New era at Royal Voluntary Service as it welcomes new Trustees
Momentum continues to build at Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) as the charity announces a raft of new trustees.
Following the recent introduction of the charity’s GoVo volunteering platform and GoVo for Business offer, the trustees are joining RVS at an exciting moment in its history.
The trustees coming on board to support the organisation to achieve its strategic vision to remove barriers and open up volunteering for all are, Robin Mills, John O’Brien MBE, Lynne Peabody, Joe Seddon and Brigid Sutcliffe.
RVS has also set up an inaugural Next Gen Board, a space for under-30s, to provide insight, challenge and connectivity to younger generations of volunteers. Juhie Radia has been appointed as its Chair with recruitment to the wider membership underway. In addition, Juhie will be a co-opted member of the Board.
The new trustees are welcomed as Justin Davis-Smith CBE, Margaret Moore OBE, Matt Moorut and Richard Williams come to the end of their terms, for which the charity’s Board and executive leadership are hugely grateful. During their terms, RVS not only navigated the pandemic but made a vital contribution to supporting communities across Britain as well as undergoing a tech transformation including most notably the launch of GoVo and GoVo for Business.
Chief Executive of Compass Group UK & Ireland, Robin Mills, has led the UK’s largest food and support services company since 2019. Robin champions a people-first culture and launched a social mobility strategy to support over 1million people by 2030 through jobs, education, training, volunteering, as well as community and charitable partnerships.
"Having worked with Royal Voluntary Service in a professional capacity, I know the impact volunteering has on social mobility, which is a passion of mine. I am looking forward to sharing my time with the charity as a Trustee and supporting the organisation to achieve its ambitious goals."
John O’Brien MBE is the founder of Anthropy, the UK’s largest leadership gathering focused on the future of Britain, and an advocate for responsible business, focused on purpose-led performance and leadership in a changing world. John formerly held an executive leadership role as EMEA Managing Partner of an agency group at Omnicom.
"I’m pleased to be joining Royal Voluntary Service as a Trustee following working closely with the charity for Anthropy in recent years, where the team’s vision for volunteering as a tool to inspire a better Britain has resonated with me greatly."
Lynne Peabody is Chief Executive Officer of EY Foundation, the social mobility charity on a mission to ensure all young people have equal access to employment and earnings. A pioneer of the Next Gen Boards.
"In my own work I am passionate about the potential of cross-sector partnerships in driving social change and supporting young people, a passion I know I share with Royal Voluntary Service leadership. I’m also a huge advocate for volunteering to support social mobility, so this position is a wonderful opportunity for me."
Juhie Radia is an analytics leader and youth advocate, she was recognised as one of the Top 20 Women in Data and Tech in 2025.
"To break down barriers for younger generations, you need to listen to younger generations, so I’m eager to facilitate these conversations so that more people can access the host of benefits that volunteering offers."
Joe Seddon is Founder and CEO of Zero Gravity, a technology platform that finds the young people the system misses and provides them with the support and tools they need to get ahead in education and work.
"There is great synergy in Royal Voluntary Service’s goal of breaking barriers, and my own work. As someone who falls into the under-30 age camp, I’m excited supporting an organisation committed to making volunteering the norm for younger people so they can reap the rewards."
Brigid Sutcliffe is an experienced non-executive director across listed, private, public and third sector organisations in a range of industries, she is also a Trustee of Muscular Dystrophy UK.
"This is a very exciting time to be joining Royal Voluntary Service, and I look forward to being a part of its exciting ambitions, both for the charity itself and for volunteering more broadly, in the coming years."
"Throughout its history RVS has transformed itself to meet the needs of Britain. The contribution of Justin, Margaret, Matt and Richard and their generosity and wisdom has been outstanding and played a key role in positioning RVS for the next phase of our development. We're all really looking forward to working with our new trustees to continue that spirit and to achieving even greater impact."
Chair of Trustees, Patrick Dunne OBE
"I am delighted to welcome so many incredibly talented individuals to the Royal Voluntary Service team. Each person brings a wealth of knowledge and unique experiences to the charity, but all share ambitions and values that are at the heart of what RVS wants to achieve, and all recognise the power of volunteering to change lives. I am sad to see some of my longstanding colleagues depart but excited about welcoming the new Trustees who will bring fresh ideas and energy to the organisation."
Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service
