CEO joins Mesothelioma UK
Mesothelioma UK has appointed Hannah Moody as its chief executive, succeeding outgoing leader and charity founder Liz Darlison.
Darlison said she has worked closely with the charity’s senior leadership team and board of trustees to build a succession plan designed to streamline the handover.
Moody joins from Breast Cancer UK, where she served as director of research and engagement.
Darlison will remain involved with Mesothelioma UK during a handover period.
Medical Research Foundation appoints CEO
The Medical Research Foundation has appointed Victoria King as its next chief executive.
King takes over from Angela Hind, who is stepping down after two decades. She will assume the role on 30 November.
She joins from Barts Charity, where she has been director of funding and impact since 2019.
She previously spent seven years at Wellcome in senior science strategy roles. King holds a PhD in biochemistry and is currently chair of charity Guts UK.
Church Commissioners for England names CEO
Rosie Slater-Carr has been appointed permanent chief executive of the Church Commissioners for England.
Slater-Carr has served as interim chief executive since March, having previously been chief operating officer.
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally said: “It is wonderful to welcome Rosie to this role as chief executive, a role which she has already been exercising very successfully in the interim.”
Slater-Carr joined the Church Commissioners in 2020, having previously worked as chief information officer at the British Red Cross and IT director at the Children’s Society.
Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving hire CEOs
Cripplegate Foundation and Islington Giving have appointed Victoria Benson as their chief executive.
Benson succeeds Sarah Benioff who has stepped down after seven years in the roles.
She was formerly chief executive of Gingerbread, the national charity for single-parent families, leading the organisation from 2019 until the end of 2024.
Before that, Benson spent more than a decade at Macmillan Cancer Support as director of legal and governance.
Painshill Park Trust appoints CEO
Painshill Park Trust has appointed Huw Davies as chief executive and he will take up the role on 1 October.
Davies joins after 11 years as deputy managing director and business development director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Stephen Lamport, chairman, thanked former director Gary Topp and joint interim directors Hannah Liles and Louise Webb.
Davies said his ambition is to build the organisation’s profile, strengthen its financial resilience and deepen its impact.
Launchpad replaces CEO after retirement
Launchpad has appointed Jude McKee as its chief executive to succeed Jill Murray who retired at the end of August.
McKee, who took on the role on 2 September, brings leadership experience across housing, homelessness and social care.
This included five years at St Mungo’s and eleven years at Strides, where she progressed from head of services to chief executive.
Murray led Launchpad’s agenda for change transformation programme from 2024 to 2026 before stepping down.
Brighton & Hove Museums CEO steps down
Brighton & Hove Museums has announced that chief executive Hedley Swain will step down at the end of October.
Deputy chief executive Abigail Thomas will step into the role of interim at the end of October.
Michael Bedingfield, chair, said Swain – who served for six years – steered the trust through significant challenges and opportunities.
Swain joined Brighton & Hove Museums in October 2020, having previously spent over seven years as area director south east at Arts Council England.
St George’s Hospital Charity appoints interim CEO
St George’s Hospital Charity has appointed Frances Longley as interim chief executive to succeed Katy Vaughan.
Vaughan will stand down at the end of September after two and a half years in the role.
Longley joins from the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, where she was chief executive, and previously led ActionAid UK.
David Meek, chair, said trustees look forward to working with Longley until a permanent chief executive is appointed in early 2027.
ShelterBox welcomes interim CEO
ShelterBox has appointed Roger Yates as interim chief executive, replacing Sanj Srikanthan, who stepped down at the end of August after nearly seven years leading the charity.
Yates will join the charity in October and lead it for about six months while the board recruits a permanent chief executive.
He joins from Plan International, where he spent 17 years, most recently as regional director for the Middle East, East and Southern Africa, and has also held roles at ActionAid and Oxfam.
ShelterBox chair Claire Goudsmit thanked Srikanthan for expanding the charity’s reach and said the board was confident Yates would provide strong leadership and continuity.
The Ripple Effect appoints strategic advisor
Former New Horizon Youth Centre chief executive Phil Kerry has been appointed strategic advisor to the Ripple Effect.
Kerry stepped down from New Horizon this month after eight years as chief executive, and will now provide senior strategic counsel to the Ripple Effect.
Frankie Wheeler, co-founder of the Ripple Effect, said that Kerry’s experience as a charity leader would help the agency better understand what charity leaders need from communications partners.
Wheeler added: “Phil working with us feels particularly significant because he knows our agency from the other side of the table.”
RSPCA announces chief vet
The RSPCA has named Charlotte Beckett as its chief veterinary officer (CVO), taking over from Caroline Allen.
Beckett, who moved into the role in July, first joined the RSPCA as a veterinary officer in 2012 at Finsbury Park Animal Hospital, going on to become hospital clinical director in 2016.
She also worked on the charity’s strategy team from 2022 to 2025 before moving into the role of deputy chief inspectorate officer.
Her priorities as CVO include moving veterinary care from Finsbury Park to a new clinic at the RSPCA’s Southridge Animal Centre in Hertfordshire.
Mission 44 selects chair
Mission 44, founded by Lewis Hamilton, has appointed Hayaatun Sillem as its chair.
Sillem has served on the board since the charity’s founding and previously co-chaired research initiative the Hamilton Commission.
Jason Arthur, chief executive of Mission 44, said Sillem has been a driving force on the board since its earliest days.
Sillem is also former chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering and founder and chief executive of Argentic Associates.
It’s Time appoints chair
Parental loss charity It’s Time has appointed Lynette Thorstensen as its new chair, with founder Dave Jacob-Lloyd remaining on the board.
Jacob-Lloyd moves to a strategy role after five years leading the 2021-founded charity.
Thorstensen was CEO of Greenpeace Australia and most recently chair of Fairtrade International.
Jacob-Lloyd said Thorstensen’s experience, energy and values will be invaluable as the charity develops its services.
Chair joins the Girls’ Network
The Girls’ Network has appointed Amy Whittall as its chair to succeed Sue Rimmer-Wilson, who steps down after 10 years at the helm.
Whittall is formerly a headteacher and is also the executive director of trust development at the Mercian Trust.
The appointment reflects wider board changes: Lauren McCluskey moves into the role of vice chair, and four trustees join – Rachel Smith, Mo Kanjilal, Helen Fleming and Josie Tree.
They join current trustees Michelle Rodrigues and Hannah Essex, the charity’s founding trustee, who will serve until 2027.
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust appoints trustee
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has appointed Vicky Ellis to its board in a new digital role.
Ellis, who has worked with the charity before, will bring her experience working with youth not-for-profits and digital development.
She took part in the charity’s 2013 to 2014 Clipper race and became the second female skipper to complete it in its 20-year history.
Ellis added: “I’m always striving to ensure people and organisations achieve their potential, and digital is a powerful way that organisations are finding to achieve that.”
Eni Aluko to represent Refuge as ambassador
Broadcaster and former England footballer Eni Aluko has been announced as an ambassador for Refuge.
Aluko has previously worked with Refuge on its tech summit and will now work more closely with the charity across its work to tackle domestic abuse.
Gemma Sherrington, chief executive of Refuge, said Aluko has already done a vast amount of work with the charity, especially on technology-facilitated abuse.
Aluko said: “I’m proud to be joining Refuge and using my voice and platform to stand alongside survivors and help drive the change we urgently need.”
