Animal welfare charity Battersea has appointed Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) programme director Amy Jankiewicz as its director of operations.

Jankiewicz, who is a former British Army officer, starts at Battersea in November, after having spent much of a her time at DEFRA in the animal health and welfare policy directorate.

She is also a former senior executive at Guide Dogs and is a trustee of North London based animal welfare charity Mayhew.

In addition, she is due to become a trustee of equine charity Brooke.

"By using my varied career strands, I hope to add much value in helping support today’s pets in need through the intake, care and rehoming of dogs and cats,” said Jankiewicz.

Battersea chief executive Peter Laurie added: “Amy has a genuine passion and commitment to animal welfare, and she brings a really strong and exciting blend of leadership skills and operational experience across a range of organisations.

“This is an extremely important role for Battersea at a key point in our long history. As we build back following Covid we will continue to optimise the vital work carried out at our three centres and in our communities, remain committed to supporting and developing our brilliant operations teams, and also identify and exploit new opportunities to expand our impact and help more dogs and cats.”

Meanwhile, Battersea has made interim director of fundraising Julian Holmes-Taylor a permanent recruit, taking on the new role of director of income generation.

He is a former assistant director of income generation at the RSPCA.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we will need to embrace innovation and new opportunities as well as navigate uncertainty, ensuring that our income enables our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters to create a brighter and sustained future for every dog and cat,” said Holmes-Taylor.

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