INTRAC is delighted to announce that Dr Kate Newman has been appointed as our next permanent Chief Executive. Kate will begin in her new role in April. Until then, Peter Sargent will continue as our interim Chief Executive.
INTRAC’s mission is to influence positive social change by strengthening civil society organisations, helping them develop, engage with others, and do what they do better. Kate joins us at a key moment for INTRAC as we continue to mark our 30th anniversary. It is also a time of great change and uncertainty for civil society. With a new Chief Executive, INTRAC will continue to adapt in order to best support civil society organisations in the global South to navigate the challenges and opportunities they face.
Yvonne Taylor, the Chair of INTRAC’s Board of Trustees, said of the appointment: “The Board are excited to have Kate join us in April 2022. She will bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience that will strengthen the organisation as we continue to develop our role within the changing environment of the civil society sector.”
Kate has worked in the international development sector for over 25 years. She joined Christian Aid in 2013 and has held a number of senior leadership roles. Most recently, she has served as the Head of the Programme Policy, Research and Learning Division. In this role she led Christian Aid’s thinking on decolonisation, and around partnership models which enable complementary and supportive roles between global and national civil society actors. Previously, Kate has worked in community development in Mexico, on a participatory adult learning and social change programme hosted by ActionAid, as an academic, and as a consultant.
“I am really looking forward to joining INTRAC”, Kate says of the appointment. “It is an organisation I have admired, and collaborated with in different ways, for many years. I’m particularly excited about the role INTRAC can play as a learning partner for global civil society. I look forward to helping to encourage and support civil society actors on their own journeys to become as effective as possible in implementing their visions, and working together to shift power and challenge injustice. I’m excited to begin collaborating with INTRAC staff and its network of consultants to build on our strengths, be creative and inspiring together, and work with others across the wider sector to deliver change.”
Kate will be joined in the Senior Management Team by Paul Knipe, who joins INTRAC this week as our new Director of Consultancy, Impact, and Influence. Kate and Paul will be engaging with existing and prospective colleagues and partners of INTRAC.
INTRAC’s current interim Chief Executive Peter Sargent said of Kate’s appointment, “I’m delighted that Kate will be taking over as Chief Executive at INTRAC to build on our strong reputation for high quality research, consultancy and training services in evaluation, learning and organisational development. She brings a wealth of skills and practical experience to drive forward our strategy to support civil society development, using evidence to strengthen policy and practice and achieve positive change.”