Amnesty CEO steps down
Amnesty International UK has announced that chief executive Sacha Deshmukh will step down from his role at the end of 2025, after five years at the helm of the UK section of the global human rights movement.
Deshmukh was appointed interim chief executive in May 2021 before taking on the role permanently in 2022.
Deshmukh said: “Leading Amnesty International UK has been a huge honour. I first supported Amnesty as a teenager, and the chance to serve as its chief executive has been both humbling and inspiring.
“After nearly 20 years in CEO roles and five deeply rewarding years at Amnesty, this feels like the right moment for a new challenge for me, and to pass on the baton.”
The recruitment process for Deshmukh’s successor will begin shortly.
New CEO for Swindon Food Collective
Matt Jones joined Swindon Food Collective as its first-ever chief executive officer on 21 July 2025.
Jones will lead the charity in the development of its service offering and the evolution of collaborative and partnership working with stakeholder organisations to address food poverty in the Swindon area.
Jones has over 25 years of strategic and operational leadership experience in the education, local government, and financial services sectors, and brings a strong track record in organisational transformation, policy and strategy development and implementation, governance, and compliance.
Tearfund appoints new CEO
Christian international development charity Tearfund has appointed Silas Balraj as its new chief executive, effective from September.
Balraj has extensive experience in international charities and the information technology sector, having held a number of senior positions at the Christian charity Compassion International over the past two decades, including country director for India, vice president for Asia and, most recently, senior principal in Compassion’s global programme function.
Balraj said: “I am honoured to join Tearfund at such a pivotal time. Around the world, millions still face the harsh realities of extreme poverty and injustice and I’m deeply inspired by Tearfund’s commitment to working through the local church to bring lasting change.
“I’m passionate about the role of the church to transform communities facing crisis, and I look forward to being part of that mission.”
NSPCC appoints new chair
NSPCC has appointed Emma Scott as its new chair of the board of trustees, replacing outgoing chair Neil Berkett, who is stepping down after 15 years of service.
Scott has extensive strategic, brand and digital leadership experience and currently serves as CEO of Beano Studios.
Scott’s current board appointments include non-executive director at Which? Ltd and chair of World Book Day. She has previously served as vice chair of Ovarian Cancer Action and the Royal Television Society.
New co-chairs of Network of Women Chairs
Peer support network the Network of Women Chairs (NWC) has announced that Carly Fields will be stepping down as chair. Rachel Mallows and Maggie Pedder, current members of the NWC steering group, will assume the roles of co-chairs to ensure a smooth transition for the network.
Fields said: "It has been a privilege to serve as chair. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am confident that Rachel and Maggie will lead the NWC to even greater heights.
“Their experience, passion, and commitment to empowering women make them ideal leaders for this next chapter.”
Mallows and Pedder bring extensive experience to their new role, having both been active and influential members of the NWC steering group.
New co-chair of Womankind Worldwide
International women’s rights charity Womankind Worldwide has appointed Katie Ghose as a new co-chair. Ghose joins Lusungu Kalanga as fellow co-chair of Womankind’s board of trustees.
Ghose is currently chief executive of Kids, a UK charity that supports and empowers disabled children, young people and their families. Ghose has also served as chief executive of Women’s Aid Federation of England, the Electoral Reform Society and the British Institute of Human Rights.
Ghose said: “I am thrilled to be joining Womankind Worldwide as co-chair. I thank my predecessor Olga Ghazaryan for her exceptional leadership.
“Womankind Worldwide is an incredible organisation where colleagues and supporters bring their energy, practicality and drive to provide women’s rights organisations with flexible funding, spaces for learning and exchange, and opportunities to influence policy at every level.”
Speech and Language UK appoints new chair
National speech and language support charity, Speech and Language UK, has appointed Luke Manning as its new chair of trustees.
Manning succeeds outgoing chair, Roy Blatchford. Manning has served as a trustee on the board for four years.
