New CEO for Beat
Eating disorder charity, Beat, has announced the appointment of Vanessa Longley as its new CEO.
Longley joins Beat with extensive leadership experience in mental health and youth sectors; most recently as chief executive of early intervention charity Chance UK.
She will be taking over from interim chief executive Robin Hepburn and will officially assume her new role on Monday 16 June 2025.
YoungMinds chief executive to step down
Laura Bunt, chief executive of youth mental health charity YoungMinds, has announced that she will be stepping down this spring.
The charity has appointed Abigal Ampofo as interim chief executive while it recruits a successor.
Bunt said: “It has been an absolute privilege to lead YoungMinds towards our vision that no young person is alone with their mental health.
“It’s been a time of transition for us in a challenging context, with so much opportunity ahead.”
Fawcett Society appoints CEO
Penny East has been appointed the new chief executive of gender equality charity, the Fawcett Society.
East replaces former permanent chief executive Jemima Olchawski and interim CEO Martha Hannah.
Most recently, East was a director at Think Ahead, a mental health charity advocating for a social approach to mental health provision within the NHS.
Her earlier roles include leading communications and campaigns at SafeLives, the national domestic abuse charity.
CEO of Framework to retire
Long-standing CEO of Framework, Andrew Redfern, has announced that he will be retiring after 29 years in the role. Redfern will step down in December 2025.
Framework, which is a registered housing association as well as a charity, works to tackle homelessness and its causes across the East Midlands and Sheffield.
Redfern had worked in similar East Midlands-based charities prior to taking up his role at Framework.
Chair Ruth Hawkins said: “Through his determined and clear-sighted leadership, Andrew has taken Framework from being quite a small Nottingham charity to become a diverse and successful regional organisation of more than 1,000 staff, supporting more than 18,000 people a year through a wide range of services and across a variety of locations while maintaining its original charitable ethos.
“He will retire at the end of the year with our sincere appreciation and gratitude for all he has achieved.”
New CEO for Safer London
London-based youth violence charity Safer London has appointed Rosemary Watt-Wyness as its new CEO, effective immediately.
Watt-Wyness was previously CEO at London Youth for eight years and of PACE, an LGBTQ+ mental health charity.
She said: “I am honoured to join Safer London and to lead an organisation with such a crucial mission.
“I’ve long admired Safer London’s commitment to improving the lives of young Londoners and families impacted by violence and exploitation, and I look forward to working alongside the team, partners and young Londoners themselves to build on this important work.”
Changing Faces announces new CEO
Changing Faces, the charity for people with visible differences in the UK, has appointed Louise Wright as its new chief executive, effective from July.
Wright replaces outgoing CEO, Heather Blake, who is retiring after four years in the role.
Wright has significant experience in senior leadership roles in the health and disability sector, most recently as chief executive of Vista, a Leicester-based sight loss charity and as chief executive of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, where she led the organisation for five and a half years.
National Garden Scheme appoints CEO and president
Gardens charity, the National Garden Scheme, has announced the appointment of a new CEO and president.
Richard Claxton will be joining the charity as CEO, having worked as a GP for 25 years.
TV presenter and professional gardener Alan Titchmarsh has meanwhile been appointed as the charity’s new president, replacing outgoing president Mary Berry.
Speaking about his appointment, Titchmarsh said: “I am thrilled to have been invited to become president of the National Garden Scheme and honoured to be stepping into the elegant shoes of my dear friend, the peerless Dame Mary Berry.”
The Haven Wolverhampton welcomes CEO
A Wolverhampton-based domestic violence charity has appointed Laura Rogers as its new CEO.
Rogers was previously the West Midlands Police MARAC (multi-agency risk assessment conference) Lead. In her previous role, Rogers led the regional response to high-risk domestic cases across the West Midlands.
Although this marks her first CEO role, Rogers brings experience of the domestic abuse support sector, having additionally spent several years with Black Country Women’s Aid.
Parkrun appoints interim CEO
Parkrun Global has announced the appointment of an interim CEO, Elizabeth Duggan, following the departure of its previous CEO, Russ Jefferys.
Duggan officially began the role on 30 April, and joins parkrun following a decade at Active Surrey.
Duggan said: “I have always been moved by parkrun’s mission, its strong brand and clear values.
“The organisation’s remarkable growth – both domestically and globally – is inspiring, including its success in fostering inclusion and engaging new audiences.
“Its commitment to removing barriers to participation and celebrating the power of physical activity, the outdoors and community resonates with my personal values as well as my professional experience.”
Mind deputy CEO announces retirement
Paul Ward, deputy CEO of mental health charity Mind, has announced his retirement after 11 years at the charity
Previously chief operating officer, Ward worked alongside former chief executive Paul Farmer to navigate the organisation through the coronavirus pandemic before being appointed deputy chief executive in 2024 by Sarah Hughes, current chief executive.
Ward vacated his role at the end of April. The charity has not yet announced plans for future recruitment to the role.
New chair at ACF
The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) has appointed Karen Everett as its new chair.
Everett, CEO of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, will succeed outgoing chair Jessica Brown, who has served in the role since 2019.
