They join the Trustee Board which is legally responsible for ensuring that we work towards our Charitable Objectives, sets the overarching policy and strategy for us, and provides oversight of our executive team. The appointments to the unpaid posts, approved by the Council today, start with immediate effect for a three year term.
Ben Gordon studied as a civil engineer specialising in hydraulics before obtaining an MBA from INSEAD and holding senior positions at WHSmith and Disney prior to becoming chief executive of Mothercare for nine years until 2011. He holds a number of non-executive director positions.
Allan Leighton was formerly CEO of Asda Plc, chairman of the Royal Mail and has and does hold a number of non-executive chairmanships including Pace Plc, Pandora AS, Lastminute.com and BSkyB. He was also chairman of Race for Opportunity and an Ambassador for Prince Charles in Business in the Community. He attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard and has Honorary Degrees from Cranfield and an Honorary Fellowship from University of Lancashire. He is a Patron of Breast Cancer Care and a keen canal runner.
Tony Hales, our chair of Trustees, comments: “I'm delighted to welcome Ben and Allan to the Canal & River Trust. Their commercial knowledge, and wide-ranging experience will prove invaluable to the Trust as we continue to establish this exciting new charity, developing new income streams to support our care for the inland waterway network and provide an enhanced focus on customer service that will make the canals a more attractive place for boaters and towpath visitors alike. I eagerly look forward to working them.
“I'd also like to reiterate my thanks to John Bridgeman who steps down as a trustee for his expert advice and unwavering commitment to the waterways over the eight years on the Board of British Waterways and the Trust. I wish him the very best for the future.”
With the retirement of John Bridgeman, the appointment of Ben Gordon and Allan Leighton brings the number of Trustees to 11. A list of Trustees is available at: </about-us/governance/trustees>
