Birthrights appoints joint chief executives
Pregnancy and childbirth charity Birthrights has appointed joint chief executives Shanthi Gunesekera and Janaki Mahadevan in a job share that will begin in January.
They take over from Amy Gibbs, who stepped down in July. They will both work in a part-time capacity.
Gunesekera and Mahadevan previously worked in a job share since 2019 leading the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) policy and programmes. Before that, Mahadevan was head of policy and public affairs at the London Borough of Newham. Meanwhile, Gunesekera led migration policy at the GLA.
Contact CEO steps down
The charity for families of disabled children, Contact, has announced its chief executive Amanda Batten will step down next spring.
Batten has been at the charity for eight years and will remain in post until March 2023 to ensure a smooth turnover.
Chris Carr, chair of trustees at Contact, said: “We are truly sorry to see Amanda leave us. It is hard to imagine Contact without her, and the board and I want to extend our thanks to her for her brilliant leadership, not least during the last few years of the pandemic. She leaves Contact stronger in terms of our people, culture and finances, so we can continue to be here for families in the current challenging times and forward into the future.”
The recruitment process for Contact's next chief executive will start at the end of this month.
People Against Poverty appoints CEO
People Against Poverty has appointed Belinda Wadsworth as its next chief executive. She replaces Val Huxley, who had been in post for 15 years and will be stepping down to become mission director of the charity.
Wadsworth has previously worked for charities like Arthritis Research UK and Age UK.
She said: “It is a tremendous privilege to be taking on the baton of leadership for People against Poverty.
“I greatly look forward to working with our small but dynamic team, and connecting with the growing movement of engaged, purpose-led businesses and individuals who see our charity as an effective way to invest in real social change.”
The charity has also hired James Baker to the newly-created role of director of development to grow the charity’s income and supporter base.
Leukaemia UK appoints chair
Leukaemia UK has appointed Ian McCafferty as its chair. He takes over from Chris Corbin, who has been chair for almost 10 years. Corbin will remain on the board.
McCafferty is an economist who has had personal experience of blood cancer, having lost his wife to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2016.
He is a member of the Senior Salaries Review Body, which provides advice to the prime minister and senior ministers on the pay of many of the UK’s public servants. He is senior adviser to London Wall Partners and Oxford Economics and is a visiting professor at King’s College London.
Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK said: “I feel confident that the incoming chair, Ian McCafferty, along with our new and existing trustees, will continue to drive the organisation forward and will keep what matters most to those impacted by leukaemia at the heart of all their decisions.”
New chair for Asthma + Lung UK
Asthma + Lung UK has appointed Tamara Ingram as its new chair of trustees. She succeeds Baroness Tessa Blackstone, whose tenure lasted five years.
Ingram is also a trustee of Save the Children International. Formerly she has been a trustee of Save the Children UK, the Royal Drawing School and chair of Royal Court Theatre.
On her appointment, Ingram said: “It’s a privilege to join Asthma + Lung UK just months after it has launched its ambitious new strategy and I’m delighted to use my skills and experience to help the charity continue to campaign for and support the millions of people in the UK with a lung condition. I’m excited and honoured to take up this important position and look forward to bringing my leadership skills, governance experience and passion to the Asthma + Lung UK board.”
Ambitious about Autism appoints interim director
Ambitious about Autism has appointed Claire Thomson as interim director of national services. The newly created role follows the re-organisation of its executive leadership team.
She joins from the role of an independent education consultant where she specialised in SEND, safeguarding and complex needs.
Thomson is a qualified Ofsted examiner and teacher. Formerly, she worked as South West lead for special educational needs, disability and inclusion at Babcock LDP.
On her appointment, she said: “I am passionate about inclusivity, and the importance of excellent education and employment opportunities for autistic children and young people that will help them to achieve their potential and lead fulfilling lives. I am delighted to be joining an organisation that shares these values.”
New chief scientist at Health Data Research UK
Professor Cathie Sudlow, director of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre, has been named the first chief scientist of health data research at the charity Health Data Research UK (HDR UK).
Sudlow is a stroke neurologist and epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh. She was awarded an OBE for services to medical research in 2020.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, BHF’s medical director, said: “I am pleased and proud to see Cathie appointed as HDR UK’s first chief scientist. I am sure that this new position will complement and bolster the ongoing, ground-breaking work of the Data Science Centre. The BHF continues to partner closely with HDR UK to harness the enormous potential of data science at scale on routinely collected healthcare data to improve the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.”
Chief commissioner at Northern Ireland regulator steps down
Chief charity commissioner at Northern Ireland's charity regulator, Nicole Lappin, has announced she is stepping down after three years in post.
“I am proud to have been involved with the Commission during a transitional stage of its development. During my tenure, the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 passed into law, effectively reinstating the full register of charities,” she wrote.
Lappin is also chair of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and audit and risk committee chair of Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service.
Lord Frost becomes trustee of the Global Policy Foundation
Lord Frost is a former politician who served as minister of state between March and December 2021. He has joined the board of the Global Policy Foundation, a controversial think tank charity which is sceptical of the climate emergency.
On his appointment, Frost said: “For too long the costs of net-zero policies have not been given adequate attention by policy-makers or the media. There is far too much wishful thinking about pressing ahead with decarbonisation as quickly as possible, and too much demonisation of those who are asking legitimate questions.
“I am delighted to become a trustee of the GWPF, which has done so much to highlight the pitfalls of poorly-thought through climate and energy policies. The terrible crisis in Ukraine has shown the vital need for energy security and a more cost-effective approach to climate policies.”
Charity Finance Group welcomes two trustees
CFG has welcomed two new trustees to its board.
Angela Linton is chief operating officer at the National Foundation for Youth Music. She is a member of the Living Wage Foundation and the Third Sector Steering Committee. She was previously a trustee of SingUp, Spare Tyre Theatre Company and more.
She is joined by Tim Nicholls who is director of finance and resources and company secretary from The Arts Society. He has almost 30 years’ experience in finance and accountancy. He has also held several trustee roles.
Four trustees join Designabililty
Designability, a UK charity that works to help disabled people live with more independence, is pleased to announce four new trustees.
- Catherine Bailey is deputy director of student support and safeguarding at the University of Bath. Before this, she worked in the disability service at the university and has worked as a freelance needs assessor for Access West of England at UWE-Bristol.
- Anna Chatzimichali is an associate professor of Design Engineering and Innovation at the University of the West of England. She has also worked as a team learning specialist with Maastricht University.
- Andrew Monk is a professional fundraiser with over 20 years’ experience in the charity sector. He is currently the executive director of development and alumni relations at the University of Bristol.
- Lis Skeet is the services director at Help for Heroes. Before this, she was head of employability services at the Poppy Factory. She has experience as a senior occupational therapist.
POhWER welcomes six trustees
The national advocacy charity POhWER has appointed six more trustees to its board. The new trustees are:
- Corinne Mills is director of people and organisational development at Alzheimer's Society. Before this, she worked at RNIB for over six years.
- Alex Cisneros is a barrister who specialises in cases concerning mental capacity and mental health. He was formerly a parliamentary researcher in the House of Lords.
- Rachael Gilthorpe is digital services lead for aid charity Action for Children. She has worked at the charity in different roles for over six years, and has worked at Parkinson’s UK and Stroke Association before this.
- Abdi Mohamed is a parliamentary policy advisor to the shadow minister for disabled people. He is also a charity campaigner.
- Gemma Hope is director of policy at Leonard Cheshire Disability. Formerly, she worked at the Shaw Trust for six years in various senior leadership roles.
- Paul Robinson is a chartered accountant.
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