Carers Trust appoints Kirsty McHugh as its new CEO

Carers Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of Kirsty McHugh as its new CEO.

She will take up the role on 21 February 2022.

Kirsty brings exceptional expertise to the role, gained from 11 years’ experience as CEO of two high-profile not-for-profits. She has a particular specialism in leading membership bodies and federated organisations.

More broadly, her career spans both public affairs and delivery where she has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the life opportunities of those from disadvantaged communities.

Kirsty is currently the Chief Executive of the Mayor’s Fund for London, a charity supporting 40,000 young Londoners from low-income backgrounds. She successfully steered the charity through the Covid-19 crisis, while overseeing a 50% increase in its income. Before that she led the Employment Related Services Association, the membership body for the employment support sector, where she developed deep experience in government commissioning and policy areas such as disability, welfare reform and youth employment.

In addition, Kirsty has served as a director at Business in the Community, where she led community programmes across England and Wales. She is a non executive director of Gateway Housing Association in East London and has served as a panel member for the National Lottery’s Building Better Opportunities Fund.

Just as important as her professional experience, Kirsty has first-hand experience of what it means to be an unpaid carer. She has cared for a close family member approaching end of life, and for another with a long-term disability.

Looking forward to taking up the leadership of Carers Trust, Kirsty said:

“I am only too aware from my own personal experience just how undervalued unpaid carers are, and how difficult life is for them as a result. So, I am thrilled to have been entrusted with the opportunity to work with the team at Carers Trust, its network of local partners and unpaid carers themselves to change that.

“I am particularly excited by the prospect of working to keep Carers Trust at the forefront of securing change for the UK’s unpaid carers, whether through achieving policy change at the national level, helping to improve service delivery more locally or by working with employers and schools to increase understanding of unpaid carers and their caring responsibilities away from the workplace and classroom.”

And welcoming Kirsty’s appointment, the Chair of Carers Trust’s Board of Trustees, John McLean OBE, said:

“I am thrilled that we’ve been able to attract someone of Kirsty’s calibre and reputation to take up the leadership of Carers Trust at such a pivotal time for social care and unpaid carers.

“Throughout the recruitment process, Kirsty’s deep commitment to securing positive change for the disadvantaged shone through, as did her extensive experience of actually delivering change.

“On behalf of my fellow trustees and colleagues, I very much look forward to welcoming Kirsty to Carers Trust, and to working with her to achieve positive change for millions of unpaid carers across the UK.”