Affinity Trust appoints CEO
Kerry Dearden has been announced as the new CEO of learning disability charity Affinity Trust.
Dearden will succeed outgoing CEO Leo Sowerby, who is set to retire in January 2025 after 18 years at the organisation.
She previously held leadership roles at the Orders of St John Care Trust and the Care Quality Commission.
Dearden said: “Our mission to support individuals with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs is both inspiring and essential, and I am excited to contribute to building on the incredible work already being done.”
Greensleeves Care CEO steps down
Greensleeves Care charity has announced that its current CEO, Paul Newman, will be stepping down in February 2025 to move into the private sector, taking up the role of CEO of the We Care Group and Summit Care Group.
Reflecting on his time at Greensleeves Care, Newman said: “Leading Greensleeves Care has been the greatest privilege of my career to date.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, from an innovative approach to growing the organisation, to delivering award-winning, high-quality care for older people.”
New CEO for Together for Short Lives
Children’s palliative care charity Together for Short Lives has announced that it has appointed Nick Caroll as its chief executive.
Carroll takes up the role after more than five years as a senior leader at the charity, most recently as director of income and engagement.
He replaces Andy Fletcher, who left Together for Short Lives in October after six years to become chief executive at Muscular Dystrophy UK.
New CEO for League Against Cruel Sports
Emma Slawinski, current director of policy, prevention and campaigns at RSPCA, is joining animal welfare charity League Against Cruel Sports as its new chief executive officer.
Slawinski has experience in the animal welfare sector, along with significant campaigning and advocacy expertise.
She will begin the new role in March 2025.
Bond appoints chair
Kirsty Smith has been appointed as Bond’s new board chair following the NGO umbrella body’s AGM on 20 November.
Smith will succeed Kate Sayer, who was previously chair since November 2019, this month.
Smith is CEO at CBM UK and BasicNeeds and is part of the leadership of the CBM Global Disability Inclusion Federation.
City Bridge Foundation recruits chair
Paul Martinelli has been elected as the chair of London’s largest independent charity funder.
Martinelli has previously served as deputy chair of the City Bridge Foundation board, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the bridge owner and grantmaker.
He takes over from Giles Shilson, who has been chair for the past three and a half years and who will continue as the foundation’s deputy chair.
Martinelli previously spent his career working in the food sector at Smithfield Market and holds a variety of positions in the City of London.
Dogs Trust announces chair
Dogs Trust has announced the appointment of Will Galgey as its next chair, starting 1 January 2025.
Galgey, who is executive managing director for Kantar Marketplace, succeeds Graeme Robertson, who has been the charity’s chair for the last eight years.
He said: “This is an exciting time to become chair and to lead the Dogs Trust board as we face into fresh challenges and opportunities and begin a new chapter in Dogs Trust’s long and proud history.”
New chair for London Funders
Cross-sector funders’ membership network London Funders has announced the appointment of Jenny North as its new chair after David Farnsworth reached the end of his nine years on the board of trustees.
North is currently the director of the Clothworkers’ Foundation, where she leads the implementation of their grantmaking and social investment strategies.
Previously she was deputy CEO at Dartington Service Design Lab, where she supported funders, charities, and local authorities on strategy and programme development, implementation, and evaluation.
Think Ahead appoints chair
Think Ahead, the mental health workforce charity, has appointed Peter Hay as its new chair.
Hay is joining to replace longstanding founding chair, Carol Black, as she comes to the end of her full term on the board.
Hay is a social worker by training and will steer the charity through its new five-year strategy, supporting transformation in mental health services.
Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust appoints COO
The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust has announced the appointment of Elena Lewendon as its first chief operating officer and full-time employee.
Lewendon, formerly the CEO of conservation and education charity the Apsley Paper Trail, will start working for the charity on 1 January 2025.
Lewendon currently serves as the vice-chair of the Emery Walker Trust and will continue there as a non-executive vice-chair when she joins the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust in January 2025.
New head of fundraising for Cancer Research Wales
Charity fundraiser Lisa Buckley is the new head of income generation for Cancer Research Wales.
Buckley’s last role was head of philanthropy at leading Welsh fundraising consultancy Richard Newton Consulting.
Prior to that, she was head of supporter engagement at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, where she was responsible for public fundraising and maximising supporter engagement, including a membership scheme of over 18,000 members.
Buckley said: “It’s such an exciting time to join Cancer Research Wales under the leadership of our new chief executive, Adam Fletcher. We have a new research strategy and ambitious plans for the next five years.”
National Youth Agency appoints trustees
The National Youth Agency has appointed four new trustees to its board, bringing expertise in the areas of finance, accounting, audit, governance, marketing and communications.
The new trustees are: Laura Bates, client director at communications consultancy Kallaway; Nick Caplin, former director of communications at Amazon; Nick Frost, senior partner at KPMG and Owen Purcell, former managing partner at Ernst & Young LLP.
They will support the charity as it continues to inform policymakers on the value of youth work, as well as working with training providers and funders to build the capacity and sustainability of the sector.
Look Good Feel Better appoints trustee
Specialist cancer support charity Look Good Feel Better, which helps cancer patients manage the cosmetic and physical impacts of the disease, has announced the appointment of Sarah Harbon as a new trustee.
Harbon is the general manager of Benefit Cosmetics UK & Ireland, and has been supporting the charity for over a decade.
One Home appoints trustees
UK-based climate solutions charity, One Home, has appointed four trustees – all senior female figures from the world of finance – as it seeks to grow and expand its influence in a bid to tackle the funding crisis currently being faced by environmental and climate-change causes.
Their roles, which begin with immediate effect, will focus on supporting One Home to drive forward its plans for growth and expansion.
The new trustees are: Shailaja Annamraju, an international development and climate leader with 25 years of experience; Anita Ghanekar, director at Shore Capital and Corporate Ltd and a qualified executive for the Alternative Investment Market; Tanja Gihr, a former head of sustainable banking, EMEA, at Barclays Bank, and Duygu Gozeler Porchet, founder of Gaia Impact Ventures
Duchess of Edinburgh appointed disability charity patron
The Duchess of Edinburgh has been appointed patron of major Scottish disability charity, Capability Scotland, following the late Duke of Edinburgh who held the role for over six decades.
This appointment will see the Duchess attending key events and engaging with the charity’s impactful and vital work across Scotland.
Princess Royal becomes patron of Veterans’ Housing Scotland
The Princess Royal has been announced as a new patron of Scottish housing charity Veterans’ Housing Scotland, which offers homes for disabled veterans across Scotland.
She assumes the role following a succession of royal patrons, including King George V, King VI and the late Queen Elizabeth.
Humanimal announces patron
Animal charity Humanimal Trust has announced that Matt Morgan, a practising doctor and consultant in intensive care medicine, is a new patron.
Morgan is a regular British Medical Journal columnist and has contributed to over 50 scientific articles following his PhD in artificial intelligence.
TV presenter becomes Refuge ambassador
Presenter, TV star and activist Chanita Stephenson has joined Refuge, the largest specialist domestic abuse organisation in the UK, as a celebrity ambassador.
After partnering with the charity in 2023, Stephenson will now be stepping up her involvement with Refuge, helping to raise awareness of the services it provides to survivors every year.
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