Leadership update and upcoming elections

UKCP is pleased to announce the appointment of Pippa Donovan as the interim chair of its Board of Trustees.

Pippa, an integrative psychotherapist and organisational consultant, was co-opted onto the Board in September 2022 and has since played a vital role in shaping our organisation's future. Notably, she led the recruitment of our current CEO, Jon Levett, and was instrumental in rebuilding the Board after the General Meeting in October 2022. Pippa also serves on the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FRAC), the Conference Working Group, and the Strategy Working Group.

In her new capacity as interim chair, Pippa is committed to fostering deeper engagement with the UKCP membership, enhancing transparency, and ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) remain central to all aspects of UKCP's work.

Pippa said: 'I am committed to steering UKCP forward, not only by focusing on our future goals but also by addressing the day-to-day complexities we face as an organisation. My priority is to strengthen our governance and work collaboratively with colleagues and members to encourage open, transparent dialogue across UKCP. A key part of this will be launching our new 2024-2027 strategy, relaunching the annual conference and reviewing our EDI-BIIDE* strategy to ensure it aligns with our core values.'

Pippa steps into the role following the resignation of Christian Buckland as chair in June 2024.

In addition to this change, we also announce that our vice-chair, Jennifer Ayling, has stepped down from the Board of Trustees.

Jennifer said: 'It's with regret that I'm resigning from the Board. I appreciated being elected and the support of the membership during my time in post. I learned a lot from the experience. I wish UKCP and its Board, staff and membership all the very best for the future.'

UKCP would like to thank Jennifer for her service and we send our best wishes for her future endeavours.

Elections

To fill vacancies for the roles of chair, vice-chair and an additional trustee position – currently held by Will Daniel-Braham, whose first term as a trustee concludes in March 2025 – we will begin the election process by opening the call for nominations on Monday, 25 November 2024, following the General Meeting, part of the UKCP conference.

Ahead of the elections, the Board will be working to provide members with a clearer understanding of the responsibilities of a trustee, with the aim of encouraging a diverse range of nominations for all available roles.

A comprehensive audit to identify skill gaps on the Board was recently carried out. As a result, the Board will seek to address these gaps by recruiting two lay trustees, bringing in external expertise to complement the current knowledge. Additionally, the recruitment of a treasurer will be carried out.

Further details about the election process will be shared soon, and we encourage all members to consider standing for election and playing an active role in shaping the future of UKCP.