Toynbee Hall appoints first permanent female chief executive
Rebecca Sycamore has joined Toynbee Hall as its first permanent female chief executive since it was established in 1884.
Sycamore, who was previously executive director of strategy and development at St. Mungo’s, succeeds interim chief executive Alex Botha.
Stephen Burns, chair of Toynbee Hall said: “Her expertise across a range of organisational areas including strategic planning, fundraising and income generation, policy development and research, communications and senior management and governance is very relevant to the challenges the charity faces.
“She has a long-standing commitment to social justice and is motivated by finding ways to empower those experiencing disadvantage and exclusion. We look forward to welcoming her to Toynbee Hall.”
Engage Britain appoints CEO
Miriam Levin has been appointed CEO of Engage Britain, replacing Julian McCrae, the former managing director.
Prior to taking up the role, Levin was Engage Britain’s programme director and head of community action for the UK government.
She said: “It’s a great privilege to have been appointed as chief executive of Engage Britain at such an exciting time in the organisation’s evolution. Policies to improve our health and care systems developed by those who draw on services and on the frontline are gaining real traction and we will continue to push hard for their adoption by decision makers.”
New CEO for Overcoming MS
Overcoming MS has announced the appointment of Alex Holden as CEO.
Holden comes from Target Ovarian Cancer where she held the role of deputy CEO. She replaces Stephen Richards who had been Overcoming MS’s interim CEO since April last year.
With more than 20 years of experience in the voluntary and corporate sectors, Holden previously worked at Bupa, Virgin Media and Mencap among others.
Dowshan Humzah, chair of Overcoming MS, commented: “I’m excited to welcome Alex to Overcoming MS. The charity’s core purpose is to enable everyone with MS to achieve optimal wellness by being able to take control of their health and wellbeing through making informed lifestyle choices. Alex brings considerable transferable experience from a range of corporate and voluntary roles that will be invaluable in helping us more effectively drive that purpose.”
Acorns Children’s Hospice appoints CEO
Trevor Johnson has joined Acorns Children’s Hospice, which provides specialist palliative care to babies, children and young people across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire, as its new CEO.
He takes over from Toby Porter, who stepped down in September last year after spending six years in the role. Before joining the charity, Johnson was CEO of Katharine House Hospice.
Matt Bullock, the hospice’s director of people and culture and interim CEO, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Trevor to the charity – someone we know brings with them a wealth of knowledge and experience from within the children’s palliative care and charity sectors.”
New CEO for Groundswell
The homelessness charity has appointed Michael Chandler as its new CEO, effective 7 June 2023.
Chandler currently leads the Union Chapel and has more than two decades of experience working for social justice organisations. He previously worked at charities Cardboard Citizens and Shelter.
Groundswell’s chair Jenny Yates said: “We were inspired by Michael’s passion, commitment and ideas. In his first few months he will be meeting Groundswell’s people and partners as we look to refresh our organisational strategy; the past few years have been challenging but we’re confident Michael can drive forward Groundswell’s impact, with participation at the core.”
Royal Marsden Cancer Charity welcomes chair and vice chair
C.S. Venkatakrishnan and Sasha Wiggins have been appointed as chair and vice chair of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Venkatakrishnan is Barclays’ Group chief executive and Wiggins is Barclays’ Group head of public policy and corporate responsibility and chief of staff.
Antonia Dalmahoy, managing director of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, said: “We’re so pleased to welcome Venkat and Sasha. They bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise which will be immensely valuable in helping the charity grow its support from the corporate sector and I look forward to working alongside them to help The Royal Marsden continue to save and improve the lives of people affected by cancer.”
New chair at the Royal Academy of Music
Simon Robey has been appointed as the new chair of the Royal Academy of Music’s governing body.
An investment banker, Robey has been involved with the charity for nearly 20 years, serving as a trustee from 2004 to 2014. He will take over from current chair Jenny Abramsky in July 2024.
He commented: “I have a long-standing affection for the Academy and a deep admiration for the work it does and the young people it serves. I’m thrilled to take on this role as the academy moves into its third century. Now, more than ever, we must work hard to ensure that the finest music education and performance can flourish, and that talented young people are equipped with every opportunity to make music important in people’s lives.”
JRF welcomes new trustee
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has welcomed Anita Bhatia as a new trustee to its board.
Bhatia, who is Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation’s investment director, joins the team responsible for setting the JRF-Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) group’s direction and strategy.
She simultaneously became chair of JRF’s investment committee, which manages the foundation’s endowment.
Tracey Preece, JRF-JRHT’s director of finance, said: “We’re delighted to have Anita join JRF at this pivotal point for our new strategy as we work towards directing more of our endowment towards our mission through our investment practice. Her experience, drive and passion will be an invaluable guide for Trustees as we navigate this journey.”
Westminster Foundation appoints new trustee
David Holmes has become a trustee of the Westminster Foundation.
Holmes is currently CEO of Family Action and the chair of Children England, a membership body that represents charities working with children and young people.
The Duke of Westminster, chair of the Westminster Foundation said: “I’m delighted to welcome David to the board of the Westminster Foundation. He brings tremendous experience and independent perspectives on supporting children and young people.”
Two trustees join Scottish SPCA
Ed Alford and Caroline Trotter have joined the board of the Scottish animal welfare charity to provide oversight, support and challenge as it delivers its 10-year strategy.
Alford is a global chief information officer while Trotter has worked in the investment industry for more than 35 years.
Chair Fiona MacLeod said they both “bring a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge to the board”.
Oversight Trust welcomes board members
The trust has welcomed three new non-executive directors to join its board from the end of the month.
• David Lindsell is a chartered accountant.
• Vicki Thornton is chief financial officer at Age UK.
• Rob Bell is joint CEO of the Bettys & Taylors Group.
Chair Stuart Etherington said: “We very much welcome the addition of new members to the board who will add to the breadth of experience and perspectives that can be brought to bear for the on-going oversight of the dormant assets scheme in England.”
Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation appoints chief people officer
The foundation has appointed Cynthia Duodu as its chief people officer to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the organisation’s culture.
Duodu joins from the Low Carbon Contracts Company and Electricity Settlements Company where she was director of people and organisation development.
Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation’s chief executive officer Kieron Boyle said: “It’s great to have Cynthia joining us at the Foundation at an exciting time in our journey. This new role will help shape how we deliver our five-year strategy. Cynthia’s extensive experience will be an asset to our team as we look to consolidate and build on our growth of the last few years and continue to work to establish the foundations of a healthier society.”
Awen Cultural Trust announces new commercial director
Steve Dimmick has been appointed as commercial director at the Awen Cultural Trust and its wholly-owned trading subsidiary Awen Trading Ltd.
Prior to this, Dimmick was the co-founder and CEO of real-time online survey platform doopoll.
Awen Cultural Trust’s chief executive Richard Hughes said: “Awen’s purpose of ‘making people’s lives better’, and our core values, really resonate with Steve. As an entrepreneur and founder of several public-facing companies, he understands the importance and principles of developing a social business where generating revenue is underpinned by the social mission and embedding a customer-first culture.”
DEC appoints two trustees
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has welcomed two new trustees.
Farmida Bi, who joined as vice chair, is a solicitor and Julian Douglas, who joined as an independent trustee, is the international CEO of global advertising agency VCCP.
The appointments come as the charity’s three active appeals, namely the Pakistan floods, Ukraine and the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, have raised more than £580m.
DEC’s chair Sue Inglish said Bi and Douglas both bring “great expertise from their industry sectors” and “invaluable support” to the board.
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