Breast Cancer Now & Sue Ryder CEOs to step down, plus more mover news
Melanie May | 1 December 2023 | News
Breast Cancer Now’s CEO is stepping down after 23 years, while Sue Ryder’s CEO has spent more than 14 years at the charity. More on these stories, plus other sector appointments below.
Breast Cancer Now CEO to step down after 23 years
Baroness Delyth Morgan has announced that she will step down from her role as Chief Executive at charity Breast Cancer Now. Morgan has delivered 30 years of leadership in the charity sector, with 23 years dedicated to breast cancer. She joined Breakthrough Breast Cancer as Chief Executive in 1995. Then in 2011 she was appointed Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Campaign following a four-year period in the House of Lords as a minister.
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In 2015 and then 2019, Morgan led two mergers that brought together the three leading breast cancer charities, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Campaign and Breast Cancer Care to form Breast Cancer Now, becoming Chief Executive.
Sue Ryder’s Chief Executive to leave for semi-retirement
Heidi Travis, Chief Executive of Sue Ryder, will be leaving the organisation in the Spring of 2024. After more than 14 years with Sue Ryder, 11 of those as the Chief Executive, she has decided that the time is right for her to semi-retire.
During Travis’s time as Chief Executive, Sue Ryder has significantly expanded its palliative and end of life care, transformed itself into a leading bereavement support provider and reached millions of people across the UK via its brand and influencing campaigns. Travis steered the organisation through the coronavirus pandemic and recently launched its new vision and strategy.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo appoints new CEO
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has appointed Jason Barrett as its new CEO. He steps up from his role as Chief Operating Officer, having originally joined the Tattoo three years ago, and takes over from Major General Buster Howes, who stood down following this August’s Show, Stories.
Originally from Colorado, Barrett has served for both the US and UK militaries. He served for 20 years as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps, where he held leadership positions involved in high-level strategic planning and on active service with the UK Royal Marines. He retired from the Marine Corps as Lieutenant Colonel in 2010 having led over 1,000 marines with $150 million in assets. He then spent over 10 years in the hospitality industry, holding various Chief Executive and Management roles, before joining the Tattoo and using this experience to help shape the organisation’s 10-year plan, alongside senior management colleagues. The Tattoo has donated over £12.3million to Services and Arts organisations since 1950 from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (Charities) Limited – its charitable parent company.
Insurance leader Matthew Wilson to be next Chair of Trustees at Blood Cancer UK
Blood Cancer UK has appointed insurance leader, and advisor to Fairfax Financial and Lloyd’s of London Matthew Wilson as its next Chair of Trustees. He will formally start his role in early 2024, as current chair John Ormerod’s term comes to an end after 5 years in post.
Wilson was at Brit Insurance from 1999 to 2022, becoming Group CEO in 2018. He was also the Chairman of Ki Insurance and served on the Boards of Brit Limited, Brit Syndicates Limited and Ki Financial. In 2021, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. He stepped down from Brit in 2022 following his treatment, and later that year founded the Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma fund for Blood Cancer UK. Since its launch, the fund has raised over £3 million.
Two young Trustees join Kids in Museums
Kids in Museums has welcomed two new Young Trustees to its Board for 2023/24: Rachel Brodie, Learning and Events Assistant at Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, and Joe Rattray, Student and freelance museum engagement practitioner at the Tall Ship Glenlee in Glasgow. The charity first introduced Young Trustees, who are aged 18 to 25 years old, in October 2018 to ensure young people are part of its strategic decision making and future planning.
Both will receive free training in governance, finance and presentation skills, and will be paired with a buddy or mentor from the existing Kids in Museums Trustees. The new Trustees will also have the opportunity to work with and consult the Kids in Museums Youth Panel (age 16-25) and will be responsible for representing their views to the Board. Together the Youth Panel and Young Trustees support the charity’s existing programmes and develop their own projects. This has included planning and delivering a Museum Youth Summit and sector training, creating a podcast series, presenting at the Kids in Museums Conference and representing the charity at sector events, such as being a panelist for Heritage Alliance’s Heritage Day 2023.
Debbie Cook appointed EFL Director of Community
Debbie Cook has been appointed as the EFL’s new Director of Community and will be responsible for overseeing the management of the EFL’s charitable arm, the EFL Trust. Having worked in local government for 22 years, Cook brings a wealth of leadership experience, previously holding CEO positions at a national health charity and YMCA Humber respectively, before joining Grimsby Town as CEO in June 2021.
Announced at the EFL Trust’s annual conference in November, Cook will also join the League’s Executive Leadership team to further strengthen the EFL and EFL Trust, building on the annual £865m social value contribution that the League’s 72 Clubs make in towns and cities across England and Wales each year.
Betsabeh Solente joins Starlight Board of Trustees
Starlight has appointed global marketer Betsabeh Solente to its Trustee board.
Solente currently holds the position of non-executive director at Toms Gruppen, Denmark’s largest producer of sweets and chocolates. Her career also spans extensive Corporate Social Responsibility experience including launching the successful partnership programme of Kellogg’s Australia with Kids Helpline, a charity providing counselling services. The partnership supported awareness raising, fundraising and collaborations with celebrity ambassadors, which resulted in several successful years of commitment.
Four new trustees for Canine Partners
Canine Partners has announced the appointment of four trustees to its Board. The new trustees are Miriam Bentley-Rose, Richard Brooke, Agnès Delauch, and Brendan Butler.
Bentley-Rose, who has been partnered with canine partner Laurel for five years, has spent over 30 years in the Equality sphere, holding lead roles in many sectors. Having recently retired from 30 years in the property development sector, Brooke is a qualified accountant who brings financial and leadership experience to the board. Delauch is a qualified veterinary surgeon and, having completed her MBA, took up various commercial leadership roles in sales and marketing too. Investment manager Butler helps private clients, charities, trusts and professional partners. In addition to his trustee role, he is fundraising for the charity via various events across Scotland.
Catrin Anderson, Jonathan Freeman MBE and Duncan McCourt join NCS Board
Three new board members have been approved by His Majesty the King to join the NCS Trust Board for a three-year term, effective 1 December 2023. They are Catrin Anderson, Jonathan Freeman MBE and Duncan McCourt.
Anderson is an experienced people leader having worked at Zoopla Property Group, Dyson and Amazon. She joined Houseful (previously Zoopla Property Group) as Chief People Officer in 2019 where she has been the driving force behind significant organisational and cultural transformation. Freeman is founder CEO of the CareTech Foundation. He is also Group Sustainability Director of specialist care and education provider CareTech Ltd, and Managing Director of Earlsbrook Consulting, providing strategic consultancy support to corporates, charities and philanthropists. McCourt is a Partner at Brunswick Group Advisory Ltd, helping international businesses deal with complex political and regulatory issues. He joined Brunswick from the UK Treasury, where he was Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to former Chancellor Rt Hon Phillip Hammond MP.
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.