Saferworld welcomes new Chair of the Board

Saferworld is pleased to announce that Jeremy Lester has been selected as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees following a unanimous vote by our 13 board members.  Jeremy brings vast experience to the role, spanning four decades in senior European Union roles in development and conflict prevention. His skills and motivation will greatly support our efforts to build peace around the world in the coming years.

“Effective governance is essential for any organisation, and Saferworld’s significant development and growth in recent years has benefited from the enthusiasm and prudent oversight we received from our trustees” said Paul Murphy, Executive Director. With Jeremy’s considerable and relevant experience in the sector, we warmly welcome him to this important role as chair, and look forward to working closely to ensure the organisation continues to make a difference for people affected by violence and conflict”.

Jeremy takes over from Owen Greene, who joined the board in the 1990s and has been Saferworld’s chair since 2005. Under his stewardship, the organisation has undergone significant growth and change.

“If you take Saferworld now compared with Saferworld in the mid-1990s, it’s incomparable” said Owen. “Back then it was just a staff of a few. We were involved with programming, but it was much more focused on policy. Since I’ve been chair of the board we’ve grown substantially. The size, the reach, and the fact that Saferworld is working in much tougher environments are all significant developments”.

Despite stepping down as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Owen will continue to serve as a trustee, bringing his long-standing experience and close knowledge of the organisation to the board.

Jeremy, who has been a trustee for some time, will chair his first board in July when the trustees meet to discuss how best Saferworld will sustain its successful work as it embarks on its new strategic plan for 2017-2021. “I’m delighted to have been appointed by the board as their chair,” said Jeremy. “I would like to see some changes over the next few years – not in what Saferworld is doing, because it’s doing the right things and doing them well – but by working with the Board of Trustees, I hope to see it gain more recognition as the successful organisation that it is, especially given the current challenging political and funding environment. I want to help ensure that the organisation can stay at the same level of energy and activity, and I think the chair and the whole board have an important role to play in this.”