Philippa Charles Departure

After 16 years, it is with great sadness we announce that Philippa Charles will be leaving the Garfield Weston Foundation which has just passed the extraordinary landmark of over £100 million in donations in the year ended 5th April 2024.

Having achieved this milestone, now is an appropriate juncture for her to pass on the baton for the next phase of the Foundation’s development. Philippa has built the organisation that has reached this position, and the Trustees thank her for her outstanding contribution and wish her every success and happiness in the future.

Since 2008, when Philippa joined us from Associated British Foods, the Foundation has made over 30,000 individual grants and donations exceeding £1 billion. Under Philippa’s direction our profile has been raised very considerably and she has established important initiatives such as the annual Weston Charity Awards (in partnership with Pilotlight) and the Weston Loan Programme (in conjunction with Art Fund) as well as the Weston Culture Fund, a dedicated strategy to help cultural organisations emerge from the Pandemic.

In recognition of her achievements with the Foundation, and as a Trustee of other charities, Philippa was awarded an OBE for services to communities in 2022.

Philippa will finish formally at the beginning of July, and she is already in the process of stepping back and handing over to the excellent Foundation team, and a search for her successor has now begun. Our thanks again to Philippa for all she has done over the past 16 years.

Sir Guy Weston, Chairman