I CAN appoints five new trustees

I CAN appoints five new trustees

The children’s communication charity I CAN is delighted to welcome five new trustees to its board.

The trustees have been appointed just as the charity sets out an exciting and ambitious three-year strategy. They bring experience from a number of sectors including educational, financial, health and communication.

John Willis

John had a productive career in the financial sector, including 12 years with Deutsche Bank Securities and then Deutsche Asset Management as Global Head of Research, Trading and Security Lending.  He recently retired as Co-Founder and Director of Sustainable Insight Capital Management.  John is I CAN’s new Chair of Governors at Meath School in Surrey.  He is also Head of the Finance & Risk Committee at the Chartered College of Teaching and is Chair of Governors at St John’s School in Leatherhead, Surrey.

Yvonne Wren

Yvonne is Director of Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit at North Bristol NHS Trust and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol.  She obtained her PhD in 2005 from the University of Bristol and was awarded a fellowship from the National Institute of Health Research in 2011. Her main area of interest is in the field of persistent speech disorder and more specifically, in developing a better understanding of the causes and characteristics of children who have this difficulty.

Simon Wright

Co-Founder and Director of Gatehouse Consulting Ltd., a leading internal communications consultancy, Simon’s clients include several FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 organisations. Prior to this he spent four years as Chief Operating Officer at Ernst & Young LLP. His interests and experience include digital communications, marketing, and branding.  Simon has been a Governor at three schools.

Ann Gross

Ann is recently retired from the civil service following a distinguished career including the last 17 years in senior positions in the Department for Education and prior to that 16 years in the Department for Health.  Ann was responsible for strategy and policy on education for disadvantaged children, SEND reforms, mental health, children in care, the Child Poverty Unit and Sure Start Children’s Centres.

Juliet Agnew

Now a self-employed philanthropy advisor, Juliet was previously Head of Philanthropy and Partner at I.G. Advisors, Managing Director at the Utley Foundation, Director of Philanthropy Services UK at UBS, Director at Ashmore, and Director at ACE Africa.  She currently sits on the British Jury for the Postcode Lottery’s International Green Campaign and for six years was a trustee of the Nationwide Foundation.

Chief Executive of I CAN, Bob Reitemeier said, ‘we are thrilled to welcome such a diverse and skilled group of trustees to the board during this exciting new chapter for I CAN.  They will bring invaluable experience and expertise to help us ensure that we meet our ambitious objectives and continue to bring real, lasting change for children with speech, language and communication needs and their families.’

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For further information please contact Laura Gilmour at I CAN, on 020 7843 2539 or email lgilmour@ican.org.uk