Tree Aid Welcomes New Chair
01st August 2023
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A farewell and a warm welcome
Tree Aid is delighted to be welcoming its new Chair, Elizabeth Davis OBE. Elizabeth has been a Tree Aid Trustee since 2018, during which time her insights and expertise have been invaluable.
Elizabeth is an experienced senior leader in the public sector, with a particular interest in good governance, workforce and organisational design. As an HR practitioner, she has had roles in international development with both the UK government’s Department for International Development and the United Nations. Elizabeth was part of the senior team in Wales that brought together the Forestry Commission, Environment Agency and Countryside Council. In 2015, she was awarded an OBE for her contribution to public services in Wales.
We'd like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you and farewell to Tree Aid’s outgoing Chair, Shireen Chambers. Over the last six years, Shireen has led the board of Trustees and organisation through an incredible period of growth. We’re proud to say that over her tenure, our charity has increased the impact of its vital work on both a local and global scale. We wish Shireen the best of luck with all her future work.
A message from our departing Chair, Shireen Chambers:
On my last day as Chair of Tree Aid, I want to reflect on how the organisation has developed and changed in the six years that I have led the Board of Trustees. In this time, we have undergone huge but sustained and managed growth. It has been a joy to watch Tree Aid’s progress in areas of advocacy and influence. We’re now a respected player in the international climate change sector, backed up by our work on the ground over nearly four decades.
The figures bear this out - we’ve gone from helping 219,000 people at the start of my tenure as Chair, to almost one million last year, alongside an income growth from £2 million in 2015-16 to £11 million in 2022-23. In this time, we’ve also worked hard as an organisation to help our staff, both in Africa and the UK, improving our internal processes and spending time and effort on being an inclusive organisation.
None of this could have been achieved without a great team of staff, particularly the senior management team and trustees, who have shown leadership and vision. I am incredibly proud of what this organisation has achieved and I know it will continue to accomplish more of its vital work in the future. Good luck!
A message from our new Chair, Elizabeth Davis:
I am delighted and honoured to be appointed Chair of Tree Aid having been a Trustee for 5 years. The organisation has gone from strength to strength built on the back of delivering for people in some of the most difficult circumstances and by showing a growing influence on policy and practice at a local and global level.
I know I will be supported by other Trustees with diverse experiences and skills in enabling the leadership of Tree Aid to flourish and develop the organisation with a clear vision and strategy. In accordance with the governance responsibilities set out by our constitution and the Charity Commission the Board will hold the leadership to account to ensure continued high levels of performance and delivery for our clients, partners, funders and staff.