New Chair & trustees for CFG – plus more mover news
Melanie May | 13 January 2025 | News
A raft of new appointments, including trustees for both CFG and NCVO (and a Chair for CFG), plus the announcement of Deborah Bourne as Epilepsy Society’s Fundraising & Marketing Director.
James Watson-O’Neill & Jude Sheeran appointed to NCVO board of trustees
NCVO has appointed Jude Sheeran and James Watson-O’Neill to its board of trustees. They join Ruth Marvel, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, who was appointed at NCVO’s AGM at the end of last year. The appointments mark an important step in a year of transformation for NCVO, with it focusing on digital innovation, strengthening sector governance, and supporting charities in navigating a challenging economic landscape.
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Sheeran brings expertise in digital technology, AI, and innovation. He has held senior leadership roles at organisations including Shaw Trust, EduServ/Jisc, Amazon Web Services, and DataStax. His experience will support NCVO’s mission to equip the voluntary sector to meet the digital challenges and opportunities of the future. Watson-O’Neill will begin his role as CEO of Sense in February, following his tenure as CEO of SignHealth. He is also a trustee of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group. He brings experience in leadership and governance, as well as expertise in championing disability rights, for which he was awarded an OBE in 2022.
CFG announces new Chair & trustees
Hugh Wallace has been appointed as Charity Finance Group’s (CFG) new Chair of the Board of Trustees. Wallace has been a CFG Board Member since January 2023, and has taken the reins from interim chair Kevin O’Brien who had served as Chair since April 2024. Outside of CFG, he is Chief Information Officer at Research Data Scotland, and prior to this worked for the Scottish Government, as well as charities such as Oxfam and National Museums Scotland.
Sue Pemberton, David McHattie, and Jenny Howard have joined as trustees. Pemberton brings expertise and understanding of the sector’s challenges, having retired in January 2023 after a 37-year career in corporate pensions and benefits, most recently as a Director at Isio. McHattie retired in September 2020 from Barclays London Corporate Banking, where he served as Head of Charities for seven years. This role provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the financial challenges facing charities and the crucial support offered by CFG. Howard brings a wealth of experience in the charity finance sector, having served as Finance Director at London Wildlife Trust, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, and currently as Director of Finance and Digital at the Marine Society and Sea Cadets. She is a long-standing CFG member of nearly 30 years.
Environmental Funders Network announces Executive Director appointment
Nick Gardner, current Head of Climate Action at the National Lottery Community Fund, and with over 15 years of high-level leadership experience both at NLCF and ActionFunder, has been appointed Executive Director of the Environmental Funders Network.
Taking on the role from late February 2025, Gardner will bring his extensive experience in climate and nature-focused funding initiatives, both at community and corporate level. He takes over from Florence Miller who held the role of Executive Director at EFN for 12 years, before stepping down in September 2024.
Hospitality Action welcomes new Ambassadors, Patron & trustee
Hospitality Action has appointed 16 individuals to its growing network of Ambassadors. The leaders from across the hospitality sector will join over 130 existing Ambassadors in championing the charity’s mission to provide life-changing support to hospitality professionals and their families.
Hospitality Action has also welcomed Charlie Hodson, Director of Hodson Norfolk, as its newest Patron. Hodson recently participated in the charity’s fundraising initiative Walk for Wellbeing, where he walked 155 miles from Norwich to London between 8 and 13 October, raising funds and awareness along the way. In addition, Helen Milligan-Smith, Aramark President & CEO UK and Global Offshore has been appointed as the charity’s newest trustee.
Deborah Bourne joins Epilepsy Society as Fundraising & Marketing Director
Deborah Bourne joined the Epilepsy Society as Fundraising and Marketing Director in December and will be working with the charity until December 2025. Bourne will be leading the charity’s fundraising activities as it develops plans to fulfil its ambition to bring to the Chalfont Centre the world’s best diagnostic technology for people with epilepsy and grow its research capability so that nearly 12,000 more people with epilepsy can benefit from potentially life-changing treatments and live their lives free from seizures.
Bourne’s most recent role was Fundraising and Commercial Director at Guide Dogs for the Blind and she also has experience in the private sector.
Campaign for Better Transport appoints Ben Plowden as CEO
Campaign for Better Transport has announced the appointment of Ben Plowden as Chief Executive Officer, to take over from Paul Tuohy who is stepping down in the spring.
Plowden brings a wealth of experience having worked in the transport and charity sector for over 30 years. He was the first Director of active travel charity Living Streets and worked at a senior level at Transport for London for almost 20 years. He is currently with PA Consulting and is Chair of the Transport Planning Society, a visiting professor at University College London, and a Senior Associate at the London School of Economics.
WPNC hires Hannah Wallis as Fundraising Strategy Director
WPNC has appointed Hannah Wallis to its senior team, in the role of Fundraising Strategy Director. Wallis will work alongside the wider WPNC team, collaborating with charity clients to design strategies to tackle the challenges they will face in the 2025 to 2030 planning period.
Wallis joins from Guide Dogs, where she held several senior posts during a 10-year tenure. Her varied roles included Interim Director of Fundraising, Volunteering Transformation Lead, Head of Legacies and Single Gifts, and Legacy and In Memoriam Product Manager. Prior to Guide Dogs she held various fundraising positions at leading charities including Oxfam, Breast Cancer Care, Against Breast Cancer and Save The Children.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.