Welcoming Peter Sargent, our new Interim CEO

As our long-time CEO, Helen McEachern, prepares to leave for her new role at CARE International UK, we have welcomed an Interim CEO, Peter Sargent, to lead the Foundation while we recruit for the permanent position. Peter brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise, and a dedication to women’s rights. Here, he shares about his background and what he hopes to accomplish at the Foundation over the coming few months. 

“It’s a pleasure to join the Foundation as Interim CEO. This has been my first week in the role and I have already been busy working with our team to drive forward our new Ready for Business strategy. This work will see us reaching one million women by scaling our services and revolutionising business environments. 

When I first saw the role of Interim CEO advertised, I was excited to work with a high profile and award winning organisation that focusses on women’s economic justice. I’ve seen first-hand, through living and working in a range of countries, that when women entrepreneurs thrive, families and whole communities benefit. 

I believe that it’s very important for men in leadership roles to be proud, visible feminists. For me being a male feminist means recognising challenges women have to deal with, refusing to accept them as the status quo and advocating for equity. I’d like to be able to contribute to changing sexist attitudes, behaviour and language that are all too prevalent in wider society. In this interim role, I’m keen to play a part in supporting the Foundation to eliminate these barriers and to provide enablers for women entrepreneurs to start and grow successful businesses. 

I am an organisational development consultant and Interim NGO director. Prior to joining the Foundation, I was Interim Director with INTRAC and Well Grounded. Much of my experience in international development has been as a member of senior leadership teams at INGOs working in partnership with grass roots organisations to implement sustainable development programmes, by harnessing both grant funding and enterprise models. I have lived in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, and have worked extensively across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. 

On a personal note, I now live with my wife and 3 children in South Wales and split my time between London and Cardiff – the perfect location for pursuing my hobby of long-distance cycling through the Welsh countryside. 

This is an exciting transitional period for the Foundation. I’m very keen to draw on my background in international development and organisational leadership, and my personal commitment to feminist principles to support this brilliant organisation throughout.  

I look forward to what our team, partners, and the women we work with will accomplish working together towards our shared goal of supporting women entrepreneurs to flourish.”