Fundraising and charity leadership appointments in November 2025
Howard Lake | 18 November 2025 | News
New appointments have been announced at the Stroke Association, Hearts Together, law firm Shakespeare Martineau, and fundraising platform Givewheel.
New Chair of Trustees at the Stroke Association
The Stroke Association has appointed Jason Parker as its next Chair of Trustees, as Stephen King steps down in January 2026 after eight years.
Jason had a stroke six years ago at the age of 45. He was paralysed and wheelchair bound and it had an enormous impact on his mental health however he has now made a good recovery and uses his experience to help other stroke survivors.
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Not only does Jason bring passion and lived experience to the role, he also brings extensive leadership and business expertise as a Senior Partner at KPMG, with 28 years’ experience primarily in healthcare looking after senior relationships across NHS England and the Care Quality Commission.
Jason recently stepped down as Chair of the neonatal charity, Bliss, where he helped it navigate financial challenges, and oversaw the building of a diverse and inclusive Board.
Jason has been supporting the Stroke Association for the last 18 months as an independent advisor to the Audit and Risk and Finance Committees, as well as a campaigner, fundraiser and public speaker at a number of events.
Hearts Together appoints new CEO
Plymouth-based charity Hearts Together has appointed Angela Gatcum as its new Chief Executive Officer.
She joins the organisation following more than 25 years’ experience in leadership and operational management within the health and social care sector. She joins from Havencare Homes and Support Limited where she was Head of Support and Deputy CEO.
In those roles she oversaw operations with an £8.5 million annual support contract budget,
driving growth across the South West, ensuring regulatory compliance, and consistently exceeding
performance targets.
She is also a champion of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and trauma-informed practice, helping to create high-quality, inclusive environments for people accessing care and support.
Shakespeare Martineau expands its national charities team
Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has appointed Ruo Wu as a legal director.
With more than 20 years of experience in the charities sector, including over a decade of legal expertise, Ruo has worked both in-house and in private practice. She joins the firm from Winckworth Sherwood LLP, where she was a senior associate in the charities and social enterprises team.
Her expertise spans governance, restructuring, mergers, dissolutions and incorporations for a wide range of organisations, including charitable trusts, community interest companies, community amateur sports clubs and B Corporations.
She also has significant experience working with the Charity Commission on registrations and complex governance reviews.
She was elected to the executive committee of the Charity Law Association in 2023, and launched the Charity Law Conversation podcast.
Martha Lane Fox and Russ Jefferys join GiveWheel
Digital pioneer Martha Lane Fox and former parkrun CEO Russ Jefferys are joining multi-charity digital fundraising platform GiveWheel.
Martha Lane Fox CBE, one of the UK’s foremost digital trailblazers, has joined as an advisor, alongside Russ Jefferys, former CEO of parkrun, who will focus on partnerships in mass participation and challenge events.
As co-founder of lastminute.com, Martha Lane Fox played a defining role in the early internet boom and has since become one of the country’s most influential voices on technology, inclusion, and responsible innovation. During her time as the UK’s Digital Champion, she was instrumental in the creation of the Government Digital Service, helping to transform the way citizens access public services.
Lane Fox said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to work with GiveWheel. My own challenge last year was made significantly easier because of the service the platform provides and I look forward to helping many others complete incredible challenges and raise a lot of money in the process. The future of money raising and giving is being changed rapidly and I hope I can help them make the most of the future.”
Russ Jefferys is well-known across the social impact and community space for his leadership at parkrun, most recently as CEO, where he helped transform a grassroots idea into one of the world’s largest community-led movements. He will be sharing his experience in building engagement, fostering inclusivity, and growing communities at scale with GiveWheel.
Jefferys said:
“Over the past 20 years parkrun has become a pioneer in community mass participation events, disrupting a sector and becoming a world-leader that fundamentally changed what it looks like to be physically active. With GiveWheel, I feel that same sense of possibility. The team is creating community-driven innovations that will genuinely change the way people fundraise.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.