Local HIV charity The Sussex Beacon recruits an Executive Director, Bill Puddicombe, to take the charity forward in 2018.
Mr Puddicombe has a wealth of experience in the voluntary sector and a track record of securing the future of small and medium-sized charities.
He will be joining The Sussex Beacon at the beginning of January.
Earlier this year, funding cuts put services at The Sussex Beacon at risk, but local support, grants secured from non-statutory funding bodies and an restructure of the organisation put the charity in a better financial position.
The Executive Director will be working with staff and Trustees in the year ahead to guide the charity through a period of transition to make it more financially robust.
Lynette Lowndes, Chair of Trustees at The Sussex Beacon, said: “Firstly, I want to thank our staff and volunteers for their professionalism over the last year, it’s been a difficult time but they have continued to offer first class services to our clients.
She continued: “We’re delighted to have recruited Bill. He has all the skills and experience to guide The Sussex Beacon as we develop and implement a new strategy. The outpouring of support we had when services were under threat shows how valued our services are. We now need to make the charity more financially stable, so we can continue to provide that vital support for people living with HIV.”
Mr Puddicombe, said: “The Sussex Beacon is an amazing charity, doing invaluable work locally. I am looking forward to joining the team and working with staff to guide the charity in the coming year.”
Mr Puddicombe has worked in the voluntary sector since 1980 and has held Chief Executive roles at organisations dealing with drug/alcohol dependency, homelessness and mental ill-health. He has helped to grow organisations and has worked to improve the financial outlook for charities under threat. He takes over from the previous Chief Executive, Simon Dowe, who was with the Sussex Beacon for five and a half years.
The Sussex Beacon provides specialist support and care for people living with HIV through both inpatient and outpatient services. It helps hundreds of people living with HIV in Sussex each year and was rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission last September.
For further information about The Sussex Beacon view: www.sussexbeacon.org.uk