Who's Moving: The Climate Group, Royal Blind and Stagetext

20 Feb 2017 News

Helen Clarkson, new chief executive at The Climate Group

Our weekly round-up of all the latest movers in the charity sector.

Chief executive

International climate change charity The Climate Group has announced the appointment of Helen Clarkson as its new chief executive for its UK operations. 

Clarkson joins the organisation from Forum for the Future, where she is currently chief operating officer. She will succeed Damian Ryan who has been the organisation’s interim chief executive since July 2016. 

Clarkson is a trained chartered accountant and Cambridge graduate, who previously worked for Médecins Sans Frontières UK as director of finance. 

Clarkson will be joined at the organisation by Viki Cooke who has been announced as a new trustee at the organisation. 

Cooke is a founding partner of research consultancy Britain Thinks. It is her first trustee role at a charitable organisation. 

The Royal Blind Group is recruiting for a new chief executive, following an announcement from current chief executive Richard Hellwell that he will be leaving the organisation in July 2017. The Socttish charity group is made up of Royal Blind and Scottish War Blinded. 

Hellewell has been chief executive of the organisation since 2007. In the decade that Hellwell has been chief executive, the charity has established two adult residential services, as well as merged redeveloped its school campuses. He’s also overseen significant income growth at the organisation. 

Hellewell’s announcement comes after the group announced that it will be expanding the organisation and hiring 130 new staff members to run new care homes in Paisley from October 2017.

Non-executive

Captioning and subtitling charity Stagetext has announced the appointment of Jonathan Hassell as the chair of its board. 

Hassell is the former head of audience experience and usability at the BBC and is the founder of Open Inclusion, an organisation which provides training and consultancy on accessibility and inclusive design. 

Hassell too up the role earlier in the month, taking over from Richard Lee, who stood down after serving in the role of chair of the charity for a full six-year term.