Nursing and Midwifery Council appoints interim CEO
Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), has announced that he will be stepping down from the role to become the interim chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) from January 2025.
In his new role, Rees will oversee the establishment of a multi-year programme to transform the NMC’s culture and performance, following an independent culture review by Nazir Afzal which found that people working in the organisation had experienced racism, discrimination and bullying.
Rees said: “Despite loving the NPA, the pull of helping the NMC to eliminate racism and bullying from within the organisation, embed a positive and inclusive culture, and improve the quality of patient care through the regulation of, and support for, the UK’s 826,000 nurses, midwives and nursing associates, is just too great.
“Ensuring the NMC can respond to the shocking findings of the culture review published in the summer by Nazir Afzal and Rise Associates – which highlighted the challenges at the organisation – is an urgent matter for patients, nursing and midwifery professionals, the staff of the NMC, and the nation at large.
“It is because of the scale of the challenge and the need to move with urgency and at pace, that the NMC has asked me to join the team in mid-January.”
RSPCA announces interim CEO
Shān Nicholas has been appointed as the new interim CEO at RSPCA, replacing outgoing CEO Chris Sherwood.
Nicholas brings with her a wealth of experience throughout the charity and non-profit sector as an interim chief executive at Child Poverty Action Group, Drinkaware, the Children Society and Refugee Council, among others.
Nicholas said: “I have long-admired the RSPCA and I’m excited to be joining in this interim role as the charity enters a third century of changing laws, changing industries and changing attitudes to make life better for animals we share our lives with.
“I’m looking forward to working with the board and with our expert and passionate people as we enter 2025 with a refreshed strategy and even bigger ambitions and goals to inspire everyone to create a better world for every animal.”
She will join the RSPCA on 2 December.
Green Britain appoints CEO
Rachel McCaffrey has been announced as the new chief executive of environmental charity Green Britain Foundation.
McCaffrey has over 15 years of experience in the charity sector, including roles at Age UK, BBC Children in Need and the King’s Trust.
Most recently, she was director of fundraising for the Labour Party, and led their most recent, highly successful, fundraising campaign.
Green Britain Foundation was founded in 2012 to create a greener Britain, and funds numerous initiatives in education, sport, business, and animal rights.
New CEO for Orpheus
Andrew Willetts will join youth disability charity Orpheus as its new CEO from January 2025.
Willetts was previously a principal director at Oasis Charitable Trust and had also held leadership roles in a range of sectors, including charity, local authority, education, public health and youth justice work.
He will succeed outgoing CEO Rachel Black. Jay Harris, Oasis’ head of HR, will serve as interim CEO until Willetts arrives in January.
NHS Charities Together co-founder becomes Helpforce CEO
Amerjit Chohan has been appointed as the CEO of health and care volunteering charity Helpforce.
Chohan, who was the co-founder of NHS Charities Together and on its board from 2019 to 2024, will join Helpforce in January 2025, and will take over from outgoing CEO Anna Dixon.
He said: “I’m thrilled to be taking over as chief executive at such an important, transformational moment for our healthcare organisations and systems.”
JK Rowling’s charity Lumos gets new CEO
Howard Taylor has been announced as Lumos’s chief executive, taking over from Peter McDermott later this month.
Taylor joins the children’s charity, founded by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, after leading the United Nations Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and comes with over 20 years of experience as a leader in non-profit, corporate, government and UN settings in the UK, USA, Africa and Asia.
He said: “I very much look forward to working with the talented team and our valued partners to accelerate change in the way children are cared for globally.”
Shelter appoints chair
Former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara has been appointed the chair of trustees at housing and homelessness charity Shelter.
Within the charity sector, MacNamara has previously served as trustee of Target Ovarian Cancer from 2008 to 2013, and as governor of Goldsmiths College, London.
She is a founding trustee of the Heywood Foundation, and an associate partner at the advisory firm Robey Warshaw.
One of MacNamara’s first tasks with Shelter will be to lead the board’s search for a new CEO, after Polly Neate announced in October that she will be leaving Shelter at the end of March after more than seven years.
Impetus chair steps down
Hanneke Smits will be stepping down as chair of trustees at youth charity Impetus, after six years in the role.
Smits will be succeeded by Bill Benjamin, current chair of Impetus’ resources and audit committee.
Smits said: “I leave Impetus in a strong position, financially secure and with a clear strategy for the future, ready to rise to the challenges ahead.”
Hay Festival Global appoints chair
Jay Hunt has been announced as chair of trustees of Hay Festival Global, beginning in January 2025.
Hunt is the creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe and chair of the BFI and was chief creative officer of Channel 4.
