Senior charity and fundraising appointments in October 2026
Howard Lake | 29 October 2026 | News
The latest new appointments in UK charities for this month include the Mental Health Foundation, Leprosy Missional International, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, National Lottery Community Fund, Pilotlight, St Andrew’s First Aid, Lincolnshire Rural Support Network and the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Pilotlight
Pilotlight, the charity that connects business expertise with charity ambition through skills-based volunteering by business leaders, has appointed Iana Petkova as its new Chief Executive. She steps up after serving as Interim CEO, having previously been a skilled volunteer and a Pilotlight trustee.
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Iana brings commercial, product and marketing leadership experience from Amazon and Canva, where she led growth, innovation and organisational transformation across the UK and Europe. She began her career in investment management and financial oversight. Pilotlight is building on more than 30 years of impact.
Iana Petkova said: “As charities face growing financial and operational pressures, our work to connect charities with the business expertise they need to tackle their most pressing challenges has never been more important… My ambition is to help more charities thrive by growing the community of people who volunteer their skills and expertise.”
St Andrew’s First Aid
St Andrew’s First Aid, the Scottish first aid charity (a trading name of St Andrew’s Ambulance Association, incorporated by Royal Charter in 1899), has appointed Bruce Tait as its Director of Fundraising. The charity describes him as a highly respected fundraising leader, and says the appointment will help it expand its reach and deliver greater impact across Scotland.
Bruce Tait is founder and CEO of fundraising recruitment and consultancy specialists Bruce Tait Associates which were successfully acquired by Revolutionise International Ltd last month.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity
GOSH Charity has appointed two new directors as it begins delivering its five-year strategy. Lornette Pemberton joined in June as Director of People and Culture, a newly created role, and Heather Francis joined in September as Director of Finance and Resources.
Lornette previously held senior roles at St Giles Trust, Refuge and the National Portrait Gallery, and is an independent member of the people committee at NHS Resolution. Heather has held senior finance and operational roles across the corporate, charity, cultural and higher education sectors, including six years as treasurer of War Child UK. She is currently treasurer of UNICEF UK, where she chairs the finance committee.
Louise Parkes, Chief Executive of GOSH Charity, said: “Creating a strong and supportive culture where our people can thrive, alongside strong financial and operational leadership, will be critical to delivering that ambition.”
Classics for All
Classics for All, the national charity dedicated to helping every state school pupil study the ancient world, has appointed Andrew Copson OBE as its new Chair. He becomes chair in early October, succeeding Jimmy Mulville, who has chaired the charity since November 2020.
Andrew has been Chief Executive of Humanists UK since 2010, and has extensive charity governance experience, having been a trustee or director of more than twenty not-for-profit organisations, including the Electoral Reform Society, Equally Ours and Humanists International, which he led as President for a decade. He was also previously a trustee of Actors of Dionysus, a theatre charity bringing classical drama into schools.
Andrew Copson said: “The study of the ancient world is one of the greatest sources of fascination and fulfilment there is, and I believe every young person should have the right to experience it. I was fortunate enough to have that chance myself, through a Government assisted place in the 1980s… I am delighted to be joining Classics for All to help bring the same opportunity to many more young people, whatever their background.”
Classics for All’s Chief Executive, Jo Hobbs MBE, welcomed the appointment. Outgoing Chair Jimmy Mulville said: “It’s been a great privilege and pleasure to have been Chair of one of the most effective and dynamic charities in the country… Andrew knows from his own experience how transformational classics can be and the organisation is lucky to have him.”
Access – The Foundation for Social Investment
Access – The Foundation for Social Investment has appointed Daniela Barone Soares OBE as Chair Designate. She will succeed the Rt Hon Nick Hurd, who has chaired Access since 2020 and steps down at the end of September after six years in the role.
Daniela was Chief Executive of Snowball, the impact investment fund, until its acquisition by Tribe Impact Capital in 2025, and before that Chief Executive of venture philanthropy organisation Impetus. She sits on the board of Tribe Impact Capital, is a Non-Executive Director of Bunzl plc and Toniic, and a trustee of the Institute for the Future of Work and the Haddad Foundation. She was awarded an OBE in 2024 for services to business and impact investing.
One of her first priorities will be to lead the recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive. In the meantime Neil Berry has been Interim CEO since 1 September, with Chloe Stables as Acting Deputy CEO and Helena Tuxworth as Acting Director of Grants and Investments.
Daniela Barone Soares said: “Throughout its first decade, Access has helped transform the social investment landscape, making finance more accessible, flexible and relevant to charities and social enterprises across England.”
Lincolnshire Rural Support Network
Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN), which has supported the county’s farming community since 1999, has appointed Lisa Gibson as its new Chief Executive. She joined the charity on 21 September 2026.
Lisa has spent more than five years at Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire Mind, most recently as Head of Services, Innovation and Business Development, where she developed mental health support across voluntary, community and statutory organisations. She previously worked as a Social Prescribing Lead and at St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice. She grew up in a farming community.
