PTA-UK, the umbrella body for 13,750 of the UK’s parent-teacher associations, has appointed a new executive director with extensive charity trading experience in order to drive forward its commercial activity.
Emma Williams will join the 57-year-old membership organisation on 1 October from Camden Arts Centre, where she is currently deputy director.
PTA-UK chair Tim Partington said Williams would be responsible for “ensuring PTA-UK fully exploits the range of trading opportunities that are now available to benefit the charity and its members”.
Until now, Williams’ career has been steeped in the arts sector, with previous positions at the Roundhouse, Tower Bridge and Tate Enterprises.
PTA-UK created the new role of executive director after trustees conducted a review and decided to scrap the role of chief executive and replace it with two different posts – executive director and part-time executive president.
David Butler OBE, who has been PTA-UK’s chief executive for the past 14 years, will move into the position of executive president this month.
While Williams will be charged with boosting the charity’s sustainability by increasing its trading activity, Butler’s remit will be more ambassadorial. He will be expected to raise PTA-UK’s profile, promote its services to the 4,000 PTAs that are not members of PTA-UK and advance education through parent-school partnerships.
The charity owns a trading arm, called NCPTA Enterprises Ltd, which was incorporated in 1999, but has been dormant since 2007.
At present, the charity relies heavily on membership income and the principal benefit that attracts PTAs to the membership offer is a subscription-linked insurance policy. PTAs need insurance if they are to run events and so PTA-UK membership comes with a bespoke insurance package that includes public liability cover, employers’ liability cover, personal accident cover, money cover, fidelity guarantee cover and trustee indemnity insurance.
But it is aware that some PTAs are already insured elsewhere and so it needs to expand its membership offer to provide various other benefits.
Jane Galbraith, PTA-UK’s membership development manager, will act up as interim executive director until Williams starts in October.
