Sacha Deshmukh is to leave Amnesty International UK at the end of the year after leading the human rights charity for the last five years.

He joined the charity in 2021 as interim chief executive before taking the role permanently the following year.

Deshmukh, who was a non-executive director at the Fundraising Regulator for nine years until March this year, is also a former chief executive of UNICEF UK and spent six years from 2014 chairing War Child UK’s board.

“Leading Amnesty International UK has been a huge honour,” he said.

“I first supported Amnesty as a teenager, and the chance to serve as its Chief Executive has been both humbling and inspiring.

“After nearly 20 years in CEO roles and five deeply rewarding years at Amnesty, this feels like the right moment for a new challenge for me, and to pass the baton here at Amnesty. I love this organisation and will remain a passionate supporter.

“Amnesty’s mission is more urgent than ever, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made. Over the coming months, I remain fully committed to ensuring a smooth and successful leadership transition.”

The charity said that a recruitment process to replace Deshmukh “will begin shortly”.

Amnesty International UK chair Helen Horton praised Deshmukh for his “unwavering dedication, and exceptional leadership”.

“His commitment to defending human rights and empowering voices in the pursuit of justice has inspired us all,” she said.
“It has been a great pleasure and an honour to have worked with Sacha and I wish him well for the future."

Prior to Deshmukh’s temporary appointment in 2021 the charity had been led by director Kate Allen, who brought forward the date of her planned retirement amid allegations from staff of institutional racism within the organisation.

Allegations had included accounts from ex-staffers in the media, as well as the findings from a report into racism globally within Amnesty International.

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