Sense International appoints CEO
Disability charity Sense International has appointed its first distinct chief executive, Kavita Prasad, after previously sharing a CEO with parent organisation, Sense.
The reorganisation of its leadership structure follows the departure of Sense and Sense International CEO Richard Kramer at the beginning of the year, and subsequent appointment of James Watson-O'Neill as Sense CEO in February.
Prasad has served as director of Sense International since 2022, having previously served as CEO of DeafKidz International and SoundSeekers, as well as disability advisor to the UN Palestine Refugee Agency.
New CEO for Royal Society of Biology
The Royal Society of Biology has appointed Doug Brown as its new CEO, effective 1 September 2025.
Brown is currently CEO of the British Society for Immunology (one of the RSB’s member organisations), a position he has held since 2018, and a trustee of the Association of Medical Research Charities.
He will succeed Mark Downs, who has been the RSB’s CEO for the last 16 years and is now retiring.
MCS Foundation welcomes CEO
Sustainability charity MCS Foundation has appointed Garry Felgate as its new CEO.
Felgate will be the first chief executive of the MCS Group, leading both the charity and the MCS Service Company.
He will replace interim CEO David Cowdrey, who took over from Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay, who stepped down to successfully campaign to be an MP last year.
Felgate has over three decades of senior leadership experience across the private sector and civil society, and in government advisory roles both as an executive and board member.
Friends of the Earth announces chief executive
Environmental organisation Friends of the Earth has selected War on Want’s executive director Asad Rehman as its next chief executive.
Rehman will start in the post in August 2025, taking over from interim chief executive Jamie Peters.
He is returning to Friends of the Earth having previously spent 11 years at the organisation, where he was its head of international campaigning
Prior to that, Rehman worked as a senior campaigner on the group’s rights and justice, and corporate and trade, strands of work.
The process of appointing Asad Rehman’s successor as executive director of War on Want is underway.
New chair for Refugee Campaign Alliance
Refugee Campaign Alliance, an alliance of charities including Save the Children, Oxfam, Stonewall and British Red Cross, has appointed Eleanor Harrison as its chair.
Harrison, who was recently appointed as the Fairtrade Foundation CEO, previously worked to support asylum seekers and refugees in programme delivery at the Refugee Council, as interim CEO of Safe Passage International and as trustee of Refugee Rights Europe.
She takes up the role as the recently tabled border security, asylum and immigration bill – which the group has campaigned against – makes its way through parliament.
Community Integrated Care appoints chair
Mandy Wearne has been appointed as the chair of Community Integrated Care.
Wearne has been serving as interim chair for the charity since March 2024, following the departure of Libby Raper, who led the board for five years.
Wearne first joined Community Integrated Care in June 2021 and also currently serves as a non-executive director at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
New director of finance and technology for Magic Breakfast
Magic Breakfast, which works to provide free breakfasts for children in schools across England, has appointed Stuart Fox as its new director of finance and technology.
Fox moves to Magic Breakfast from RNIB, where he was the chief financial officer, and will begin work on 16 June.
He said: “Magic Breakfast is already making a huge impact, and it will be an honour to contribute my skills and experience to help drive that forward.
“It’s also an exciting moment to join, with school breakfast being both on the political agenda, and the value of Magic Breakfast’s work understood by parents, teachers and schools.”
DFN Project SEARCH appoints director of programmes
Amy Mitchell has been appointed as the director of programmes at learning disability charity, DFN Project SEARCH, effective from 28 April.
Mitchell’s most recent role was as chief impact officer at national education charity, Teach First.
“I am delighted to join DFN Project SEARCH, an organisation that is making a real difference in the lives of young people with a learning disability and/or who are autistic,” she said.
“There is no doubt that the provision of a safe place to learn, alongside great education, a focus on skills acquisition and exceptional internship opportunities is a winning formula to unleash the potential of young people everywhere.
“Addressing educational inequity has always been at the heart of my career and I look forward to continuing that with my colleagues at DFN Project SEARCH.”
Accountancy charity appoints board of trustees
Charity the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has appointed a trustee board under inaugural chair Stephen Hillier.
Its trustee board comprises 11 non-executive directors who collectively bring senior regulatory, governance, finance, business strategy and social mobility experience.
Richard Collins has been appointed chair of AAT’s professional regulation and standards compliance board and Julie Swan appointed chair of its awarding organisation compliance board.
New trustees for the Children’s Hospital Charity
The Children’s Hospital Charity in Sheffield has appointed five new trustees to its board.
The individuals appointed to the new team of trustees are Adam Gillett, Charlotte Acevedo, Louise Lumley, Matt Currie, and Peter Hartland.
Its new trustees will bring the board to a total of 12 members.
New trustee at EngineeringUK
Alex King has been appointed as a new trustee at young people’s engineering education charity, EngineeringUK.
As a surveyor at regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), King oversees aircraft engineering organisations and licensed personnel.
He also serves on the CAA’s shadow board, is a governor with a local primary school and a mentor with the Social Mobility Foundation.
King said: "I’m honoured to join EngineeringUK as a trustee. Their commitment to inspiring the next generation of young people into engineering and technology careers, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, aligns closely with my own values.”
Animal welfare charity appoints seven new trustees
Global animal welfare charity, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA), has announced that it has appointed seven new trustees to its board.
The new trustees will bring additional expertise and experience to the organisation, contributing to the ongoing development of SPANA’s work. In addition to their board role, they will play key positions within the board’s sub-committees.
The new trustees are Phil Alvey; Leah Wanjiku Kihara; Samantha Bunis; David Mole; Gayle Hallowell; Dr Mwenda Mbaka, and Barry Topham. Their professional experience spans the health; finance; fundraising and marketing sectors.
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