Mark Lever to retire

We are sharing the news that our Chief Executive, Mark Lever, will retire at the end of the year.

Since he joined Helpforce in 2019, he’s worked with the team to grow the charity’s impact and ambition and is stepping down with our charity in a great place:

• As we have just announced, we’ve secured over £870k funding from the National Lottery , which will help up to 200,000 people over the next 3 years
• We’re firmly on track to achieve our strategic target of working with our partners to support 1m people to get Back to Health by March 2025
• We continue to attract exceptional people to work with us, and we are now in the process of recruiting new trustees.

Our founder, Sir Tom Hughes-Hallett, said: “Under Mark’s leadership, Helpforce has been focused on important and ambitious programmes and initiatives; boosting our mission to transform the role of volunteering in health and care. He’s worked alongside the Board of Trustees and a great staff team to encourage innovation and ensure Helpforce can offer the best possible support to our partners.

“I am very sad to see Mark leave, but know he’s chosen the right time personally and for Helpforce. And I’m confident we will attract brilliant candidates to build on all Mark’s achieved and lead our charity into its next phase.”

Led by our experienced and influential Board of Directors, we have started to recruit a new Chief Executive. Mark will be staying on to the end of the calendar year to ensure a smooth transition to the new Chief Executive and that Helpforce maintains its momentum.

Over the coming months, we will be sharing Mark’s reflections on where we stand in our mission to accelerate the growth and impact of volunteering in health and care and, from October, we will update you about our new Chief Executive’s appointment.

Mark commented: “Nearly 30 years ago, inspired by the power of volunteering, I made the decision to move from a career in finance to one in the charity sector. Since that decision, I’ve worked for some fantastic organisations and people to make important positive changes to people’s lives.

“Every role has brought its own challenges and rewards. I feel incredibly lucky that it’s Helpforce where I’ll be ending my ‘paid’ career, before I step back to pursue more personal interests and continue in some great volunteering roles.

“Helpforce is a truly exceptional organisation. A lean, expert and innovative team of staff and trustees, working with great partners towards an essential step change in how volunteers are deployed in our NHS and the community.

“Our Board of Trustees have started the recruitment process and I’ll be in the role until the end of the year so there is a smooth handover to the new Chief Executive. I know we’ll attract some great candidates, and I’m sure they’ll realise what an exciting opportunity this is.”