Announcing the appointment of a new Executive Director
Catherine Anderson has been appointed as Executive Director of The London Marathon Charitable Trust (now the London Marathon Foundation) and will take up her new role in April 2021.
The appointment follows Sarah Ridley’s decision to step down after nearly seven years’ service as Chief Grants Officer for the charity.
Ridley will be returning to her role as a consultant providing governance, strategic and operational advice to trusts and foundations, philanthropists and frontline charities to enhance their effectiveness. This will enable her to devote more time to her role as a carer. She will also continue her work as a Trustee of Carers Worldwide, the only organisation focussing exclusively on advocacy and support for unpaid care givers in the global south.
Sarah Ridley said: “The London Marathon Charitable Trust has grown tremendously during my tenure and distributed more than half of the £93m awarded across its 40-year history. Governance, strategic and staffing changes have transformed our grantmaking enabling us to support local and national projects of strategic significance. It has been a privilege working with amazing individuals and organisations who are delivering opportunities for everyone to reap the benefits of physical activity. I know Catherine shares The Trust’s commitment to inspiring activity and that she will take the organisation from strength to strength.”
Anderson is currently the CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, the charity that works locally to build stronger communities, nationally to create a better public life and internationally on women’s empowerment and the prevention of identity-based violence. Previously she was Chief of Staff to former UK Secretary of State for International Development Rory Stewart for eight years. She is a founding director of 50:50 Parliament and the founder of The Angus McDonald Trust, a health and welfare charity working in Myanmar, for which she was awarded a Point of Light in 2018.
Catherine Anderson said: “I am honoured and excited in equal measure to be joining The London Marathon Charitable Trust, and the London Marathon family, at this time. It’s a privilege to continue the deeply impactful work that the Trustees, Sarah and the brilliant team have delivered so far - inspiring activity for all, and dismantling the barriers to participation in physical activity right across the country - and I am looking forward to creating even more opportunities to inspire activity as we enter the 40th anniversary year.”
Sir Rodney Walker, Chair of The London Marathon Charitable Trust (now the London Marathon Foundation), said: “The Trustees would like to thank Sarah for her dedicated work and for all that she has done to make our charity what it is today. We look forward to welcoming Catherine to in April and continuing our work to support organisations and communities to enable more people across the UK to become and remain active.”
Note: Updated in March 2023 with references to the London Marathon Foundation’s new name.