Our board of trustees
Our board of trustees
At Plan International UK, we are governed by our Board of Trustees. The Board meets regularly and is responsible for setting our strategic direction, as well as for our overall governance and overseeing our management.
New trustees are chosen in consultation with the full Board, making sure that, collectively, the Board has the skills and experience needed to enable us to operate effectively.
Meet the board and find out what motivates them to volunteer for us.
Ian
Professor Sir Ian Diamond became Chair of Plan International UK in 2018. Sir Ian is The UK National Statistician and Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics. He is also Chair of the University Southampton, and has held other roles in research, higher and further education and the voluntary sector. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy for Social Sciences. Sir Ian holds honorary degrees from the universities of Cardiff, Glasgow, Curtin and Southampton.
In a volatile world in which poverty and gender inequality remain all too evident, never has the work of Plan International UK been more important, and never has it been more pressing to show the UK public why that’s the case.
Sir Ian Diamond, Chair, Plan International UK
Beverley
Beverley has been a member of the Board since 2019 and she is also Chair of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee. She is a chartered accountant and her executive positions have included Finance Vice President at Burberry, and Group Chief Financial Officer at the BBC. She currently serves as Lead Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and as a Crown Representative for the Cabinet Office supporting central government in managing their strategic commercial relationships. She is also a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of the Circle Health Group.
Beverley is a passionate supporter of the children’s charity sector having served as Trustee and Audit Committee Chair of BBC Children in Need for 10 years. She also sits on the Audit Committee of BAFTA. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and of the Chartered Institute of Procurement.
Every child deserves the best chance in life and I am proud to be part of an organisation that is helping make that a reality
Beverley Tew, Plan International UK Trustee
Emily
Emily has been a member of the Board since 2019. She is a Partner at Public Digital, where she advises donors, development banks and governments in Africa and Asia-Pacific on building digital capability and transforming public services.
Emily previously led the design of the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) at the Greater London Authority, and has worked on financial technology for international development at UNICEF Innovation. She started her career at the Boston Consulting Group, where she worked with clients in the financial and public sectors in the UK, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Emily holds a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University, where she was a Student Fellow at the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs and a Kennedy Scholar.
Plan International UK’s work to tackle the harassment, sexual exploitation, unequal access to education and period poverty suffered by girls around the world is what motivated me to join the Board.
Emily Middleton, Plan International UK Trustee
Girish
Girish joined STiR in January 2021 after five years as Chief Executive at ActionAid UK. He brings more than 30 years’ experience as a leader in the international development sector, having previously held roles as International Programmes Director and Deputy CEO at WaterAid UK, where he was responsible for programmes across 22 countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Girish was born and brought up in India and started his career with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. He has also worked at ActionAid, Plan International and DFID in India. Since moving to London in 2005, he has also served on the boards of various not-for-profit organisations and is currently on the board of Hope and Homes for Children, UK as well as a member of the British Asian Trust's Programme & Partnerships Committee.
Plan International UK is a leader in child rights and gender equality. Its role is even more important now as the world faces immense challenges in the face of Covid, climate crisis and conflict. I am very excited to be on its board, learn and be inspired by its amazing work around the world and contribute to its mission.
Girish Menon, Plan International UK Trustee
Hope
Hope Nyokabi is a Lawyer (LLB) Hons, a certified professional mediator (CPM) and currently an Advocate Trainee at the Kenya School of Law. She is also one of the hosts on The Vineyard podcast. She is passionate about equality for girls and young women and has been involved in advocacy from the age of 12, starting at the Kenya Children’s Assembly and serving in various roles and championing children’s rights. In 2015, she became a Girl Advocate for Plan International Kenya and has participated in various global events aimed at influencing policy and decision makers.
The well-being of a nation is determined by how well it treats its children and youth. Girls are a key composition of this demographic. To be part of a team that is committed to ensuring that this disproportionately disadvantaged group is empowered is such a great honour.
Hope Nyokabi, Plan International UK Trustee
John
John Kerr is a member of the board of trustees and a member of the Audit Finance & Risk Committee. He is also a member of the board of Social Development Direct Limited. He is an advisor and board member to a number of companies.
