New trustees join IWA Board
THE Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has seen two new trustees, Rebecca Hughes and Hannah Sterritt, join its board following formal approval at the AGM last month.
IWA has been undergoing a review since its new chief executive Phil Hornsey took the helm earlier this year. The charity has been looking to improve the diversity of its board of trustees, increasing the skills and experience that the trustees bring to the table and gaining different viewpoints on its issues and campaigns.
Commenting on the appointments, national chairman Paul Rodgers said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome both Rebecca and Hannah to the board. They both bring a great deal of skill and experience with them, but more than that, they bring a different perspective.
“We very much hope that with their help and our new direction, we will be able to appeal to a much wider audience and encourage the next generation of waterways supporters to join IWA.”
In addition to these appointments, two further positions were filled by existing trustees, John Butler and Sir Robert Atkins. All four trustees will now serve a three-year term.
Hannah Sterritt is a liveaboard boater and volunteer lock keeper based on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in South Wales. She will soon complete an MSc in Sustainability Planning and Environmental Policy at Cardiff University. Her final dissertation focuses on the liveaboard boating community on the UK’s inland waterways.
Hannah currently works for
Miller Research, a sustainability and social research consultancy that primarily operates in the public sector. She has previously held a trustee position for Cardiff University Students’ Union.
Rebecca Hughes is a marketing, communications and fundraising professional with experience working for organisations in both the not-for-profit and commercial sectors. She currently leads on individual giving, campaigns, and commercial partnerships for the wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation. Rebecca is a keen paddleboarder and writes about the sport for several publications including SUP International. She became involved with cleaning up rivers through Plastic Patrol (now known as Planet Patrol) in 2018 and has a keen interest in the protection of waterways.