Who’s Moving in the Sector February Update — and What It Signals About Charity Leadership in 2026

There has been a notable wave of chief executive and chair transitions across the sector in recent weeks.

Individually, these are routine governance moments. Collectively, they tell a much more interesting story about leadership tenure, succession planning, board priorities and the evolving profile of senior charity roles.

Below is a snapshot — and then some reflections on what it means.

Long-serving CEOs stepping down

Several high-profile leaders are departing after substantial tenures:

• Nick Grono will step down after 13 years as CEO of Freedom Fund.
• Sonya Sceats leaves Freedom from Torture after eight years to lead the British Institute of International Comparative Law.
• Xavier Brice departs Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) after a decade.
• Mark Hodgkinson steps down at Scope after seven years.
• Kathryn Marsden leaves the Social Care Institute for Excellence after almost six years to lead Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
• Iain Gulland stepped down at Zero Waste Scotland after 11 years.
• Helen Moulinos departed Anti-Slavery International.

What is striking is not instability — it is maturity. Many of these leaders are leaving with strategy in place, brand repositioning complete or organisations financially stable.

There is an increasing pattern of CEOs choosing their exit moment deliberately, rather than staying until performance dips. That speaks to healthier governance and more conscious succession planning.

Internal succession and continuity

In several cases, boards have opted for internal progression:

• Kerry Moscogiuri becomes CEO at Amnesty International UK after 25 years in senior roles.
• Liz McKean steps up as Executive Director at War on Want.
• Ciaran McGuigan moves from finance director to CEO at Zero Waste Scotland.
• John McLachlan, after 38 years at Scope, becomes interim CEO.
• Gerard Crofton-Martin becomes interim CEO at SCIE.
• Harry Hayer steps in as interim at Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.

This signals that boards are placing high value on institutional knowledge and cultural alignment — particularly in advocacy, disability and rights-based organisations where credibility and stakeholder trust are central.

The rise of the experienced interim

Mark Goldring’s appointment as interim CEO at Anti-Slavery International is another example of a seasoned leader being brought in to stabilise and guide transition.

We are seeing more boards using experienced interim executives not simply as caretakers, but as strategic bridges — particularly where funding environments are complex or brand repositioning is underway.

Chairs and trustees with commercial and regulatory depth

There has also been significant movement at chair and trustee level:

• Tony Hale appointed Chair of English Heritage.
• Natalie Campbell to become Chair of the Workforce Development Trust.
• Vishal Shah appointed Chair of Championing Social Care.
• John Dales appointed Chair of Living Streets.
• Dawn Austwick and Damien Lane appointed chairs within the London Marathon group.
• Laura Thomas and Maxine Blackwell become co-chairs at Barnabus.
• Qadeer Kiani appointed Chair of the Molly Huggins Foundation.
• Robin Strang appointed Deputy Chair at OSCR.
• Nancy Rothwell joins the Wolfson Foundation board.
• Three new trustees join the Circle.
• New trustees appointed at Movember Europe and NMITE.

The common thread? Boards are actively recruiting individuals with deep commercial, regulatory, financial, academic and public policy experience.

Governance is no longer seen as symbolic stewardship. It is operationally strategic.

Executive-level specialisation is accelerating

Cancer Research UK’s appointments of a new Executive Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement and a new CFO highlight another important trend: functional depth at executive level.

Likewise, the Royal Society of Arts appointing a Director of Strategy and Commerce from a commercial background reinforces how strategic capability and income generation expertise are becoming central to mission delivery.

What does this all point to?

Four themes stand out.

1. Tenure cycles are becoming clearer

Seven to thirteen years increasingly appears to be a natural CEO cycle. Leaders are exiting with dignity and often with succession pathways in place.

2. Governance literacy is rising

Audit, risk, commercial insight and sustainability expertise are clearly in demand at board level.

3. Cross-sector mobility is normal

We are seeing movement between charities, consultancies, regulators, academia and corporate leadership with increasing fluidity.

4. Strategy and income resilience remain front of mind

Many of these appointments — particularly at executive and board level — reflect a desire to strengthen financial sustainability, diversify funding and sharpen strategic positioning.

The sector is not in chaos. It is recalibrating.

Leadership expectations are broader than ever: financial fluency, governance confidence, public influence, stakeholder management and cultural intelligence are now baseline requirements.

For aspiring CEOs and trustees, the message is clear: passion for mission remains essential — but capability across systems, strategy and sustainability is what differentiates.

If you are navigating succession, considering your own next move, or reviewing board composition, it is a fascinating moment to pause and reflect.

The sector’s leadership bench is evolving — and so are the expectations placed upon it.