# First female CEO for RoSPA, & more sector movers

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/04/02/first-female-ceo-for-rospa-more-sector-movers/
- Published: 2024-04-02T11:51:59+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Rebecca Hickman takes up the CEO role at RoSPA, while elsewhere, Claire Rowney
will take up the same role at Breast Cancer Now in September. More on these and 
other sector movers below.**

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2024/04/unnamed-7.jpg)

#### The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents appoints new CEO

Birmingham-based The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ([RoSPA](https://www.rospa.com/))
has appointed a new CEO in its bid to drive a new era of growth and impact. Rebecca
Hickman, who will be RoSPA’s first female Chief Executive in its 100 year plus history,
will start the role on the 1 April this year. Her appointment comes following the
stepping down of previous CEO, Errol Taylor back in October 2023.

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

Hickman, who has climbed RoSPA’s ranks over the last twenty years, will lead the
organisation in the next phase of its journey to becoming a truly member-centric,
impact driven charity. With over two decades of dedicated service, her journey to
CEO has been defined by key transformation initiatives. The charity says that under
her tenure RoSPA’s sales and marketing functions were rebuilt and the strategic 
partnerships division was born.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2024/04/Claire-Rowney-photo-1.jpg)

#### Claire Rowney announced as new Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Now

[Breast Cancer Now](https://breastcancernow.org/) has announced that Claire Rowney
will join the charity as its new Chief Executive. Rowney, who is currently Executive
Director of Fundraising, Marketing, Strategy and Innovation at Macmillan Cancer 
Support, will join the charity on Monday 2 September.

She takes over from the charity’s current Chief Executive, Baroness Delyth Morgan,
who steps down to retire on Friday 28 June, having delivered 30 years of leadership
in the charity sector, 23 years of which have been dedicated to breast cancer. Rowney’s
career spans 15 years of charity sector leadership, and in 2023 she was voted one
of Campaign Magazine’s ‘Power 100’. Her career includes 13 years at Cancer Research
UK and she was also Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising for a year from
2020. For the two months between Morgan departing and Rowney joining the charity,
Rachael Franklin, Director of Fundraising, Communications and Engagement at Breast
Cancer Now will act as interim Chief Executive.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2024/04/Geetha-Rabindrakumar_headshot.jpg)

#### The British Asian Trust appoints Geetha Rabindrakumar as Chief Operating Officer

The [British Asian Trust](https://www.britishasiantrust.org/) has appointed Geetha
Rabindrakumar to the role of Chief Operating Officer. Rabindrakumar has held senior
roles at Big Society Capital, where she spearheaded the promotion of finance initiatives
across the UK and has been the Director of Finance at disability charity Scope. 
Most recently she has been Director of Impact, Partnerships and Communities at national
charity The Reader and has held roles at Cardboard Citizens and Plan International.
She was also until last year a trustee at homelessness charity Crisis.

Rabindrakumar is not totally new to the British Asian Trust, having offered her 
expertise previously as a member of the Trust’s Social Finance Committee. In her
new role as COO, she will have oversight of finance, people, operations, IT and 
cybersecurity, risk and compliance – both in the UK and across the Trust’s teams
in South Asia. Rabindrakumar will also support the board at the British Asian Trust,
chaired by Lord Jitesh Gadhia.

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2024/04/2024-Florence-Schechter-in-the-
Vagina-Museum-2024-credit-Turkina-Faso_Liberation-1.jpg)

Credit: Turkina Faso, Liberation

#### Vagina Museum Founder Florence Schechter to step down from Director role

Florence Schechter, founder of the [Vagina Museum](https://www.vaginamuseum.co.uk/),
will be stepping down from the staff role of Director in May 2024. Schechter founded
the Vagina Museum in 2017. It started with a tweet from Schechter’s account, saying“
People, there is a penis museum in Iceland but no vagina museum anywhere in the 
world. Who wants to start one with me?” By the end of that year, the Vagina Museum
was established as a series of pop-up events. Under Schechter’s leadership, the 
Vagina Museum opened in its first fixed premises in Camden Market in 2019, with 
the exhibition _Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How to Fight Them_.

Schechter’s departure is accompanied by a fundraising campaign to ease the transition
period and celebrate Schechter’s achievements, titled “[Thank you for your cervix, Florence](https://www.gofundme.com/f/thank-you-for-your-cervix-florence)”.
The campaign aims to raise £4,900 – £700 for each of the seven years of Schechter’s
term as Director. Zoe Williams, the Museum’s Head of Communications and Fundraising
will act as Interim Director for a six-month period.

---

> NCT’s Chair of Trustees, Stephanie Maurel, will be stepping down later this year
> after three years in the role. Prior to becoming Chair, Stephanie spent four years
> as a valued member of the Board of Trustees. The process to recruit a new Chair
> is underway: [https://t.co/S0Xh36fgk3](https://t.co/S0Xh36fgk3) [pic.twitter.com/naVnRqaSUe](https://t.co/naVnRqaSUe)
> — NCT (@NCTcharity) [March 25, 2024](https://twitter.com/NCTcharity/status/1772207224112431257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

#### NCT Chair of Trustees Stephanie Maurel to step down three years in role

[NCT’s](https://www.nct.org.uk/) Chair of Trustees Stephanie Maurel will be stepping
down later this year after three years in the role.  Prior to becoming Chair of 
the charity in August 2021, Maurel spent four years as a member of the Board of 
Trustees. During her time on the Board, she has played an important role in leading
the charity through the pandemic, stewarding the creation of NCT’s ambitious new
five-year strategy, _For Every Parent_, and facilitating an open and inclusive governance
culture.  

Maurel, who is Chief Executive of the Corporation of Church House, is nearing the
end of her three-year ministerial training, and is set to be ordained as a priest
of the Church of England in summer 2025.  She will remain as NCT Chair until a successor
is appointed, with a formal handover expected to take place at the charity’s AGM
later this year. 

 * **[New Board Members at The Felix Project, plus more sector movers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/04/30/new-board-members-at-the-felix-trust-plus-more-sector-movers/)**(
   30 April 2024)
 * **[New CEO for the Horniman, & other charity sector movers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/05/07/new-ceo-for-the-horniman-other-charity-sector-movers/)**(
   7 May 2024)
 * **[Philip Goodwin appointed as next UNICEF UK CEO, & other sector movers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/06/10/philip-goodwin-appointed-as-next-unicef-uk-ceo-other-sector-movers/)**(
   10 June 2024)
