Mark Goldring, who has spent 25 years leading charities including Oxfam GB and Mencap, is to retire from executive leadership.

For five years he has been director of Oxford based Asylum Welcome, which supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Oxfordshire.

He has also spent more than five years from 2013 leading Oxfam GB and from 2008 was chief executive of disability charity Mencap.

In addition, he spent nine years from 1999 as chief executive of volunteering organisation VSO.

In May he will leave Asylum Welcome, which is currently looking for a replacement for Goldring.

“After five fulfilling years, (and 25 years leading four very different organisations) I’m stepping down from my job as director of Asylum Welcome in May and retiring from executive leadership,” Goldring said.

“I’ve really enjoyed the immediacy and practicality of the Asylum Welcome role, shaping and seeing the difference we can make for refugees and asylum seekers locally.

“But it’s time for a change for me, and the opportunity all that a new person can bring to the organisation.”

He added: “I didn’t expect that when I joined an eight staff, £400k organisation in 2020, three years later we would be nearly five times that size.

“One of the beauties of the role and the organisation is that there is plenty of scope for the director to shape it, as well as to respond.

“There is likely to be a new immigration removal centre opened locally in the first half of 2025 which will bring new challenges. Shaping what we should do there will be one task.”

Goldring said that he will not be completely retiring from supporting good causes and charities as he has recently become chair of South Oxfordshire Housing Association “and will continue mentoring and consultancy work and maybe some interim”.

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