She will initially join ACF’s board as vice chair, before formally commencing her role at the charity’s annual general meeting in June.
National AIDS Trust announces chair
HIV rights charity, the National AIDS Trust, has announced Matthew Weait as its new chair.
Weait will take over the role in July from Jane Anderson, who steps down after nine years in the post.
Weait is currently director of the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford and is an expert on the connections between the law, public health and HIV human rights.
GOSH Charity appoints chair
Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity has appointed Lee Rochford as its chair.
Succeeding previous chair Anne Bulford, Rochford will bring board-level experience from the commercial and charity sector to the role, having worked in the financial services sector for 35 years alongside three not-for-profit roles.
Rochford said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining GOSH Charity, an organisation that is treasured by the public for the vital work it does to give seriously ill children the best childhood possible.
“GOSH Charity has gone from strength to strength in recent years and it is a privilege to be taking on this role at such a pivotal time.”
National Deaf Children’s Society chief revenue officer steps down
Mike Wade, chief revenue officer of the National Deaf Children’s Society, has announced that he will step down from the role after 17 years at the charity.
Wade had led the charity’s fundraising programme since 2008, increasing its income from £13m to almost £35m.
Commenting on his decision to step down, Wade said: “It’s been a privilege to work for so many amazing charities, supporting people in the UK and around the globe to deliver a fairer world.
“Although it is time for me to retire, I know the fantastic team at the National Deaf Children’s Society will continue to deliver amazing work to reach out to every deaf child.”
Dravet Syndrome UK appoints chief scientific officer
Ceri Hughes has been appointed the first ever chief scientific officer of Dravet Syndrome UK.
Hughes was previously at research publisher Frontiers in Neuroscience, where she was a publishing specialist, working with international scientists.
Dravet Syndrome UK is a small, independent charity dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by Dravet Syndrome, a complex form of epilepsy that occurs in around 1 in 15,000 births.
The new role was enabled by a £600,000 grant awarded to the charity by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; the charity will receive the grant over five years to accelerate its research programme.
StepChange appoints chief financial officer
Debt advice charity StepChange has appointed Modaser Choudhary as its chief financial officer.
Choudhary, a chartered accountant, brings over 20 years’ multi-sector experience across financial services, consulting, the charity sector and higher education.
He has most recently been working as interim chief financial officer for Everyturn, a national mental health charity and Advance Northumberland, a large local authority trading company.
ACEVO announces appointment of new treasurer
Umbrella body ACEVO has appointed Jonathan Aikens as its new treasurer, effective from 15 April.
Aikens replaces outgoing treasurer Joyce Materego-Woodall, who departed in February this year.
Aikens has experience in accountancy and audit, leading Moore Kingston Smith’s non-profit practice.
He is also treasurer and a member of the executive committee of the Charity Law Association, and holds person responsible for training status with the ICAEW.
Three new trustees for Imperial War Museum
Janet Beer, Emma Loxton, and Sheena Wagstaff have been appointed as trustees of the Imperial War Museum for a four-year term from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2029.
Beer was previously vice-chancellor at Oxford Brookes 2007-15 and at the University of Liverpool 2015-22.
Loxton is a partner at McKinsey and Company, where she co-leads McKinsey’s work with defence, transport, and industrial companies in the UK.
Wagstaff is former chair of modern and contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. She was also previously chief curator of the Tate Modern from 2001 to 2012.
Two trustees appointed to National History Museum board
Kate Robson Brown and Tanuja Randery have been appointed as trustees to the board of the National History Museum.
Robson Brown is vice-president for research, innovation and impact, at University College Dublin, Ireland. She is also professor of engineering, mathematics and biological anthropology.
Randery is vice president and managing director of Amazon Web Services UKI, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and has more than 25 years of strategic, commercial and operational experience working across three continents.
London Marathon Foundation appoints two trustees
Baroness Natalie Evans of Bowes Park and Nizam Uddin have joined the board of the London Marathon Foundation as trustees.
Evans became a life peer in 2014; prior to this, she served as leader of the House of Lords from 2016 to 2022.
Prior to politics, she had an extensive career as a senior leader in national organisations and led the New Schools Network, supporting groups setting up free schools.
Uddin is chief strategy officer and is part of the founding team of Algbra, a sustainable fintech company.
Services for Education appoints two trustees
Two experienced education specialists have been appointed to the board of trustees of Birmingham-based education charity, Services for Education.
Eluned Mansell is programme lead for Oak National Academy, the independent public body funded by the Department for Education, where she supports the development of free curriculum resources for schools.
Oliver Wilson is head teacher at Woodhouse Primary Academy in Quinton, Birmingham – an inclusive school where he is responsible for 450 children and 80 staff positions.
Elton John AIDS Foundation welcomes board members
The Elton John AIDS Foundation has appointed three new members – Tobias Hestler, Henry R Munoz III, and Joshua Schulman, to its board of directors.
Hestler joins the board as a treasurer; he is an experienced chief financial officer and non-executive director, with extensive experience in consumer healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
Munoz is a business leader, producer, activist, designer and philanthropist, and major comedy studio Funny or Die.
Schulman is currently CEO of luxury brand Burberry.
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