Member Article

New Chair appointed by Community Foundation

As Heart of England Community Foundation celebrates its biggest grant-giving year yet, it announces the recent appointment of its brand-new Chair, Chris West. Following his previous position as Vice-Chair, Chris will be taking on the role after Phil Ewing’s departure last month.

In his new role as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chris will oversee the work of the Foundation and pave the way for the charity’s brand-new vision, mission, and values. As we continue to transition into life after the pandemic, Chris will lead the Foundation and its team, to continue to help local charities and organisations across the West Midlands and Warwickshire.

The Foundation’s previous chair, Phil Ewing, ends his four-year tenure during a monumental year for the charity. Following its unwavering support and commitment to the region during the COVID-19 pandemic the Foundation has awarded over £5M since March 2020, supporting over 1.2M people within the region.

Phil Ewing, Trustee and previous Chair at Heart of England Community Foundation, comments:

“I have had a wonderful four years as Chair at Heart of England, and though I am sad to see it end, I look forward to seeing what’s in store for the charity with Chris leading the way. When I first took on my role as Chair, a few of my key goals were to increase funds, increase the grants available, and ultimately increase the people we support, and it’s wonderful to see that in my final year, we were able to support over 1.2M in our local communities. I wish Chris the best of luck in his new role, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for the Foundation.”

During his time as Chair, Phil spearheaded a range of projects including Building Better Opportunities: a project that helped to tackle unemployment in the Black Country; and Building Better Lives, a £3.2M project that is currently helping to house people across the West Midlands.

Together with his goals for supporting communities transitioning beyond the pandemic, during his time as Chair, Chris hopes to diversify the Foundation’s grants, ensuring that they reach minority groups in need of support across the region.

Chris West, newly appointed Chair at Heart of England Community Foundation, said:

“It’s been an honour to work alongside Phil for the last four years, and the entire Board joins me in thanking him for his enormous contribution to the Foundation during his time as Chair. Though Phil will be sorely missed by all, I am pleased to be following in his footsteps as the brand-new Chair and cannot wait to get started in my new role.

“I’ve sat on the board at the Foundation for the last four and a half years, and now it’s an absolute honour to be taking on this role. During my time at Heart of England, I have been witness to many amazing projects, and cannot wait to continue to help lead the way and develop the Foundation further in the next few years.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jodie .