He is currently the head of the LSEG Foundation (London Stock Exchange Group), overseeing the group’s community investment programme. A former journalist, Manning has also held senior roles at Thomson Reuters, Barclays, Balfour Beatty and Refinitiv, and advises the mental health charity, Beyond Conflict.
Trussell announces new trustees and change in leadership structure
Anti-poverty charity Trussell has welcomed five new trustees to its board. The new trustees bring extensive expertise to the charity.
The new appointments are: Val McKie (lived experience speaker), Ed Matthews (head of strategy and planning at the Premier League), Ross Maloney (CEO of The Ramblers), Emma Galloway (chair of trustees at Edinburgh Food Project) and Andrew Reaney (trustee of Wokingham Foodbank).
The charity is also evolving from its CEO/deputy CEO leadership structure, with Matthew van Duyvenbode appointed as co-chief executive alongside current CEO, Emma Revie – a move to recognise a partnership that already exists in practice and accelerate the charity’s efforts to end hunger in the UK.
New trustee for London Youth Choirs
Community choir charity London Youth Choirs (LYC) has announced the appointment of Sir Andrew Haines, CEO of Network Rail, to its board of trustees.
Commenting on his appointment, Haines said: “I am incredibly honoured to join the board of London Youth Choirs.
“Growing up attending a comprehensive school in South Wales my education was massively enhanced by access to high standards of choral music at school and county level that not everyone today benefits from.
“That is why I am so passionate about the brilliant, inclusive approach and excellence that is at the heart of everything LYC does. I look forward to contributing to their vital work in shaping the next generation.”
London Foundation for Banking & Finance announces new trustees
The London Foundation for Banking & Finance (LFBF) has announced the appointment of three new trustees with experience in investment banking, finance, insurance, private equity, education and the charity sector: Stephen Mann, Quentin Nason and Steve Darrington.
All joined the board in July.
Mann is an insurance specialist and experienced chair and CEO. He sits on the Council of Cardiff University and has served as CEO of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), group CEO of Police Mutual Group and strategy and business services director at Aviva UK Life.
Nason is a finance professional and social entrepreneur who is currently a senior adviser at KingsRock, and is the founder of financial literacy charity City Pay It Forward.
Darrington is a qualified chartered certified accountant and a specialist in risk and private equity.
Fledglings gains new patron
Former Conservative MP, Sir Jake Berry, has joined SEN children’s charity Fledglings as a patron, effective from last month.
Berry said: "I’m proud to support Fledglings. As a parent of a child with special educational needs, I know how important it is to find the right support, and Fledglings is a lifeline for many families navigating those challenges.”
Berry recently defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK. He is currently chief operating officer at Fulbrook Strategies.
New trustees join Thames Hospice Board
Following the recent announcement of Katharine Horler OBE as the incoming chair from December 2025, Thames Hospice has announced the appointment of four new trustees who will formally join the board in November 2025.
The new trustees bring extensive experience across healthcare, retail, commercial leadership and digital innovation.
Andy Burgess has held senior roles across start-ups, SMEs, and global corporates, most recently leading the retail sector for Google Cloud; Dr Lalitha Iyer is chief medical officer at NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board and a practicing GP in Slough; James Breckenridge is retail director at John Lewis; and Dr Adrian Hayter is a GP partner and medical director at the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Trustee takes on ambassador role at Brain Tumour Research Research
A charity trustee who has dedicated more than two decades to improving outcomes for children and adults diagnosed with brain tumours is stepping down as a trustee and is taking on the role of charity ambassador.
Former chief executive of Brain Tumour Research, Sue Farrington Smith co-founded the charity in 2009 to find a cure for brain tumours, after her young niece was diagnosed and eventually died of a brain tumour.
Farrington Smith said: “I’m stepping down and becoming an ambassador, to look after myself and dedicate my time more fully to my other passions – my family and my church.
“However, I remain committed to the charity, our vision to find a cure for all types of brain tumours and our mission to increase the national investment in research into brain tumours, to bring parity with other cancers.”
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