New ‘international’ trustee to strengthen RNLI board
The RNLI is delighted to announce that a new Trustee with a world class knowledge and experience of managing international development programmes has been provisionally recruited to join the organisation.
Dr Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive of VSO (formerly Voluntary Services Overseas), will bring a wealth of new knowledge and skills to the RNLI with his extensive charitable experience and work with international governments.
The appointment of Dr Goodwin, which is subject to validation by the organisation’s Council Members at the Annual General Meeting in July, is an important step forward as the organisation develops a growing commitment to preventative action across the world, as well as in the UK and Ireland.
Dr Goodwin will also join the RNLI’s International Advocacy Special Interest Group which supports the charity’s work to build political will and drive policy initiatives to tackle drowning as a global issue.
With a PhD in Environmental Policy, Dr Goodwin has been Chief Executive of the VSO for over three years. Previously, he worked for 12 years with the British Council in Mali, Belgium, Pakistan, Uganda and Kenya, as well as being both a Trustee and an Executive in a number of charities.
Chair of the RNLI Trustees, Stuart Popham QC (Hon), said:
“I am delighted to announce that Dr Goodwin has been provisionally selected to join the RNLI’s board of Trustees. This is a key recruitment as the organisation continues to evolve and develop our international partnerships.
“Dr Goodwin will bring with him a world class set of skills including a wealth of experience, an understanding of charities working internationally with governments and other partners, which will be of huge benefit to the RNLI.”
Dr Philip Goodwin said:
“The poorest countries globally account for 90% of drowning deaths, over 300,000 people each year. Despite this representing a massive public health crisis, this issue has not generated the attention from governments that is sorely required. I’m delighted to be working with the RNLI to help bring about this change.”
Notes to editors:
While trustees do not actively deliver RNLI programmes, they are an independent body of expert volunteers who carry the full financial and legal responsibility for everything the RNLI does.
Bringing with them a wide range of skills and expertise, trustees must approve annual business plans and accounts and are responsible for ensuring that everything done by the RNLI is genuinely and solely in pursuit of its objectives of saving lives, promoting safety and providing relief from disaster at sea.
You can find out more about the RNLI’s international work here: https://rnli.org/what-we-do/international
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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