Mick Aldridge has stepped down as the chief executive of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association.

The PFRA is not commenting about the reasons for Aldridge’s departure, which came into effect at the end of September, and it is not known whether the former chief executive has moved on to a new post elsewhere. It is also unclear how Aldridge left, with the PFRA limiting its description of Aldridge’s departure to that he has “stepped down”.

His departure leaves the PFRA without a CEO just as it begins to recruit a new permanent chair in early November.

Current acting chair Michael Naidu told civilsociety.co.uk, “We want to get a new chief executive as soon as possible,” but that this process would follow on from the appointment of a new chair who would then be integral in the selection of the CEO. “One should feed into the other,” he said.

This will mean a new chief executive will likely not be in place until the new year.

While there is no acting CEO the heads of departments at the PFRA are acting up and working with the four PFRA sub-groups to keep the organisation running as normal.

Aldridge has been one of the fundraising sector’s most recognisable faces over the past few years, leading the PFRA’s charge in defending, promoting and regulating face-to-face fundraising in the UK.

PFRA members were notified of the departure of Aldridge this morning.

Civilsociety.co.uk could not get through to Aldridge.