Parkinson’s UK has unveiled its new senior leadership team after a reorganisation.
The medical research charity has hired Adrian Blair as director of people and culture and Ben Clarkson as chief finance and operating officer.
Blair joined in February from the top HR role at the learning disability charity Mencap, while Clarkson, who is chief operating officer at Asthma + Lung UK, will take up his new role on 1 July.
They replace Kerrie O’Connor, former director of people and operations, and Stephen Hooper, who was the charity’s director of finance and planning.
O’Connor and Hooper left the charity about a year ago when they were made redundant. Their restructured roles have been covered by interim appointments in the meantime.
The charity also said it has recruited David Newbold, former director of services and chief of staff at the RNIB, as director of community, as it completed its eight-strong executive leadership team.
In addition, Parkinson’s UK has welcomed Seána Talbot and Phil Ambler as country directors for Northern Ireland and England respectively.
Talbot, a former president of the National Childbirth Trust until she resigned in 2019 saying the charity was being taken in a direction she could not support, joins from the Royal Jubilee Maternity Service, while Ambler previously worked for the RNIB. Both will report to Newbold.
Caroline Rassell, chief executive of Parkinson’s UK, said: “We’re so pleased to welcome Adrian, David and Ben to our executive team, as well as Seána and Phil to our wider leadership team.
“Each of them brings a wealth of experience and I’m delighted that we’re continuing to attract such strong talent, all passionate about supporting our work.
“With these appointments, we are now well-placed as an executive leadership team to continue progressing the ambitious objectives we’ve set in our strategy for those affected by Parkinson’s.”