Our CEO Noelle Blackman is stepping down from Respond after nearly 20 years’ service, and over a decade as CEO. Her last day in the office will be 31st July.
Following the BBC Panorama expose of the abuse at Winterbourne View Hospital in 2011, Noelle ensured that Respond was at the forefront of advocacy in its wake, raising the wellbeing of the patients and their families to the authorities who commissioned Respond to provide support for many of the former patients and families through family support groups and trauma assessments. This was the start of Respond raising the profile of the trauma that families experience and to setting up the family support service that is a thriving and vital part of Respond today.
As CEO, Noelle has developed the breadth and scope of the services Respond delivers, and has grown the charity including its second office in the Midlands. She has contributed to research publications and navigated the charity through the pandemic.
We thank Noelle for her service to the charity and her commitment to bringing about positive change in the lives of the people the charity supports. Under her helm, Respond has a more widely-recognised profile and delivers many services in conjunction with many partner agencies, supported by a range of trust and foundation funders as well as statutory commissioners. We wish Noelle every success as she embarks on research, writing and training.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Georgina Hoare as Acting CEO, effective 1 August 2023. Georgina has been Respond’s Organisation Effectiveness Director for nearly two years and is well-placed to lead the charity, working closely with the Board on the delivery of Respond’s Strategic Plan. The Board will commence a public search for a permanent CEO in the next few months.
Dr Oliver Lewis
Chair of the Board of Trustees