John is Chairman of Kin and Carta plc, a digital transformation-consulting firm. He was previously COO and then CEO of Deloitte Consulting, the leading global consultancy with revenues of $20bn. He has operated in over 30 countries around the world and has extensive experience working with global clients in a wide range of sectors.
John is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and a graduate of the University of Strathclyde.
He enjoys art, wine and music, he skis, plays tennis, supports Chelsea FC and Scotland in every sport.
He is married and has five children.
I believe that the education of women and girls is one of the world’s highest priorities. It will help bring peace and prosperity to many parts of the world.
John Kerr, Plan International UK Trustee
Marie-France
Marie-France joined the Board in March 2023. She is an experienced marketing director and strategic branding consultant with a passion for ideas that drive positive change. She was previously the Chief Strategy Officer at branding consultancy Heavenly before leaving to follow her passion for sustainability and the green economy. Marie-France is now the CMO of the Octopus Energy Generation backed EV charging company Be.EV.
She is passionate about charity work, and has previously worked with the likes of Marie Curie, The Alzheimer’s Society, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Guy’s & St Thomas’, (RED), MQ and many more – on their brand, storytelling, strategy and go-to-market planning. In her current role Marie-France is the CMO at Be.EV, championing the fair and accessible transition to electric vehicle ownership. Marie-France speaks three languages and has travelled extensively. She is politically active and splits her time between the NW of England and London. She is married with three grown children. Her two teenage daughters keep her on her toes and plugged into the various issues that young women are deeply passionate about.
Having worked with Plan International UK before, it is a real honour to now be a trustee. The need to ensure children and girls have their voices heard and are empowered to lead the conversation has never been greater. I hope to help them take centre stage.
Marie-France Van Heel, Plan International UK Trustee
Meredith
Meredith has been a member of the board since 2017. She is an experienced charity professional, most recently having served as the Executive Director of Fundraising and Engagement at Marie Curie, the UK’s leading terminal illness charity. Meredith previously worked as an Investment Director at venture philanthropy fund Impetus Trust, where she helped set up a multi-million pound reducing reoffending initiative, and at Goldman Sachs, where she was latterly an Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division. Meredith also volunteers her time as a trustee of Trust for London and the SOFII Foundation and was previously a trustee of BookTrust, Hestia, and Toynbee Hall. She lives in London with her husband and three sons.
My children are my biggest love – I would do anything to give them the best possible future. And it’s because I know how lucky they are that I also want to help other children achieve their potential.
Meredith Niles, Plan International UK Trustee
Minal
Minal joined the Trustee Board in 2023. In her professional career, Minal works as a Marketing advisor and Interim CMO, to tech start-ups and scale-ups. She helps these businesses to scale efficiently, using mainly digital marketing channels. Earlier in her career, Minal worked for various tech companies including eBay and Google, and as MD for the EMEA region at digital marketing agency, Essence. She started her career as a strategy consultant at Marakon Associates, having graduated from Cambridge University. Minal lives in London with her two children.
I feel passionately that gender should never determine life outcomes. Plan’s work in helping to empower girls will enable communities and societies to reach their full potential, and I am so proud to be part of Plan’s journey.
Minal Shah, Plan International UK Trustee
Sarah
Sarah Ansah has over 20 years’ experience in media and communications at the BBC and led on the largest expansion of digital stations in West Africa. Sarah is currently Deputy Managing Editor, BBC News Content.
Sarah is passionate about the rights of Girls and Women and prior to joining Plan as a Trustee volunteered for charities supporting survivors of domestic abuse. This passion led her to complete a Master’s in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice from Birkbeck University (LLM). Sarah also holds a degree in Sociology and Religious Studies.
Sarah was brought up in Ghana and through her work has travelled widely across Africa and brings to her role as a Trustee first-hand knowledge of what it is like growing up as a young girl in the Global South.
I am extremely proud to be a Trustee of Plan and strongly share its vision as an organisation that is passionate about the fight for girls’ rights.
Sarah Ansah, Plan International UK Trustee