Three senior hires at UK Community Foundations
UK Community Foundations (UKCF) has appointed Jon Everett as director of business growth and external affairs, Rachel Hicks as head of marketing and communications and Damilola Bamidele as its head of programmes.
Everett joined the charity sector last year volunteering for RE:ACT the disaster response charity. Seconded to the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP), he was the stakeholder engagement lead for the VCSEP Covid 19 response.
Hicks' career has been spent in marketing roles for not-for-profit organisations, mostly helping educational institutions to achieve their marketing and communications goals, both in-house and most recently as a consultant for RSAcademics Ltd.
Prior to joining UKCF, Bamidele worked as a Youth Endowment Fund programme manager for Social Investment Business, an organisation which provides loans, grants, and strategic support to charities and social enterprises. Bamidele also holds a postgraduate certificate in grantmaking, philanthropy and social investments at Cass Business School and is a school governor and the PCC Secretary at her local church.
CRUK completes restructure
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has appointed Angela Morrison as chief operating officer, and Richard Newsome as chief technology officer, as part of its restructure following the impact of Covid-19.
In the new COO role, Morrison will sit on Cancer Research UK’s executive board, and bring technology, HR, finance and a range of other functions together into one directorate.
Morrison, who joins on 12 April 2021, has been part of the executive board at several FTSE companies. Her appointment completes the restructure of Cancer Research UK’s executive board, which is now smaller in size, and follows the departure of Rita Akushie, CFO, and Tiffany Hall, CIO. Mark Allen, the charity’s current executive director for HR, will be leaving in the coming months.
Newsome will join CRUK on 1 April 2021 and will lead the technology department and play a critical role in the charity’s digital transformation. He joins the charity from his most recent role as CTO, corporate platforms, at Sainsbury’s.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive at CRUK said: “I’m incredibly pleased to welcome Angela and Richard to Cancer Research UK. Their collective experience will be of huge value to us as we emerge from the pandemic and look to the future as a leaner, more digitally enabled and agile organisation. They bring a wealth of experience, and I’m confident will help us accelerate progress in our mission to beat cancer.”
Co-CEO departs Global Action Plan
After nearly 16 years at Global Action Plan, co-chief executive of Chris Large is leaving the charity to join the team at the Earthshot Prize.
In the interim, his role will be covered by co-chief executive Sonja Graham. The sustainability charity is expanding rapidly with twelve new hires which will double its clean air team.
Sonja Graham, co-chief executive at Global Action Plan, says: “After 16 years with GAP, and as my co-CEO for the last three, Chris will be hugely missed by me and the Global Action Plan team. His passion for justice in all things and his sheer determination have been the driving force behind many of our amazing programmes – the positive impacts of which will be felt for years to come.”
Playlist for Life appoints new executive director
Playlist for Life, a UK charity promoting the power of music for people with dementia, has promoted Michelle Armstrong-Surgenor to executive director.
She joined the charity in 2019 as head of operations and has held the role of interim executive director since August 2020.
She began her charity career in 2013 at Cancer Research UK, before taking on a chief executive role at Hearts and Minds.
Armstrong-Surgenor has been in post from 1 March 2021.
Brain Tumour Research appoints new director of fundraising
Brain Tumour Research has appointed Jason Rigby as director of fundraising and supporter care.
He was previously director of fundraising and communications with children with Cancer UK. Rigby has very personal reasons to join the fight to find a cure for brain tumours. He has experienced the double tragedy of losing his father and brother to glioblastoma, an aggressive and inoperable form of the disease.
Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK singularly focused on finding a cure for brain tumours through campaigning for an increase in the national investment into research to £35m per year, while fundraising to create a sustainable network of brain tumour research centres in the UK.
Sue Farrington Smith, chief executive, said: “Jason joins at a challenging time. Thanks to our loyal supporters and a restructure of the team we remain confident in our ambition to extend our network of Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Our vision is to find a cure for brain tumours and we look forward to getting back on track with our growth strategy while recovering the £1m which was lost to research because of the pandemic.”
RNID appoints director of fundraising
RNID has appointed Paul Hayward as its director of fundraising. He has been head of public fundraising at RNID for two years and the charity says he played an important role in helping deliver its first surplus in several years.
Hayward said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed to this new role at such an exciting point in RNID's story. Our aspiration to grow, develop and innovate everything we do - including the way we fund our work - makes this a particularly exciting time to be taking up this new role.
“I've really enjoyed being part of a team that played a key role in helping RNID deliver its first surplus in many years last year, and responded to Covid in an innovative way that put the needs of our supporters and beneficiaries first. I'm looking forward to being part of an incredibly exciting future at the charity.”
The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad appoints new chair
SPANA has announced that Dr Mary-Lorraine Hughes has been appointed as its new chair.
Hughes brings extensive experience of both the charity sector and the business world to her new role, having spent her career serving in chief executive roles, including at Portmeirion Potteries PLC, Pilkington’s Tiles Group PLC and Twycross Zoo. Hughes has been a Trustee of SPANA since January 2017.
Hughes will be supported in her new role by Gavin Helmer as deputy chair of SPANA. Their initial priorities in their new roles will include the appointment of SPANA’s new chief executive, which they will lead with the other trustees on the recruitment committee.
