Since July 2015 Gerry Lejeune OBE has acted as Interim CEO of Berkshire Community Foundation. We are delighted to announce that she has accepted an offer from the Trustee Board and her position as Chief Executive became permanent on 1 January 2016.

Gerry is well-known and respected in the voluntary sector in Berkshire and had previously been CEO of the award-winning Berkshire East & South Bucks Women’s Aid, now known as the Dash Charity. She took over leadership of the Slough-based charity in 2003 and transformed the charity in the 10 years she spent as CEO supporting women who were fleeing domestic violence and was recognised for her work in 2011 when she received an OBE for her services to support local victims of domestic abuse.

In 2014 she became involved with Berkshire Community Foundation, leading the relaunch of our dedicated children’s charity fund ‘Give A Child A Chance’ supporting children, families and community groups working with children in Berkshire, particularly those with physical or learning disabilities, children with psychological and behavioural issues, and those living in care and areas of deprivation, before taking over as interim CEO when former Andrew Middleton stood down in July 2015.

Upon confirmation of her appointment Gerry said “I am delighted to be confirmed in post as CEO of this wonderful organisation that helps so many charities across Berkshire addressing areas of need that quite often go unnoticed. We have a new team at BCF and we have some exciting events planned in what is our 30th Birthday year along with our 2016 campaign ‘A Life Less Lonely’ highlighting isolation and loneliness across the County. All of us at BCF can’t wait to get going and make a real positive difference to those who need it most.”