Transaid has welcomed three new Trustees onto its board of Directors, collectively bringing a wealth of experience in the transport and logistics industry. Their appointments follow a recruitment campaign which attracted a record level of applications to join the international development organisation in its 20th anniversary year.
Joan Aitken OBE, recently retired after 16 years as Traffic Commissioner for Scotland; Alan Hunt, Managing Director of Schmitz Cargobull UK and John Gurr, Sourcing Supply Director of Kingfisher Group have all joined the board taking the total number of Trustees to 15. They replace long-standing trustees who have stepped down due to natural rotation.
Commenting on her appointment, Joan Aitken, who has taken part in two Transaid cycling challenges, says: “Transaid has been of vital importance to me personally and professionally as it has allowed me to tilt my head in appreciation of the humanitarians within the industry who give their time, expertise and equipment to help others. I hope that my regulatory experience will be valuable in maintaining the high standards already in place at Transaid and providing support for the Chief Executive and her resourceful and imaginative team.”
Alan Hunt’s appointment follows just 18 months after his company became the first trailer manufacturer to pledge its corporate support for Transaid. He says: “Since I entered the industry in 2016 Transaid has captured my imagination and I knew very quickly this was an organisation I wanted to be closely involved with. It’s been a fantastic journey introducing Transaid within all levels of my business and I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to play an even closer role in guiding the future of our industry’s official charity.”
John Gurr brings extensive commercial, supply chain and logistics experience to Transaid after working for UK retail organisations for more than 30 years. He says: “Sourcing products worldwide has exposed me to organisations in developing countries where, despite sometimes a lack of resources or infrastructure, I have always been impressed with how people maintain a sense of optimism, positive energy and enthusiasm to overcome any difficulty. I was introduced to Transaid’s life-saving work through colleagues and I am very excited to be joining as a trustee.”
Their appointments follow those of Phidelia Mwaba, CEO at Hokma Management Consultants in Zambia, and Ishmael Muchemenyi, Head of Logistics for The Partnership for Supply Chain Management, based in Virginia, USA – who became trustees in 2018.
The board is led by Jo Godsmark, Chairperson of Transaid, supported by fellow trustees Bill Howie, Helen Varma, James Keeler, Jeff Turner, Maeve Magner, Paul Orne, Richard Cawston, Robert Goundry and Suzy Charman.