Richard Hawkes has joined the international development charity VSO as their International Programme Director. He was previously at Sense, where he was the founding Director of Sense International.
Richard is responsible for managing VSO’s international programmes and will be part of the Senior Management Team. He will lead over 400 staff in 34 programme offices across the world. He and his team in the London office will oversee the implementation of VSO’s strategy to tackle poverty and disadvantage, making sure that the organisations objectives meet with the need on the ground.
As Chair of the Board at BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), Richard has a long history of involvement with UK NGOs and has represented the sector at ministerial level and within the European Union. He is also a member of the Beneficiary Board of the Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust and has acted as an adviser to a number of UK charities wishing to develop their international work. Most recently the National Deaf Association and the Meningitis Trust.
Previous to his work with Sense International Richard worked for a variety of national and international organisations including the UN in Vienna and is a former National Secretary of the National Union of Students.
Richard says:
“What strikes me most about VSO's work is the power of one volunteer to effect lasting change. This change often extends well beyond the volunteer's placement or local community creating a positive ripple effect across many different groups of people and is sustainable. The real partnership between VSO and the people it works for means that VSO volunteers and programme offices are often at the cutting edge of development approaches. I'm looking forward to working with colleagues both here in the UK, and on the ground, to implement VSO's approach and to ensure that the positive benefits of skill sharing and volunteering are continued.”