Education charity adopts co-leadership model as chief steps down

The international charity Stir Education has appointed two interim leaders after chief executive Girish Menon announced plans to step down.

Menon, who took up the role in January 2021 after five years leading ActionAid UK, is leaving in June to take a short break from the sector.

The charity has appointed Jenny Willmott, senior director of programme delivery, and John McIntosh, director of learning and impact, as interim co-chief executives.

Menon said it was the right time to step down and he was doing so to “make way for new leadership” within the organisation. 

“I have had a very enriching and amazing few years in this role, emerging from the Covid-19 lockdown and addressing some key challenges our government partners faced in supporting teachers and improving learning outcomes for children,” he said. 

“I have been deeply impressed with the ambition of the organisation and the commitment of its talented, creative and dedicated staff to work through various adversities and bring about change. It has been a tremendous learning experience for me.”

A spokesperson for the charity said Menon planned to take a short break from the sector and did not have another role lined up. 

Writing in a post on LinkedIn, Menon said: “As they say, ‘when one door closes, the other opens’. I am not yet sure what that door is or when it will open. That said, I will certainly be looking forward to taking a break.”

The decision to adopt a shared interim chief executive model stemmed from the board’s keenness to “try new and different ways of working”, the spokesperson for the charity said, adding that Stir Education was encouraged by the experience of co-leadership in other organisations. 

The spokesperson said: “We believe there is a lot we can learn from that approach. Jenny and John have amazing and complementary leadership skills, and we think that with their experience and expertise, they can bring some fresh perspectives to the leadership of the organisation.”

Willmott and McIntosh, who have both worked at Stir for more than five years, will be in post as co-interim chiefs for at least six months, at which point the board will review the right option for the charity going forward, the spokesperson said.