Practical Action Chair of Trustees, Dr Yvonne Pinto is stepping down after three years to focus on her career.
Yvonne has been part of a team that has led Practical Action through the Covid19 pandemic and worked hard to introduce more diversity of experience and culture onto the Board of Trustees.
Dr Yvonne Pinto
Martin Tyler, who chairs the Finance Audit and Risk committee of the Board, will take over as interim Chair of the board and paid tribute to his outgoing colleague.
He said: “Yvonne has worked incredibly hard during one of the most testing times for charity leadership and international development and leaves Practical Action in a strong position. Under her leadership, the organisation has taken great steps forward in improving its diversity. The whole board is absolutely committed to continuing to further challenge and help break down the barriers that create inequality throughout the world.
“Yvonne has also driven forward work to change agriculture, sanitation, waste and energy systems so they work for those most in need. In doing so, she has helped transform the lives and livelihoods of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America struggling to deal with the impacts of climate change and persistent gender inequality.”
Yvonne said: “The last 3 years have presented a unique set of challenges which have been some of the most challenging in history. For global organisations working to eradicate poverty, these issues have been even more difficult to overcome.
“Steering Practical Action through this has been extremely rewarding, but balancing work and voluntary commitments over this period has been very testing and it is now time to focus on my own career and business.
“Although I have decided I cannot do both things at the same time, I am very excited about Practical Action. It is an incredible organisation with a rich history and is in a strong place. I have every confidence in the current Board, the organisational culture, the staff and the strategic plan and I am looking forward to staying connected with the organisation as it applies its unique blend of ingenuity and innovation to some of the most challenging situations in the world.”
Incoming interim chair of trustees, Martin Tyler will take over the role from April 1. His career has included Finance Director roles at Christian Aid, the Fairtrade Foundation, Amnesty International UK and the Refugee Council. As a trustee and non-Executive Director, he has served on the boards of the ODI, Television for the Environment, Divine Chocolate, and Pesticide Action Network, including nine years as Chair. He is currently Honorary Treasurer for CPRE, the countryside charity.
Fayezul Choudhury will succeed Martin as Chair of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee and Shivani Wadhwa will chair the Governance and People Committee.
You can find out more about Practical Action’s board of trustees here and you can read the organisation’s aims here.