Barnardo’s appoints new chair

Children’s charity Barnardo’s has appointed Wendy Becker as its new chair of the board of trustees.

She will take over as the chair of trustees in May and replace Tony Cohen, who is retiring after over six years on the board, more than four of which he has served as chair.

Becker joins the charity after a long career in international business and the charity sector. She has served as deputy chair of Cancer Research UK, as trustee of The Prince’s Trust and she is also non-executive director of NHS England.

Her business leadership roles include chief executive of fashion house Jack Wills, group marketing officer on Vodafone’s global executive committee and managing director of TalkTalk Residential. She was also a partner at international management consulting firm McKinsey & Co for 15 years, based in San Francisco and London.

Becker was also featured in the Financial Times list of the Top 50 Women to Watch in International Business, and was this year a finalist in the 2018 Sunday Times Non-Executive Director of the Year (Not for Profit\Public Sector).

We’re delighted to announce that Wendy Becker will be @barnardos next Chair of the Board of Trustees. Barnardo's I Press Releases https://t.co/uRmrQqidVj pic.twitter.com/kxsiOrWhvd
— Javed Khan (@JavedKhanCEO) April 26, 2018

Commenting on her appointment, Barnardo’s deputy chair John Bartlett said Becker was an “outstanding candidate” from an “extremely strong field”.

“Trustees are very grateful to our outgoing chair Tony Cohen for the impact he has made during his time at Barnardo’s. He is a tough act to follow, but Wendy is perfectly equipped to pick up that baton and take Barnardo’s forward, building on Tony’s legacy,” he added.

Becker added: “It is a huge privilege and responsibility to lead Barnardo’s Board of Trustees at such a critical time, when the challenges children face are becoming tougher and more complex, and charities need to work much harder and smarter to raise funds and increase their impact.

“I am looking forward to visiting Barnardo’s services and meeting staff and volunteers to see first-hand some of the excellent work being done.”