ECT Charity is delighted to welcome Stuart Sheldon, who starts on 1 June as our new Chief Executive Officer. He is an experienced operations leader with a track record in helping organisations to grow their scale and their social impact.
Stuart joins us from the British Society of Gastroenterology, where he was Chief Operating Officer. In this role he was responsible for improving all the practical aspects of their work – from service delivery to financial management to governance.
Prior to that, Stuart was at the Access Project – a charity that helps the country’s most under-resourced young people to secure places at top universities – starting as Operations Director before holding increasingly senior roles including Acting CEO.
Whilst at the Access Project, Stuart developed and implemented a strategy that saw the charity grow from a regional into a national charity, trebling in scale. The growth was achieved by focussing on business development and securing new partnerships – both with other charities and with government agencies and funders. As the Access Project grew, Stuart ensured that the charity’s operations grew with it, reforming their systems, safeguarding structures and processes – supporting his team through the change.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the team and getting to know the organisation” said Stuart. “Community Transport holds a special place in my heart – my late father relied on our local CT to maintain his independence and my son travels to school on a CT SEND service. I know first-hand the difference that CT makes in people’s lives. I want to ensure that ECT not only continues its work on a firm footing, but also does more in our current communities and beyond.”
Lawrence Wilson, ECT Charity Co-Chair, said “I’m sure everyone at ECT Charity will join me in extending the warmest possible welcome to Stuart and I look forward to working with him.
“I’d also like to extend my thanks to Duncan Howard, who came in as Interim CEO at short notice early this year. Duncan was able to provide leadership and insight at a crucial time, navigating the organisation through a period of change. He will remain at ECT until mid-July to ensure the smoothest possible handover. He has made a genuine difference during his interim tenure and we wish him well for the future.”
