Three new trustees appointments help Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales reach further for small and local charities

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales today announced the appointment of Akwugo Emejulu, Gareth Oakley and Becky Shaw to their board. Broadening their wealth of collective experience as they begin the second year of the new strategy, Reaching Further, the new board members bring fresh perspectives from commercial, public sector, and academic spheres.

They’llhelp shape the Foundation’s ambitious agenda, focusing on partnering with charities tackling complex social issues, and addressing the causes and consequences of disadvantage in 2019 and beyond.

Akwugo Emejulu, Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, brings a wealth of knowledge around political sociology, with particular specialism around the areas of race class and gender.She is the co-principal investigator of Women of Colour Resist, a six-nation Open Society Foundation research project, and brings expertise from previous roles including as a community organiser, a trade union organiser and a participatory action researcher, in both the United States and in Britain.

Gareth Oakely, Managing Director Business Banking at Lloyds Banking Group, joins the Foundation after several years’ involvement as the bank’s Ambassador for the East of England. Gareth brings over 29 years of experience in banking, across Retail Banking, Wealth Management and Commercial. He is currently Chairman of the UK Finance Corporate and Commercial board, and was also formerly Chairman of the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC).

Becky Shaw, Chief Executive, East Sussex County Council, has a proven track record of delivering local public services in partnership with the community, voluntary sector and other stakeholders. She has a particular interest in leadership, learning and development, and is the policy lead for the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) and the Association of County Chief Executives. She is currently a Trustee of the Rona Sailing Project, which has enriched the lives of more than 20,000 young people through sailing tall ships.

Baroness Rennie Fritchie DBE, Chair of Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales said:

“It is my pleasure to welcome our three new trustees. Their knowledge and experience will enrich our leadership team and continue to challenge us to do more as we partner with small charities helping people overcome disadvantage. Their insights, spanning academia, the public sector, and from our valued partners at Lloyds Banking Group will be instrumental as we help small charities through our funding, support to help them develop and by influencing the external environment. These appointments stand us in very good stead for the years to come.”

The new trustees join the Foundation’s board as former board members Patricia Broadfoot and Helen Edwards CBE step down from the Board after seven and a half and six years respectively.

Lloyds Bank Foundation are an independent charitable trust funded by Lloyds Banking Group. They partner with small and local charities helping people overcome complex social issues. Through long-term funding, developmental support and influencing policy and practice, they support charities to make life-changing impact.