Gaby Sumner appointed new Interim Chief Executive

Our former Chief Executive Rae Tooth has left Villiers Park after four years at the helm. Rae joined the charity in 2018 and oversaw the development of a new organisational strategy and the establishment of our flagship Future Leaders programme. Rae is a passionate advocate for widening participation, and her contribution to making education fairer will no doubt continue in the years to come.

Gaby Sumner joined Villiers Park in March as Director of Fundraising, bringing over a decade’s worth of experience in senior leadership from roles across the public, private and third sectors. Following Rae’s departure, she has agreed to lead Villiers Park whilst our Board recruits a permanent Chief Executive.

Commenting on the change in leadership, Adrian Ball, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, said: 

“I want to put on record my thanks to Rae for all she has achieved at Villiers Park. Our work to empower young people to succeed has never been more important, and as an ambitious charity with plans to deepen our impact and expand our programmes I’m delighted that Gaby Sumner will take over as Interim Chief Executive.”

Gaby added:

“I’m thrilled to be taking up the role and working with the brilliant team at Villiers Park to deliver change and make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people. Our focus remains on delivering high-quality programmes like Future Leaders and working closely with our partners to ensure all young people have the opportunities they need to succeed.”

Prior to joining Villiers Park, Gaby held a number of senior posts, most recently at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where she was Campaign Director for Cambridge Children’s Hospital. Gaby is also a Trustee of Cambridge Junction and Synergy Theatre Project.

We'll be reporting more exciting changes in the Villiers Park team soon.