The Howard Partnership Trust
Gavin Darby, former Chief Executive of Premier Foods and former head of Vodafone UK, has become Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Howard Partnership Trust (THPT), a Surrey-based multi-academy trust.
Gavin most recently served as President of the Food and Drink Federation. Earlier in his career he spent fifteen years at Coca-Cola, leading its business in Northwest Europe and then Central and Eastern Europe, and later held senior international roles across APAC and EMEA.
Louise Lee, CEO of THPT, said: “Gavin’s extensive experience in business will help us become a more agile and effective operation, making it easier for us to adjust, respond to and influence the changing world around us.”
Kidney Research UK
Kidney Research UK has appointed Chris Brocklesby and Victoria Panormo to its Board of Trustees, strengthening the charity’s non-executive leadership as it delivers its strategy to tackle kidney disease. The pair start initial three-year terms on the 11-strong board.
Chris Brocklesby is chief technology officer at the British Heart Foundation, having previously held senior technology leadership roles at the Post Office, Dunelm, Vodafone, EasyJet and Tesco Bank. He brings lived experience of kidney disease, having received two kidney transplants after being diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy in his 20s. Victoria Panormo is head of client relationships for Aviva’s Workplace Pensions Business, and chair of NextGen Pensions and a trustee of Fitzrovia Youth in Action; she has supported her husband through two kidney transplants.
Fiona Carragher, who joined as CEO of Kidney Research UK in August, said: “More than seven million people in the UK are already living with kidney disease… we couldn’t do what we do without the selfless commitment and tremendous energy of our trustees.”
The Adult Literacy Trust
The Adult Literacy Trust has appointed Stevie Tyler as its first permanent Chief Executive, to lead its next stage of growth. She was previously Chief Executive of The Aplastic Anaemia Trust from 2020 to 2025, where annual income grew three-fold and she secured a £600,000 multi-year National Lottery grant as lead partner in an alliance of seven rare-disease charities. Earlier in her career she held senior roles at Macmillan Cancer Support and the NSPCC.
Robert Glick OBE, Founder and Chair of The Adult Literacy Trust, said: “Stevie brings the strategic ambition and deeply human approach to leadership that the Adult Literacy Trust needs for its next chapter.”
Charity Digital
Charity Digital has appointed Imran Sanaullah MBE as its new Chief Executive. He joins on 28 September 2026, succeeding Maria Timon Samra, who has served as Interim Chief Executive for twenty months.
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross has confirmed Sir John Holmes as Chair of its Board of Trustees. He has been a trustee since 2022 and Interim Chair since February this year, following the end of Liz Padmore’s term.
Sir John is a career diplomat of more than three decades. He was Overseas Adviser and Principal Private Secretary to John Major and Tony Blair, worked on the Good Friday Agreement, and served as ambassador to Portugal and then France. He was UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs from 2007 to 2010, is a former chair of the Electoral Commission, and has been a Parole Board member since 2025.
Hospitality Action
Mark Lewis will step down as Chief Executive of Hospitality Action in March 2027, after nine years in the role. He joined in 2017 from The Caterer, where he spent 14 years as editor and publisher, and had previously been a trustee of the charity for 11 years.
The charity credits him with expanding its Employee Assistance Programme and introducing a welfare benefits advice service that has unlocked more than £1mn in unclaimed benefits. He will stay in post to help launch a year-long programme marking the charity’s 190th anniversary next year.
Mark Lewis said: “It’s been the honour of my life to be the custodian of our beautiful charity. Hospitality needs and deserves a strong charity to act as its safety net.”
Chair of Trustees Jonathan Raggett, CEO of Red Carnation Hotels, thanked him on behalf of the trustees. No successor has been announced.
Young Women’s Trust
Young Women’s Trust CEO Katharine Sacks-Jones is leaving at the end of October to become CEO of Kids, the national charity supporting disabled children and young people. She had led Young Women’s Trust since March 2026.
The Board is revisiting the recruitment process it ran in late 2025, which it says produced “exceptional candidates”, and aims to have a successor in place by the end of 2026. Co-Chairs Michelle Nelson and Lorna Lewis thanked Katharine for her leadership.
Tom’s Trust
Co-founder Deborah Mitchell is stepping back from Tom’s Trust after 15 years. She founded the charity with Andrew Whitley in 2011 after the death of their nine-year-old son Tom from a brain tumour, and was its CEO until 2021. Current CEO Rebecca Wood leads the charity, and Deborah may join the Board of Trustees after a short break.
Charlotte Bester has recently joined as Philanthropy Lead, working with major donors as the charity delivers its Brighter Futures strategy, which aims to raise £5mn in five years.
Deborah Mitchell said: “Tom’s Trust is a hugely important part of my life and I’m incredibly proud of everything we have achieved together.”
Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation has appointed Helen Undy OBE as its new Chief Executive. She will start in January 2027 and will lead delivery of the charity’s new strategy, building on its mission to prevent poor mental health.
Helen joins from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, where she has been Chief Executive since 2018. The Foundation says she has more than 15 years’ experience across the mental health sector, and has worked across mental health, public health, social care, housing, employment and financial wellbeing, with a focus on prevention and on the social factors that shape mental health. During her tenure at the Institute, it says, she led the charity through a period of significant growth and policy impact.
She succeeds Mark Rowland, who left the role in September 2026 after a decade with the charity. Dr Steve Workman, Chair of the Board of Trustees, led the recruitment process over the summer.
Helen Undy said:
“I’m hugely honoured to be joining the Mental Health Foundation as its next Chief Executive. I’ve admired the organisation for many years, and with the prevalence of mental health problems rising so significantly, now is exactly the right time to be doubling down on prevention.”
Earlier this year the Foundation launched a new strategy that keeps its focus on prevention, with three priority areas: working lives, online worlds, and bullying and discrimination. The charity says it has more than 75 years of research, advocacy and action behind it.
Dr Steve Workman said: “We are delighted to appoint Helen as the Mental Health Foundation’s next Chief Executive. As we enter an important new phase for the Foundation, Helen brings outstanding leadership experience, a proven ability to influence policy and systems change, and a strong track record of delivering impact.”
The Leprosy Mission International
The Leprosy Mission International has welcomed Pete Garratt as its new International Director, the equivalent of global chief executive. He started in the role earlier this month, at what the charity describes as the world’s oldest and largest leprosy-focused organisation.
Garratt has nearly 30 years’ experience in programmes and operational leadership with faith-based and non-faith international organisations, including the British Red Cross, CAFOD and Street Child. He began his career in the financial services private sector. He is already known to the Leprosy Mission, having spent six years as its Head of Operations Support, and most recently was Director of Global Programmes at Hope and Homes for Children.
He succeeds Brent Morgan, who has retired after nearly two decades with The Leprosy Mission International and The Leprosy Mission New Zealand. Pete will now take forward and implement the charity’s 2025 to 2030 Global Strategy, one of Brent’s achievements. Fiona Davidson, Chair of The Leprosy Mission, led the Board’s search.
Fiona Davidson said: “Pete is someone with the vision to grow TLM in the season to come, beyond its current sphere of influence and activity, and into a very bright future.”
The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund has appointed Fraser Hardie to its UK Board. He will take up the role on 11 January 2027, following a competitive recruitment process led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Fraser is a Senior Adviser to the business advisory firm Teneo, working with boards, chief executives and executive leadership teams in global organisations and FTSE 100 companies. He is also Chair of Autism Action and a trustee of the Royal Society of Arts, and has served on charity boards for more than 20 years. He was previously Executive Chairman of Teneo Blue Rubicon and then Teneo UK, having founded the strategic communications consultancy Blue Rubicon, and held communications leadership roles at Rio Tinto and Powergen (now Eon).
His appointment follows that of Michelle Mitchell OBE and Sunder Katwala, who joined the Board in August 2026. Fraser and the Board will work with Chair Dame Julia Cleverdon to oversee the Fund’s strategy, performance and funding, as it moves into the second phase of its strategy, It Starts With Community. The Fund says it awarded over £900 million in more than 14,000 grants in 2025/26, and has distributed £4.6 billion through 118,000 grants over the past ten years.
Dame Julia Cleverdon said: “He will bring us first class communications and policy experience at a time when really listening to the front line in communities and building opportunities to participate in decision-taking is vital.”
Royal Osteoporosis Society
The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) has appointed Tracey Bleakley as its new Chief Executive. She will take up the role on 30 November 2026, leading the UK’s only national charity dedicated to improving bone health and ending the pain and disability caused by osteoporosis.
Tracey brings senior leadership experience from both the NHS and the charity sector. She has been Chief Executive of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, and has led national charities including Hospice UK and Dying Matters. Most recently she was Interim Chief Executive of SafeLives.
She succeeds Craig Jones, who stepped down in July 2026 after six years as Chief Executive. Thom Harvey has led the charity as Interim Chief Executive during the transition.
Tracey Bleakley said: “This is a vital moment for the cause. We know that earlier diagnosis, effective treatment and better access to specialist services can prevent fractures and protect people’s independence.”
ROS says osteoporosis affects millions of people across the UK, yet too many remain undiagnosed and untreated until they experience a painful fracture. It is working to transform diagnosis, treatment and support, including by securing the effective rollout of Fracture Liaison Services across England.
Professor Neil Gittoes, Chair of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said: “She brings a breadth of experience from health and the charity sector, and a track record of delivering better outcomes for people and communities.”
- Senior charity and fundraising appointments: September 2026 (20 September 2026)
- Senior fundraising and charity appointments in August 2026 (31 August 2026)
- Fundraising and charity leadership appointments in April 2026 (15 April 2026)
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.