The Royal Society for Blind Children appoints new CEO
July 24, 2023
The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) announces the appointment of Julie Davis as CEO.
Julie will join RSBC, which supports blind and partially sighted children, young people and their families across England and Wales, on 17th October. She will succeed the Society’s current CEO, Sue Sharp, who is retiring.
Julie commented:
“I am delighted to be appointed as the new CEO of RSBC. It is such a privilege to lead a charity with such a treasured history and outstanding credentials. I am excited to be working with such a talented Council, staff team, volunteers and, of course, amazing children and young people and impatient to learn more about the organisation and its people.”
“I am extremely grateful to Sue, the CEO, for building such a dynamic and forward-thinking charity; I am so keen to join the team!”
Julie brings with her a wealth of skills and experience, and a track record of growth and development from several reputable charities and Government agencies working with children, young people and families. She is currently the CEO of Hope for Children, an international development children’s charity which under Julie’s leadership funded a school for blind children in Sri Lanka.
She also has personal experience of vision impairment following the extremely premature birth of her daughter who has severe retinopathy of prematurity. Julie has described what followed as “a turbulent journey of learning – navigating health, education along with social and emotional life needs” which she says has been “both challenging and joyful”. Julie wants her life experiences to positively contribute to the further development of RSBC as the national leader in all services for vision impaired children and young people.
Patrick Plant, Chair of RSBC, says:
“We are delighted to appoint Julie as the next CEO. We had a strong field of candidates and Julie demonstrated to us that she has the skills, commitment, and vision to be an exceptional leader of RSBC.”
“We are grateful to Sue for her contribution to the Society over the last 12 years, and for the last two as CEO. We wish her well in her retirement.”
“Julie follows in the steps of a strong line of CEOs and we are confident that she will forge her own path to ensuring that RSBC continues to flourish. Our key aims are to develop and grow the breadth and reach of our services and support many more blind and partially sighted children and young people over the coming years. We are excited for the future of the Society under her leadership.”
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