Martin Brookes has left his post as director of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation “by mutual agreement” after 13 months in the job.
A statement from the Foundation gave no hint as to why they had parted ways, saying only that during Brookes’ tenure he “has led the Foundation's strategy review and the development of plans for its future. These are now well under way.”
It added that: “Martin's contributions to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation follow more than a decade in the charity sector promoting an agenda around impact, measurement and transparency, including ten years helping build New Philanthropy Capital and founding Pro Bono Economics.”
In the statement, Brookes said: "I am proud to have led the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and helped it think through its future strategy. I did this in a way that encouraged openness and debate as well as contributions from outside, bringing in opinions from across the range of fields the Foundation supports. It was a privilege to work with talented people in the organisation and beyond."
And Jane Hamlyn, chair of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said: “I am grateful to Martin for his work with our trustees and our team in helping to shape our new strategy. The building blocks of this are now in place. We wish Martin well for the future.”
Brookes told Civil Society News this morning that he could not say any more about the circumstances behind his departure than what was in the agreed statement.
He joined the Paul Hamlyn Foundation on 10 June last year, succeeding Robert Dufton who had been its director for ten years. It was his first job back in the voluntary sector following his return to the City for an 18-month stint.
He had begun his career as an economist at Goldman Sachs before moving into the voluntary sector in a research role at Amnesty International. He then joined NPC as an analyst before becoming its director of research in 2003 and then chief executive in March 2008.
At PHF he led the funder’s recent strategic review, inviting people to participate in a live and interactive public consultation on social media and elsewhere to suggest new directions and priorities for it to take.
He went public with his personal reservations about social investment, but was clear that his views would not preclude the Foundation from getting involved in it if that was what the strategic review concluded.
Email to contacts
In an email to contacts yesterday, Brookes wrote: “Today the Paul Hamlyn Foundation has announced that I am leaving as director by mutual agreement.
“My immediate plans are to take a rest over the summer. After this I will be active writing and consulting about charities, funding, and impact, while I think about my next steps.”
Lynne Berry, a trustee of Pro Bono Economics which Brookes co-founded, paid tribute to his abilities today, describing him as a “true innovator and entrepreneur” who uses his experience gained in the voluntary, public and private sectors to think about the future of the sector in a way that “carries enormous credibility”.
She said he is “passionately committed to how voluntary organisations can use evidence to demonstrate their impact” and is “not afraid to change his mind when the facts change”.
Berry said she did not know what had happened at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, but added: “Sometimes the person that leads a strategic review is not the person to carry on and see the changes through.”
Martin Brookes is speaking about the ethical implications of social investment at a session at the Charity Finance Summit on 7 October. Click here to book your place.
