Stonewall has appointed its longest-serving trustee, Sheldon Mills, as its new chair.

Mills succeeds Jan Gooding, who stepped down from her role as chair of the board after six years of service. She will be staying on the board as a trustee.

Mills is the charity's longest-standing trustee, having first joined the board in January 2013.

During his time on the board, he has been involved with the charity's decision to become a trans-inclusive organisation and has long supported the charity's partnership with UK Black Pride.

Outside of the charity sector, Mills is also the interim executive director of strategy and competition at the Financial Conduct Authority, where he leads a division working on consumer, competition and wholesale policy in financial services.

Stonewall will be recruiting for new trustees later this year.

Commenting on his appointment, Mills said: "I’m hugely excited and proud to be appointed chair. Jan has shown tremendous leadership through her tenure as chair and I’m grateful she’ll be staying on the board as we enter a new chapter in Stonewall’s history.

"Right now, we’re all living through extraordinarily challenging times, but we know minority communities are often the hardest hit in a crisis, so the need for Stonewall has arguably never been greater. If the history of our movement teaches us anything, it’s that the LGBT community is at its strongest and most resilient, when we stick together and look out for one another."

Outgoing chair, Gooding, added: "I joined a very different Stonewall seven years ago, and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come and the work we now do to fight for the equality of all LGBT people. It’s not always been an easy or comfortable journey, but it’s only made us stronger and more united in our mission to change the world.

"Stonewall’s work won’t be finished until every lesbian, gay, bi and trans person is accepted without exception and I look forward to seeing how the charity continues to go from strength to strength in the years to come."

The charity is currently recruiting for a new chief executive after former CEO, Ruth Hunt, stepped down from her role last year.

Stonewall's chief operating officer, Tracey Burley is leading the charity in the interim.

"Sheldon’s extensive knowledge and understanding of Stonewall, including our work and history, will be invaluable as we navigate these challenging times and bring in our new chief executive," Burley said.

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