Pets As Therapy has appointed former Cruse Bereavement Support chief executive Steven Wibberley to lead its organisation.

He joins as CEO this week after more than five years leading the bereavement support charity until July last year.

Prior to joining Cruse he spent more than five years as chief operating officer at the British Lung Foundation.

He has also spent more than four years as head of information, financial and work support at Macmillan Cancer Support and almost a decade as regional director of NHS Direct.

“With a background leading health and care services across the public and third sector, and as CEO for Cruse Bereavement Support for over five years, Steven brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Pets As Therapy,” said the charity.

“He is an advocate for both animal-assisted therapy and for the importance of volunteering to help improve people’s lives.

“In Steven, Pets As Therapy has found a CEO who shares the charity’s values and dedication to enhancing the wellbeing of people through the power of human-animal interactions.

“He will be building on our 40-year history of taking pets into hospitals, care homes, schools and prisons to positively impact even more lives.”

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— Pets As Therapy (@PetsAsTherapyUK) January 12, 2024

Wibberley added: “I am honoured and excited to join Pets As Therapy as the new CEO.

“I’m committed to working alongside our dedicated team, volunteers and partners to ensure even more people receive the transformative benefits of time with pets and animal assisted therapy.”

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