Our New Chair of Trustees

29 March 2023

We are delighted to announce that Sarah Atkinson has been appointed as our new Chair of Trustees, with immediate effect.

Said Roger Smee, MBE, and long-standing President of Berkshire Youth: “Sarah, who joined our board in 2019, brings a wealth of experience to the charity through her 20+ years in industry and non-executive board roles. Her appointment comes at a critical point in the charity’s history, when raising the visibility of Berkshire Youth and fundraising have never been more important to secure the long term support for young people that they deserve.”

Currently, Sarah is the Global Director of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at Micro Focus (now OpenText) based in Newbury, where she leads the company’s social impact programme. In addition, she is a board director at the Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and a member of the Skills Advisory Panel, as well as the lead for Diversity & Inclusion for Berkshire. Sarah previously served on the board at techUK and worked closely with government and other non-government organisations (NGOs) on a variety of initiatives to inspire young people about the world of work.

Sarah commented: “I look forward to building upon all the great work that our President & Trustee Roger Smee, MBE, the board of trustees and, of course, the team, led by Sarah Emery, CEO, have done. I am passionate about inclusion and ensuring all young people get the opportunities and the support they need to successfully navigate adolescence, when many are facing mental health issues, especially post COVID.”

Berkshire Youth Chief Executive, Sarah Emery, added: “We are thrilled that Sarah has agreed to become our new Chair of Trustees. This is a very exciting time for Berkshire Youth and I am in no doubt that Sarah’s expertise will help us to continue to develop our organisation over the next few years ensuring we progress our offer to young people and communities across Berkshire.”