# St John Ambulance CEO to step down, & other sector mover news

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/11/06/st-john-ambulance-ceo-to-step-down-other-sector-mover-news/
- Published: 2023-11-06T12:04:32+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**CEO news from St John Ambulance, The Talent Foundry and ellenor, plus a trustee
announcement for Trustees’ Week, and appointments in the charity teams at two law
firms. **

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/11/Martin-Houghton-Brown.jpg)

#### Chief Executive of St John Ambulance to step down

Martin Houghton-Brown, CEO of [St John Ambulance](https://int-cms.sja.org.uk/), 
has announced that he will step down at the end of March next year, after six years
in the role. Houghton-Brown joined the charity in 2018 after spending five years
as CEO at Depaul UK. He previously led Missing People, and held senior roles at 
the Children’s Society.    

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In his time at St John Ambulance, Houghton-Brown steered St John through the coronavirus
pandemic and has also been instrumental in helping the charity develop its volunteering
and youth offering.

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![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/11/01.11.23-HoL-Amy-Jenni-1.jpg)

L-R Jenni Anderson & Amy Leonard

#### New CEO announced for The Talent Foundry as founder & CEO steps down

After 15 years of leadership, [The Talent Foundry](https://www.talentfoundry.org.uk/)
founder and CEO Amy Leonard MBE will step down from her role in January 2024. Jenni
Anderson, who has been serving as Acting CEO since January 2023 has been appointed
as CEO from January 2024. She is a former Director at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
and has held senior leadership positions at Haven House Children’s Hospice, and 
The Scout Association. She was appointed Deputy CEO at The Talent Foundry in April
2022.

Founded as The Transformation Trust in 2009, and rebranded to The Talent Foundry
in 2019, the charity works in partnership with schools and industry to inspire young
people to think big about their futures, develop their skills and connect them to
exciting employers and higher education opportunities. Under Leonard’s leadership,
The Talent Foundry has worked with over 600,000 young people in underserved communities
to date.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/11/Dr-Melanie-Jimenez-Sepsis-Research-
FEAT-1.jpg)

#### Sepsis Research FEAT welcomes new trustee

[Sepsis Research FEAT](https://www.sepsisresearch.org/) has appointed medical engineering
specialist Dr Melanie Jimenez to its board of trustees. Dr Jimenez adds another 
layer of knowledge and experience to the group of medical experts currently on the
Sepsis Research board.

A Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde,
Dr Jimenez specialises in medical diagnostics, looking at ways to detect conditions
more quickly and affordably using engineering innovations. She was heavily involved
in Sepsis Research FEAT’s recent _Seps-is Schools_ campaign, which aims to increase
awareness of sepsis in secondary schools.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/11/Michelle-Kabia-ellenor-CEO.jpg)

#### ellenor appoints Michelle Kabia as CEO

Healthcare professional Michelle Kabia joined [ellenor](https://www.ellenor.org/)
as CEO in July this year, and has spent more than four decades meeting the needs
of the UK’s most marginalised, stigmatised communities. Kabia’s career in healthcare
began in the 1980s as a cancer nurse, then for five years, she was a Specialist 
HIV Ward Manager with the NHS during a time when little was understood about HIV.
Her next role was at Turning Point, where she pioneered a hospice for drug users
with HIV, and later, she managed Turning Point’s mental health and learning disability
services.

Following almost 11 years at Turning Point, Kabia spent three years at Strutton –
a housing association that provides housing support for people with HIV. In 2005,
Kabia moved to Mind, where she worked in East London supporting diverse communities
across Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Redbridge.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/11/d29cf237-03e9-4394-b956-8f67826d656a.
jpg)

#### Higgs LLP strengthens charity & not for profit team

West Midlands law firm [Higgs LLP](https://www.higgsllp.co.uk/) has strengthened
its charity and not for profit team by appointing an experienced lawyer. Tora Pickup
has joined the team as Principal Associate.

Originally practicing law in London, she has re-located to Birmingham from Oxford,
where she worked most recently on governance and strategy matters as secretary to
the Governing Body at St Hilda’s College, one of the colleges of the University 
of Oxford.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2023/11/James-Ayre-colour.jpg)

#### Rathbones hires new Head of Investment for Charities

[Rathbones Investment Management](https://www.rathbones.com/) has appointed James
Ayre as Head of Investment, Charities. He joins Rathbones with over 23 years investment
experience and a track record of managing global equity and multi-asset portfolios
for institutional and charity clients. Ayre has worked for the past 16 years at 
CCLA Investment Management, most recently as Co-Head of Investments, where he was
involved in delivering peer-leading risk-adjusted returns for the firm’s clients.
Prior to this, he held investment analyst roles at Santander Asset Management and
Inscape Investments.

He will be based in the London office, reporting to Andrew Pitt, Head of Charities
at Rathbones. In his new role, Ayre will be responsible for the strategic direction
of the firm’s investment philosophy and process for charity clients.

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   21 November 2023)
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   1 December 2023)
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   7 December 2023)
