The chief executive of Galop will be stepping down at the end of the month after nearly four years in post, the charity has announced.
Leni Morris joined the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity as CEO in June 2020 and had previously worked in fundraising and for various LGBT+ and human rights organisations.
In a LinkedIn post, Morris explained that she decided to leave the charity to care for her mother who was diagnosed with a “highly aggressive form of cancer” last February.
The charity said that the recruitment process for its next leader will start shortly and that deputy CEO Amy Roch, who joined Galop in 2021, will continue to act as interim CEO.
‘Overseen huge organisational change’
Galop’s trustees said in a statement that Morris had “overseen huge organisational change”, including the expansion of the charity’s services to support people across the country and opening a national LGBT+ abuse and violence helpline.
During her tenure, Galop’s workforce and income both more than doubled to 43 staff and £3.30m, respectively, according to the Charity Commission website.
“As a board of trustees, we’re very grateful to Leni for everything she has done for Galop,” the statement reads.
“Under Leni’s leadership, Galop has grown significantly and delivers a critical service to our community.
“We’re now in a very strong position to continue our crucial work for LGBT+ abuse and violence survivors.”
‘Not an easy decision’ to make
Morris said that she took the last few months of 2023 off to help her mother go through “her first cycles of palliative chemo, and both my team and the board at Galop have been incredibly supportive in giving me the time and space to do that”.
“As the only child of an immigrant single parent, we have always been the only family either of us really had and, while Galop has been my life and focus for almost four years, my mother is my priority for the time she has left. It is clear that the road we are walking together is not going to be easy – and that it is likely to get much harder from here.
“I care deeply about the work we do at Galop – it has been a genuine honour and a privilege to be able to support and serve my community as CEO. I’m so proud of how the organisation has grown in my time, the number of services we’ve been able to launch, and the work we’ve done to ensure that the voices of LGBT+ survivors of abuse and violence are better heard.
“This is work that continues to be incredibly important and deserves a leader who is able to give it the focus it deserves which, right now, I am not able to do.”
Morris added that her decision to step down was not easy, “but the right thing to do – both for my family and for Galop”.
“I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing and brilliant people, both inside and outside Galop, and I will absolutely miss working with you all every day. Thanks so much to those of you who have supported me this year personally, and more importantly those who have supported Galop to become what it is today.”
Related articles
