiding, I’m incredibly excited to welcome Felicity.
“She brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for empowering girls and young women.
“Her leadership will be instrumental in driving our strategy forward, reaching even more girls where they need us most and building girls’ confidence.”
Girlguiding’s statement said Oswald “will continue to champion girls’ voices, building on her involvement in initiatives like the CyberFirst Girls Competition at the NCSC, aimed at inspiring girls’ interests in technology”.
It added that Oswald’s enthusiasm for digital transformation and delivering user-centred services would help Girlguiding “thrive in a rapidly changing world”.
‘Progress’ in activity centres sell-off
Oswald joins an organisation that has been in flux recently, controversially announcing in 2023 that it would close five UK activity centres at Blackland Farm, Foxlease, Glenbrook, Waddow Hall and Ynysgain due to underinvestment and fewer members using them. The sale of Foxlease was completed in November 2024.
Girlguiding had also planned to cease its overseas operations, but subsequently said it would instead would integrate those activities into its north west England regional structure.
The charity said at the time that “a dedicated resource within the Girlguiding North West England region, funded by the British Overseas Territories”, had also been agreed.
A spokesperson told Civil Society that Girlguiding is “making progress” on both the sales of its activity centres and its organisational restructure, and that updates would be shared “when available”.
