Youth Futures Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of 3 new Board members. Sir Tony Hawkhead, Jenny North and Sir Simon Woolley joined YFF’s Board on September 1st.
“I am delighted that we have been able to attract people of the calibre of Tony, Jenny and Simon to the Board,” said YFF’s Chair, Joe Montgomery. “They each have a deep commitment to improving outcomes for young people, helping them to overcome the barriers they face to employment. With their diverse backgrounds, experience and skillsets, I am confident Tony, Jenny and Simon will help build YFF into a respected and impactful organisation in the Youth Employment sector.”
Sir Tony Hawkhead is currently Lay Vice Chair of the new NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and aNon-executive Director at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). He has held several high-profile charity positions including CEO at Groundwork UK and Action for Children. Commenting on his appointment, Tony said “I’m delighted to be joining the board of the Youth Futures Foundation. This is a great opportunity to develop innovative and effective help for those young people who find it hardest to get jobs and high-quality training.”
Jenny North is currently the Deputy CEO at Dartington Service Design Lab. Previously Director of Policy and Strategy at Impetus, she has also held positions at Relate, the Maternity Alliance, New Policy Insititute and the Home Office. Commenting on her appointment, Jenny said: “We need to keep the spotlight on the fact that youth unemployment rates remain high, and that this affects some groups of young people more than others. We know who the young people are, we (and they!) know something about what the solutions might be, and YFF is an unprecedented opportunity to increase our knowledge and put solutions in place. I’m delighted to be supporting the YFF team as they do this.”
Sir Simon Woolley is a political and equalities activist. He is the Founder and Director of Operation Black Vote, the Chair of the Advisory Group to the Race Disparity Audit and is a former Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Commenting on his appointment, Simon said; “Very humbled and excited to be part of Youth Futures Foundation. I relish the opportunity to be part of a team that is passionate about challenging youth disadvantage and unleashing its potential. This will not only benefit individuals and communities but also UK PLC too”
Tony, Jenny and Simon join Joe Montgomery (Chair), Dame Julia Cleverdon and Laura-Jane Rawlings on the Board of Youth Futures Foundation. They were appointed following a full search process, led by the existing board and supported by Prospectus. YFF expects to appoint 2 more Board members in late 2019 or early 2020 to complete the Board.
ENDS
About YFF:
The Youth Futures Foundation believe that all young people, whatever their background, should have the support and opportunities to fulfil their potential. YFF improves the way young people are supported into meaningful employment, particularly those a long way from the labour market.
YFF has a particular focus on the disparities in youth unemployment revealed in the Government’s Race Disparity Audit which highlighted that young people from ethnic minorities between the ages of 16 and 24 are almost twice as likely to be unemployed (23%) as their white peers (12%) – despite having similar qualifications.
Youth Futures Foundation Limited (YFF) was established as an independent Company Limited by Guarantee in February 2019 in response to the Government’s commitment to allocate £90m of dormant asset funding to youth opportunities.
