ShelterBox, which hit the headlines last year for dismissing its founder and CEO Tom Henderson, has found a new chief executive – Alison Wallace, currently a fundraising director at Amnesty International.

Wallace, who comes from New Zealand, worked for nearly seven years as director of international fundraising at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International. Wallace has also worked at Friends of the Earth and sits on the board of trustees of the Camden Society. She will begin her role in April.

Commenting on Wallace’s appointment, chairman of ShelterBox, Dr Rob John, said: “The board of trustees of ShelterBox were looking for an outstanding leader who possessed a track record in fundraising and strategy development relevant to our very special charity.”

ShelterBox has been without a chief executive since July last year when its trustees dismissed the charity’s founder and chief executive Tom Henderson.

ShelterBox’s trustees allege that Henderson tried to place a £650,000 contract with a company linked to his son, a move that ShelterBox found to be in breach of its related-parties purchase policy.

Henderson denies the claims and has said he will be taking ShelterBox to the industrial tribunal this year.

A spokesman for ShelterBox advised civilsociety.co.uk that “pre-tribunal meetings” were in progress but refused to comment further.

ShelterBox sends out aid boxes to international crisis zones. Its head of operations, John Leach, has been leading the charity on an interim basis.

ShelterBox was founded by former Royal Navy search and rescue diver Henderson in April 2000. Henderson has received a number of international awards for his work at the charity, including an OBE received in 2009.