Fawcett Society names new chief executive
The Fawcett Society, a membership charity that campaigns for gender equality, has appointed Jemima Olchawski as chief executive. She is a policy expert who has worked for national charities, local government and think tanks.
Olchawski joins from Agenda, an alliance for women and girls, where she has been chief executive since 2018 and she was previously head of policy and insight at the Fawcett Society.
She said: “I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to be joining Fawcett. The past 18 months have been an incredibly challenging time for women and have made absolutely clear that when things get tough it is still women, and in particular women from marginalised groups, who bear the brunt - from poor mental health and the risk of redundancy to horrifying levels of violence against women and girls.”
Drinkaware appoints chair
Alcohol education charity Drinkaware has appointed Lucy Armstrong as chair. She succeeds Sir Leigh Lewis who retired after seven and a half years.
She has a background in business and manufacturing and is currently chair of the Port of Tyne Authority, chair of the Cumbria based Holker Estate, and a director of the Business Banking Resolution Service.
Armstrong said: “I’m excited to be joining Drinkaware at this time. The Covid pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to our society and has affected people’s relationship with alcohol. I hope to help Drinkaware adapt to the changed world and ensure the charity is best positioned to respond and play our part as one of the UK’s leading alcohol education charities.”
New chief executive for Scottish Women’s Institutes
A national membership organisation for women and girls in Scotland, Scottish Women’s Institutes (SWI), has appointed Diane Cooper as its new chief executive.
She will join in December when the current chief executive, Raymond Pratt, retires.
Cooper joins from the Open University where she was partnerships manager in Scotland and has held senior leadership roles at Associations of Chief Officers of Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO) and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA).
She said: “I am proud to be joining the SWI at this pivotal time, as we look to grow, innovate and develop the organisation for existing members and future generations.”
New CEO appointed to Rockinghorse
Donna Holland will join Rockinghorse, a children’s charity, later this year. She is currently deputy chief executive at Concordia.
She has been involved with the charity sector for 20 years and is also a trustee of Grassroots, a suicide prevention charity.
Phil Frier, chair, said: “She brings a wealth of experience in leading charities with a collaborative, kind and compassionate approach, not to mention a passion for supporting children and young people and for the local area of Sussex.
"She joins us at a pivotal time for the charity after a challenging 18 months, but we believe that we have made a strong choice in selecting someone with the strategic vision to lead Rockinghorse through the next phase of our development.”
Robertson Trust appoints new trustees
The Robertson Trust, a large grantmaker in Scotland, has named three new trustees, and its chair said she would retire after 17 years.
Earlier this year, an Employment Tribunal ordered the Trust to pay damages to its former chief executive after ruling that he was discriminated against for opposing gay marriage.
The new trustees, who will join in the coming weeks, are:
- Fiona Larg, until recently the chief operating officer and secretary for the University of the Highlands and Islands.
- John Loughton, the founder of Scran Academy and CEO of Dare2Lead.
- Professor Morag Treanor, deputy chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission, oversight board member of The Promise and professor of child and family inequalities and the deputy director of I-SPHERE at Heriot-Watt University.
Shonaig Macpherson, who stood down as chair, said: “In the last year, the Trust has achieved a great deal in difficult circumstances including a diversification of its investment portfolio, the launch of a new strategy with a stronger focus on poverty and trauma which will deliver greater impact for charities and their beneficiaries and the recruitment of Dr Jim McCormick, a highly regarded and respected expert on poverty and trauma, as chief executive.
“These and other achievements put the future of the Trust and implementation of its strategy on solid foundations. Now is the time for me to retire and while I am sad that I do so against the backdrop of recent litigation, I am pleased to pass the baton to Mark Batho.”
John Ellerman Foundation names chair elect
Peter Kyle has been announced as the chair elect for the John Ellerman Foundation. The current chair, Hugh Raven, will step down at the end of the year.
Kyle has been a trustee of the Foundation since 2014 and said: “It’s a tremendous privilege to be leading such an outstanding group of trustees at John Ellerman Foundation. The Foundation’s grantmaking has never been more important as we seek to advance the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world in these challenging times.”
He has a background in the arts and cultural sector and has worked with a range of organisations, including the Magic Circle Foundation, the Scottish Ballet, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Noel Coward Foundation.
Battersea appoints two directors
Animal welfare charity Battersea has appointed Amy Jankiewicz as director of operations, and Julian Holmes-Taylor as director of income generation.
Jankiewicz joins Battersea in November from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where she is currently a programme director and senior civil servant, spending much of her time in the Animal Health and Welfare Policy Directorate.
Holmes-Taylor initially joined in March 2020 as interim director of fundraising. Prior to joining Battersea, he was assistant director of income generation at the RSPCA. He has been a professional fundraiser for over 20 years and has worked at the British Red Cross, Leonard Cheshire, Capital Radio Charities, and Scope.
Related articles
