We are excited to announce that Rebecca Wood is joining the Tom’s Trust team as CEO.
Rebecca will work closely with Tom’s Trust co-founder Debs Mitchell, who will now focus on long-term fundraising partnerships and strategy as demand for the charity’s service grows.
Rebecca has over 20 years’ experience in senior roles at fast-growing charities. As CEO of Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), she grew it from half a million pounds to over £14 million, enabling it to fund £53m of innovative dementia research in centres all over the UK. After moving to Blue Smile, a children’s mental health charity in East Anglia, she managed the launch of two new services and doubled the charity’s income. Rebecca also brings extensive media and stakeholder engagement experience to Tom’s Trust.
Rebecca said: “I’m very excited to be taking on the CEO role at Tom’s Trust. I hugely admire what Debs and her team have already achieved in growing the charity from scratch to provide psychological support for children with brain tumours all over the East and now in the North of England too. Together we look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, our excellent staff and volunteers and our growing base of supporters to develop the charity to help more children and their families in the UK.”
Deborah Whiteley said, “Rebecca’s immediate understanding of what, as parents, we set out to change through Tom’s Trust has been a moment of clarity and opportunity. The most important thing in this journey is that we help as many children and families as we can, so that every family receives this vital support from the point of that devastating diagnosis, which was not available to us. I am incredibly excited about working with Rebecca, her knowledge and experience will allow us to realise the ultimate dream of integrating psychological support firmly into the UK treatment plan, so that the positive changes remain there forever in Tom’s name.”
In addition to her Tom’s Trust role, Rebecca has recently been appointed as Charity Director Designate for The Evelyn Trust, which gives medical research grants and health and wellbeing grants in Cambridgeshire.
While we have you …
Tom’s Trust is particularly vulnerable during the pandemic and a great way to support our work is to to set up a monthly debit or making a donation.
By becoming a regular donor, or giving what you can now, you will help us weather the current storm and continue to provide vital support that children with brain tumours and their families need.
Without Tom’s Trust the Clinical Psychologists posts that we fund simply won’t exist, and will not be replaced.
Please help us, and the children and families that we care for, during this difficult time.
You can read more about how the pandemic has impacted the children with brain tumours we support here.