Tag Archives: Board of Trustees

The next Chair of the Board of Trustees, Blythe Masters

Post Syndicated from Philip Colligan, CBE original https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/the-next-chair-of-the-board-of-trustees-blythe-masters/

I am delighted to share the news that Blythe Masters has been appointed as the next Chair of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Blythe brings a wealth of experience to our governance at a time when our mission to enable all young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and AI has never felt more urgent.

Blythe Masters
Blythe Masters

Blythe is one of the most prominent figures in global financial services and fintech. A graduate and Senior Scholar of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, she spent nearly three decades at JPMorgan, rising to its Executive Committee and holding senior leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer of the Investment Bank and Head of Global Commodities. After leaving JPMorgan in 2014, Blythe served as CEO of Digital Asset and later became a Founding Partner at Motive Partners, the fintech-focused investment firm. Most recently, Blythe served as Group CEO of FNZ, the global wealth technology platform and Motive Partners portfolio company.

Blythe has extensive corporate governance experience, currently serving as the Chair of JPMorgan Securities plc and non-executive director on the board of SymphonyAI. She has previously served on numerous other boards including A.P. Moeller Maersk, Credit Suisse, Santander Consumer USA, Forge, and GCM Grosvenor.

Blythe also has significant experience in nonprofit governance, having served as the co-chair of the Global Fund for Women, vice chair of ID2020, chair of the NYC chapter of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, chair of the Hyperledger Foundation, and numerous other trustee roles.

Blythe takes over the Chair from Sir John Lazar who has led the Board of Trustees since 2020. Under Sir John’s leadership the Foundation has supported hundreds of thousands of educators and tens of millions of students all over the world to develop the skills, knowledge, and mindsets to shape their world through computing and AI.

Sir John Lazar
Sir John Lazar

We have achieved so much under his leadership and I have learned a huge amount from working with him. We are all profoundly grateful to Sir John for his contribution. 

Blythe will take up the role at the end of March 2027 and John will be staying on to manage the transition and handover. While it is hard to imagine a world where John isn’t our Chair, I am genuinely excited about the prospect of working with Blythe.

What is a Board of Trustees?

As a charity, the Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees that is responsible for ensuring we use our resources effectively to advance our charitable goals. We are fortunate to have an exceptionally strong and diverse group of Trustees who bring significant experience and expertise from a wide range of backgrounds. Trustees generally serve two three-year terms. Trustees are volunteers who provide their time and expertise to the Foundation for no remuneration. 

You can see the full list of Trustees and Members on our website.

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New Chair and Trustees of the Raspberry Pi Foundation

Post Syndicated from Philip Colligan original https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/new-chair-and-trustees-foundation/

I am delighted to share the news that we have appointed a new Chair and Trustees of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Between them, they bring an enormous range of experience and expertise to what is already a fantastic Board of Trustees, and I am really looking forward to working with them.

  • John Lazar
    John Lazar
  • Amali de Alwis
    Amali de Alwis
  • Charles Leadbeater
    Charles Leadbeater
  • Dan Labbad
    Dan Labbad

New Chair of the Board of Trustees: John Lazar 

John Lazar has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. John is a software engineer and business leader who is focused on combining technology and entrepreneurship to generate lasting positive impact.

Formerly the Chairman and CEO of Metaswitch Networks, John is now an angel investor, startup mentor, non-executive chairman and board director, including serving as the Chair of What3Words. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and played an active role in developing the programme of study for England’s school Computer Science curriculum. John has also spent many years working on tech-related non-profit initiatives in Africa and co-founded Enza Capital, which invests in early-stage African technology companies that solve pressing problems.

John takes over the Chair from David Cleevely, who has reached the end of his two three-year terms as Trustee and Chair of the Foundation. David has made a huge contribution to the Foundation over that time, and we are delighted that he will continue to be involved in our work as one of the founding members of the Supporters Club.

New Trustees: Amali de Alwis, Charles Leadbeater, Dan Labbad

Alongside John, we are welcoming three new Trustees to the Board of Trustees: 

  • Amali de Alwis is the UK Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups, and is the former CEO of Code First: Girls. She is also a Board member at Ada National College for Digital Skills, sits on the Diversity & Inclusion Board at the Institute of Coding, is an Advisory Board member at the Founders Academy, and was a founding member at Tech Talent Charter.
  • Charles Leadbeater is an independent author, a social entrepreneur, and a leading authority on innovation and creativity. He has advised companies, cities, and governments around the world on innovation strategy and has researched and written extensively on innovation in education. Charles is also a Trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
  • Dan Labbad is Chief Executive and Executive Member of the Board of The Crown Estate. He was previously at Lendlease, where he was Chief Executive Officer of Europe from 2009. Dan is also a Director of The Hornery Institute and Ark Schools.

New Member: Suranga Chandratillake 

I am also delighted to announce that we have appointed Suranga Chandratillake as a Member of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Suranga is a technologist, entrepreneur, and investor.

Suranga Chandratillake

He founded the intelligent search company blinkx and is now a General Partner at Balderton Capital. Suranga is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and he serves on the UK Government’s Council for Science and Technology.

What is a Board of Trustees anyway? 

As a charity, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees that is ultimately responsible for what we do and how we are run. It is the Trustees’ job to make sure that we are focused on our mission, which for us means helping more people learn about computing, computer science, and related subjects. The Trustees also have all the usual responsibilities of company directors, including making sure that we use our resources effectively. As Chief Executive, I am accountable to the Board of Trustees. 

We’ve always been fortunate to attract the most amazing people to serve as Trustees and, as volunteers, they are incredibly generous with their time, sharing their expertise and experience on a wide range of issues. They are an important part of the team. Trustees serve for up to two terms of three years so that we always have fresh views and experience to draw on.

How do you appoint Trustees? 

Appointments to the Board of Trustees follow open recruitment and selection processes that are overseen by the Foundation’s Nominations Committee, supported by independent external advisers. Our aim is to appoint Trustees who bring different backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experience, as well as a range of skills. As with all appointments, we consider diversity at every aspect of the recruitment and selection processes.

Formally, Trustees are elected by the Foundation’s Members at our Annual General Meeting. This year’s AGM took place last week on Zoom. Members are also volunteers, and they play an important role in holding the Board of Trustees to account, helping to shape our strategy, and acting as advocates for our mission.

You can see the full list of Trustees and Members on our website.

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