Working Families pleased to announce Helen Humphreys as new Chair of their Board of Trustees
Published: 1 Sep 2021
We are really pleased to announce Helen Humphreys as our new Chair. She officially takes over as Chair on 1 September after her appointment was confirmed at a meeting of the Board on 29 July.
Helen has served as Vice-Chair of Working Families since August 2020, and in that capacity has guided the charity through the pandemic, where we were able to support over 1.6m working parents through lockdowns and restrictions. She will now lead the charity as we embark on a three-year strategy to support employers to create and sustain successful flexible and family-friendly workplaces, empower parents and carers to understand and use their workplace rights and drive meaningful policy and legal change.
Helen is an experienced strategic change communication director with extensive leadership experience in culture, colleague engagement and behaviour change. She is an experienced Non-Executive Director and previously spent six years on the Board of Drinkaware.
Everyone at Working Families would like to send our warmest thanks to our departing Chair Tim Oliver, who has Chaired Working Families for five and a half years and whose strategic oversight and deep commitment has helped Working Families develop the impact and influence we have today.
Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, said:
“We are thrilled with Helen’s appointment as our new Chair. Thanks to her tireless work as Vice-Chair we are getting the best of both worlds: continuity and change all in one. Helen became a trustee over five years ago and thoroughly understands the charity, yet in this new role will bring a fresh perspective as we embark on an ambitious new three-year strategy. Our previous Chair, Tim Oliver, asked Helen to chair the People & Governance Committee, where she has overseen significant changes, including new Articles of Association and a total review of all the charities policies. Tim, who is stepping down as a trustee as well as Chair, has given many years dedication and support to Working Families, which we are hugely grateful for. We wish him all the very best in his future endeavors.”
Helen Humphreys, Chair of Working Families, said:
“I’m very excited to be taking on the role of Chair at Working Families at such a key time, as we work to build flexible and family friendly working into our post pandemic world. The issues we have been leading on for the past 40 years are now core to political, business and individual discussions. Our ability to bring together insights from individuals who call our helpline, to help inform businesses who are updating their approach and policies, and politicians who are creating the societal environment in which we all work, means we are at the heart of moving the UK into a new, more flexible way of working.
“Working parents and carers have had an incredibly tough time over the pandemic, and our support for them has never been more needed. To all of them I would say that you are doing an amazing thing balancing your work and your family. We want to make it easier for you to do that and will be working with you to create a better environment for you to enjoy your work and the time with your family.”