She has served on the board of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
Hay Festival is a cultural charity founded in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in 1987.
New chair of trustees for National Lottery Community Fund
Dame Julia Cleverdon has been appointed the chair of the National Lottery Community Fund, beginning the role last week.
Cleverdon has previously chaired Teach First, the National Literacy Trust and Place Matters, and also chairs the National Statistician’s Committee on Inclusive Data.
She has served as a trustee for the Fair Education Alliance, the Careers and Enterprise Company, the Youth Futures Foundation, Teach for All and as patron of Right to Succeed.
Sands recruits chair, vice chairs and treasurer
David Hall has been announced as the new chair of Sands baby loss charity.
The charity has also appointed two vice chairs, Sangeeta Agnihotri and Sarah Threadgould, and a treasurer, Neil Ferris.
Hall was previously the vice chair of trustees and will be replacing outgoing chair Oliver Reichardt.
New CFO for Southdown
Michael Barford has been appointed as the chief financial officer of Sussex-based care, support and housing provider Southdown.
Barford joins Southdown with a background in finance, spanning the health, social care, telecommunications, education, and charity sectors and financial management, including recent experience working at interim CEO level.
His most recent role was as finance director at Martlets Hospice in Hove.
King’s Fund appoints director of policy and events
Siva Anandaciva has been announced as the director of policy, events and partnerships at the King’s Fund.
Anandaciva takes on the role having served as the health and care charity’s chief analyst since 2017.
Prior to joining the King’s Fund, he held senior analyst roles at NHS Providers and the Department of Health.
He is expected to take on the role in the coming months, having acted as co-director of policy at the King’s Fund since July of this year.
New trustees recruited for One Home
Environmental education charity One Home has announced the appointment of four senior female figures from the finance sector.
It has appointed Shailaja Annamraju, Anita Ghanekar, Tanja Gihr and Duygu Gozeler Porchet.
The charity said: “With collective experience in investment banking, impact investing and private equity, One Home’s new trustees will aim to radically increase the charity’s levels of donor funding.”
Fundraising Regulator appoints four committee members
The Fundraising Regulator has appointed four new committee members to replace long-serving members who have come to the end of their terms of appointment.
Jen Suter and Adrian Williams have been appointed to join the Fundraising Regulator’s standards committee, while Valerie Morton and Damian Chapman have been appointed to the complaints and investigations committee.
In their roles on the standards committee, Suter and Williams will help oversee the development of the Code of Fundraising Practice, in consultation with those who fundraise and the public.
Meanwhile, in their roles on the complaints and investigations committee, Morton and Chapman will be responsible for overall casework performance of the regulator.
Unlock announces six trustees
Unlock, the national advice and advocacy charity for people with criminal records, has announced that it welcomed six new trustees at its October board meeting.
Peter Atherton, Rich McStraw, Fionnuala Ratcliffe, Mindy Sanghera, Kam Stevens and Belinda Winder will be joining the board of trustees imminently.
Faye Goldman, chair of the board of trustees, said: “I'm delighted to welcome an exceptional group of new trustees to the Unlock board. They bring a wide range of skills, diverse backgrounds and diverse perspectives.
“People with lived experience of the criminal justice system are involved in the charity from top to bottom, and I'm pleased to say the board is no different.”
Carers UK recruits MP as vice president
Wendy Chamberlain has been announced as the new vice president of Carers UK.
The MP for North-East Fife previously supported the passage of the Carers’ Leave Act, which came into force in April of this year.
Chamberlain said: “I feel deeply honoured to be made a vice president at Carers UK. They were instrumental in helping me with the Carer’s Leave Act and have provided continual support throughout the process.
“For them to privilege me with this position truly means a lot, everyone at Carers UK is an absolute champion for carers’ rights, and I can’t wait to be part of such an incredible team.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely as part of Carers UK, advocating for carers’ rights and raising their profile in parliament.”
Gordon Brown appointed founding patron at Warm Welcome
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has been appointed as the founding patron of Warm Welcome.
Brown was one of the founding members of the Warm Welcome Campaign, initially set up two years ago in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
He claims the Warm Welcome Campaign has already become one of the most successful community initiatives, supporting on average 120,000 guests every week in Warm Welcome Spaces across the country.
TV show winner becomes YoungMinds ambassador
Alfie Watts, winner of the popular BBC reality TV series Race Across the World, has been appointed as the latest ambassador for youth mental health charity YoungMinds.
Working with YoungMinds, Watts hopes to speak directly to young men and help to decrease stigma by showing them that they are not alone with their mental health.
Watts said: “I am really excited to work with YoungMinds. I know how hard it is for young people today, arguably harder than ever.”
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