Jackie Ballard, who left her chief executive role at Action on Hearing Loss in September last year to become CEO of Womankind Worldwide, is to stand down after less than a year leading the international human rights charity.
Ballard spent five years in each of her previous CEO roles at Action on Hearing Loss and the RSPCA, and advised that the reason for her early departure this time is that she misses having direct contact with her beneficiaries.
Despite Ballard having spent less than a year at Womankind, Julie Ashdown, chair of Womankind said: “We are immensely grateful to Jackie for all that she has done for Womankind in her time with us, and we are very sorry to see her go. She has brought great clarity to the development of our new strategy and her wisdom and experience have ensured that she will leave a lasting legacy at Womankind.”
Whilst at the charity Ballard has worked to develop the organisation's strategy, creating a new vision, mission statement and organisational values. The charity now has a focus on economic empowerment, which Ballard told civilsociety.co.uk was the "missing link" in terms of its aims. Its new vision is one of "a fair world where being a woman does not limit choices, opportunities or rights".
Rather than working directly with beneficiaries Womankind supports other women’s human rights organisations internationally to amplify their voice and implement change. Despite no day-to-day contact with beneficiaries, Ballard did take a journey to Zimbabwe late last year where she toured some of the projects supported by the charity in the realms of women’s health, domestic violence, education and employment. In a blog of her experience she said: “I am so proud to work for Womankind Worldwide and so determined to try to increase our resources so that we can do more to help women like those I met in Rusape (Zimbabwe).”
Ballard is a member of Groundbreakers, the voluntary sector women leaders network, and as a former Liberal Democrat MP has spoken out against the sexism and male dominance in the political system. In an interview with Changing People’s Jane Woods last month she commented on the behaviour of MPs and the press:
“I was horrified at the behaviour in the House of Commons. Otherwise sensible people (usually men) turned back into children, banging their desks when they were excited, calling names and competing with each other for attention… The worst insult I received was from the late Auberon Waugh, writing in The Telegraph, who said I was too fat to be an MP.”
Despite an obvious interest in women’s rights Ballard, announcing her departure, said: “Womankind is a highly respected and very effective charity which does inspiring work with our partners and has influence way beyond our size. We can rightly claim to have helped improve the lives of millions of women around the world. However I have come to realise that it is important for my personal job satisfaction to have the opportunity for regular direct contact with beneficiaries.”
She told civilsociety.co.uk that she is "currently open to offers" of work either as a permanent CEO or on an interim basis. Of this latter point she said: "One of the things that the experience at Womankind has taught me is that actually I am good at coming in and taking on a particular piece of work that needs done and getting it done. And I do like strategy and strategic change."
Ballard is supporting Womankind in its search for her replacement, who will see through the charity’s new strategy.
