Kirsty Smith appointed as new Chair of Bond’s Board of Trustees

Kirsty Smith has been appointed as Bond’s new Board Chair following Bond’s AGM on 20 November. Kirsty succeeds Kate Sayer who was previously Chair since November 2019. Kirsty will officially start her tenure in December 2024.

Kirsty is Chief Executive at CBM UK and BasicNeeds and is part of the leadership of the CBM Global Disability Inclusion Federation. In addition to her strategic leadership of the organisation, Kirsty leads CBM UK’s technical advisory work, promoting broader, systemic change and supporting others to put inclusion into practice. She is currently a member of the UK Government Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office’s External Disability Challenge Board.

Her previous roles include Chief Executive for All We Can (formerly Methodist Relief and Development Fund); Advocacy and Campaigns Director for World Action, a pioneering programme empowering young people to take action on global injustice; Chair of CBM International; and Vice Chair of Bond.

Kirsty said:

I am delighted to be appointed as Chair of the Board at Bond. As a former Trustee and a career-long member of Bond, I know just how effectively it galvanises members to address structural injustice and seek sustainable change. As a sector, we are facing unprecedented challenges within a changing global context, but also opportunities to think and behave differently. Bond’s role in the years to come will be more important than ever in supporting those within and beyond the sector to adapt to a more localised approach. I am honoured to be able to play my part as I join the Board serving the members and strengthening the network.

Charlotte Timson, Chair of Bond’s Governance Committee said:

I am very excited to welcome Kirsty to the Bond Board as our new Chair. Kirsty brings a wealth of experience in governance and leadership, a passion and commitment to Bond, and deep expertise on locally-led approaches and inclusion. She will be a great addition to the Board and I am looking forward to working with her over the next strategic period.

Romilly Greenhill, CEO of Bond said:

I am really excited to be working with Kirsty as the new Bond Chair. Kirsty has 24 years’ of experience as a CEO, and I’m sure she will bring huge advice and wisdom to support me in leading Bond. She’s been at the forefront of discussions about how we transform the sector to become more anti-racist and decolonised, and is a great champion around inclusion. She’s been an active Bond member and previously Vice Chair of the Board, so I couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s accepted this new role.

ENDS.

Notes for editors

Bond is the UK network for international development and humanitarian organisations. Founded in 1993, Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 350 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
For further information or interviews, please contact Jess Salter, Media Adviser at Bond at [email protected] or call 07392972411.