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CEO & Executive Leadership Team

Our leadership are responsible for shaping our goals and ensuring we achieve them. They are guided by, and are accountable to our Board of Trustees.
Gemma Sherrington, Interim CEO. Photo: Kim Hoang / Save the Children

Gemma Sherrington, Interim CEO

Gemma has held a number of positions in her 16 years at Save the Children UK, most recently as Executive Director of Fundraising & Marketing. She has also been a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) for the last 5 years. Gemma has driven and supported many cross organisational projects including work on digital and data, innovation and culture. 

Prior to joining Save the Children in 2007, she worked at the NSPCC, Cardinal Hume Centre and WaterAid.

Gemma's Executive Assistant is Mary Bose (Monday-Wednesday). 

Francis D’Souza, Chief Finance & Technology Officer. Photo: Kimberly Hoang / Save the Children

Francis D’Souza, Chief Finance & Tech Officer

Francis is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Save the Children UK. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2020 - responsible for the organisation’s financial operations, financial reporting, forecasting and budgeting, having previously served as Financial Controller. Since September 2022 Francis is also responsible for the Digital, Data and Technology team.

Before joining Save the Children, Francis worked for a number of years at Diageo Plc, a FTSE 100 global premium drinks company. He first qualified as an accountant in an accountancy and business advisory practice in 2002. Francis is also a trustee of the Lord’s Taverners.

Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns. Photo: Kim Hoang / Save the Children

Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director

Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns

Kirsty McNeill is Save the Children's Executive Director for Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns. She leads Save the Children's programmes supporting families across the four nations of the UK and teams delivering award-winning policy, advocacy, campaigns and media on climate, inequality, poverty, conflict, health, education, hunger and nutrition. 

Previously, she founded a consultancy advising some of the world’s leading social purpose organisations and spent three years as a Special Adviser in Number 10. She came to Downing Street having led the policy and influencing work of DATA, Bono and Bob Geldof’s advocacy organisation, in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and the EU institutions.  

Before joining DATA she was a driving force behind Make Poverty History, serving on the steering group and writing the coalition’s flagship policy report, acting as a national media spokesperson and creating a 225,000 strong rally in Edinburgh. At the same time, she managed the Stop AIDS Campaign, successfully negotiating a commitment to universal access to AIDS treatment from the 2005 G8.

Today she chairs the Civic Power Fund, Larger Us and the Aid Alliance and serves as a non-exec director on the boards of the Climate Coalition, the Coalition for Global Prosperity, the Center for Countering Digital Hate and IPPR and is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. She is a regular public commentator on power, politics and policy, having written for outlets including the Telegraph, Times, Observer and New Statesman. 

Pria Rai: Photo: Kim Hoang / Save the Children

Pria Rai, Executive Director

Organisational Effectiveness

Pria joined Save the Children in April 2021 and is the Executive Director of Organisational Effectiveness. She comes to Save the Children with a background of people and organisational systems change leadership in organisations working in international education and housing. 

Pria is actively involved in governance of third sector organisations and is a trained systems coach. Her expertise and values lie in a people-centred approach to leadership, and by her ability to combine vision with a practical understanding of change processes.

Adam Berthoud, Executive Director

Global Programmes

As Executive Director of Global Programmes at Save the Children UK,  Adam is responsible for leading Save the Children UK’s International Programming work, working with colleagues from across the wider Save the Children movement.  Adam recently led Save the Children UK’s Guiding Star 2030 visioning process, articulating the big shifts the organisation will need to take to remain impactful in the future, as well as the development of SCUK’s new Partnerships for Impact Strategy, with the aim of diversifying and strengthening the organisation’s partnership base.

Adam has worked in the international development and humanitarian sector for approximately 20 years, including postings in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Australia, working for a number of International Non-Government Organisations.  Since joining Save the Children in 2009,  Adam has had several different roles, including the creation of Save the Children UK’s Humanitarian Technical Unit, leadership of Save the Children Australia’s Technical Department, and supporting Save the Children UK’s Humanitarian Partnerships Platform – an incubator for humanitarian global good initiatives including the Start Network, Elrha and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy.  Before stepping up as Executive Director of Global Programmes,  Adam led SCUK’s Programme Partnerships Department where he was responsible for strengthening SCUK’s strategic partnerships and providing oversight and support to Save the Children UK’s international programmes portfolio.

Fundraising And Marketing

The Fundraising & Marketing division will be managed by the Fundraising & Marketing Senior Leadership Team on a rotating basis.

Please contact Sara Voice with any questions.

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