Save the Children UK has appointed former diplomat and senior civil servant Moazzam Malik as its next chief executive.

He is a former UK ambassador to Indonesia and has had stints as director general at both the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which it merged into.

While at the FCDO he led the UK’s embassy network and diplomatic engagement across Africa.

He joins Save the Children UK in January from global climate change and development organisation World Resources Institute, where he has been managing director for the last two years.

Malik is also chair of the Muslim Charities Forum, an honorary professor at University College, London, and an honorary fellow at Hertford College, Oxford.

He said: “I am thrilled to join Save the Children, a world class network leading the fight for children’s rights in the UK and around the world.

“Global challenges including climate change and conflict, inequality and poverty have left children and their families facing huge hurdles.

“I look forward to working closely with partners, communities and children themselves to improve prospects for the next generation.”

Save the Children UK’s previous permanent chief executive was Gwen Hines, who announced at the end of 2023 she was stepping down to lead conservation charity Plant Heritage.

The post has been held since February on an interim basis by the charity’s executive director of fundraising and marketing Gemma Sherrington.

“Moazzam’s wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable in our efforts to provide children with a healthy start in life, a safe education, protection from violence and resilience against climate shocks,” said Save the Children UK chair Tsitsi Chawatama-Kwambana.

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