Resurgo is pleased to announce that Iona Ledwidge MCC has been appointed as new CEO, and Revd Tom Jackson MBE as new Chair of the Board. Both will take up their appointments from January 2024. This follows on from current CEO Jo Rice’s announcement that she will be moving on at the end of the year after 20 years at the charity, and current Chair of the Board, Nigel Mapp, stepping down after 14 years.
Iona Ledwidge is the current Executive Director of Social Change at Resurgo and an International Coach Federation-accredited coach at Master Coach (MCC) level, having trained with the Academy of Executive Coaching. She has extensive experience coaching young people facing barriers to employment, as well as engaging leaders from the business world in adopting a coaching approach in their leadership style.
Tom Jackson co-founded Resurgo with Jo Rice 20 years ago, and is currently CEO of Love Your Neighbour, a national alliance of church-based social transformation hubs working in local communities alongside people of all faiths and none to support individuals and families in need. Tom received an MBE for services to young people and the community in 2018.
Iona Ledwidge said, “I’m absolutely delighted to be stepping into the role of CEO at Resurgo. I am hugely passionate about our mission to bring about ambitious and sustainable social change and it is a privilege to build on the work of the last 20 years as we continue to grow nationally, taking the Spear Programme to more towns and cities to equip young people to enter the jobs market, and expand our work with organisations through coaching and impact consultancy.”
Tom Jackson said, “Having had the privilege of being a part of Resurgo since its inception, I remain more excited and envisioned for what is to come than ever. Our proven programmes remain compellingly relevant and effective in the face of the social challenges confronting us, and under Iona’s leadership we have a very strong platform on which to build and multiply Resurgo’s impact across the United Kingdom.”
Nigel Mapp, Chair of the Board said, “Having worked with both Iona and Tom for a number of years, I am extremely confident that Resurgo is in the very best of hands as Jo and I both step down at the end of the year. Tom and Iona are both established leaders, with many strong and complementary qualities, and I know that the Board are looking forward to supporting them in their new roles.”