The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) has appointed Katie Roberts as its interim chief executive.

Roberts is a former senior staffer at Christian Aid between 2014 and 2022 including roles as its head of strategy and development, overseeing the creation of its global policy, public affairs and campaigns department and heading teams in the south of England.

She is also a former projects director at Trees for Cities and for the last three years has been a leadership, strategy and organisational development consultant.

“I am really excited to be joining the SMK team and to have the chance to work alongside and support so many inspiring and courageous people committed to the common good,” said Roberts.

“To even hope for a change can, feel like an act of resistance in light of current headlines. I am proud to be part of an organisation that still believes and invests in the individual and collective agency within our communities for lasting change.”

The charity’s chair Pete Moorey added: “Katie brings a passion for social change and the power of grassroots campaigning matched with great experience of supporting charities big and small to make change happen.

“We’re delighted to welcome her to the team at this important moment when civil society in the UK needs as much support as possible to be effective changemakers.”

She replaces Sue Tibballs who stepped down at the end of January after nine years leading the campaigning rights charity.

In 2023 SMK became embroiled in controversy amid claims of ‘power hoarding’.

A freelancer accused the charity of failing to share power whilst working on the organisation’s official Power Sharing Project.

The alleged issues included concerns about authorship, skills audits on those with lived experience and a ‘shut down’ by board members when issues were raised, reported Charity Times at the time.

This prompted trustee Bushra Ahmed, to resign saying she “no longer (had) faith in the Power Project, SMK or the SMK Board”.

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