Kevin Curley has revealed he is to retire from his role as chief executive of Navca next year, after nine years at the helm.

Curley will leave in March 2012, a month after turning 60 years old. NAVCA have begun recruiting his successor, who they hope will be in place by April.

Prior to joining Navca in 2003, he ran councils for voluntary service in Hull, Derby and Leicestershire, was chief executive of brain injury association Headway, and directed volunteer programmes for VSO in Tanzania and Vietnam.

Speaking about his decision, Curley said leading Navca was his dream job, but added: “I chair two charities - Sengwer Aid and the Pickering Family Centre - and want to give them both more time.  I also want to play a part at national level in defending the independence of the local voluntary sector. 

“And I also intend to give some energy to community organisations in Tanzania - where I lived from 1988 to 1992 - supporting sector leaders as they search for international funding."

Mike Martin MBE, chair of Navca, said Curley’s leadership had made the organisation “a highly respected national charity which speaks for and effectively supoports local charities and community groups.”

Of the future, Martin said: "In common with many other national charities, Navca faces issues of long term sustainability. As you would expect the new chief executive will be working with the board on these issues.

“However, we believe that the strategy we have set in terms of becoming a more enterprising charity that is less dependent on state funding is the right course."