A recruitment process for our next chief executive will get underway shortly.
Richard joined us in 2013, a year after our creation, and has led us through our critical formative years to become an established and well-supported national charity.
It has been an honour
Richard comments: “It has been an honour to lead the Trust through such a key period, working to build a sustainable future for our historic canal network, increasing the number of people benefiting from it and wider appreciation of its value to the nation. I have loved working with such committed colleagues and a rising number of amazing volunteers who together deliver the ongoing care that the 250-year-old canal infrastructure demands – and making so many friends amongst those who use our canals and share our passion for them.
“After 12 years it is the right time for me to hand over to a new chief executive to lead the Trust on the next stage of its journey, alongside our Chair, David Orr CBE who took up his post two years ago. My departure this summer will fit into a cycle of succession, so that David and the new chief executive can look to the longer-term future, including strengthening the Trust’s partnership with Government with over four years of the current parliamentary term to run.
“There is a huge amount of work for the Trust to do over the coming months and I will be focusing all my efforts on delivering our priorities until I hand over later this summer.”
A fantastic contribution
David Orr comments: “Richard has made a fantastic contribution, establishing the Trust as a much-admired national charity. He has led the organisation through many challenges and chalked up many achievements over the past 12 years. He has been dedicated to the national treasure that is our canal network, venturing across the country to be a visible, engaging leader.
“We face many more challenges in the years ahead, and the Board and I will be looking to recruit a successor of the calibre needed to follow on from Richard, to take the Trust forward on the next phase in our journey, to grasp the wonderful opportunities we have to use our canals to support many of our national priorities and improve the lives of millions of people.”
