New roles will help us reach more donkeys

We are pleased to announce the appointment of two key new Executive Director roles that will help drive our new five-year organisational strategy, launched earlier this year.

Niall Duffy joins the organisation as Executive Director of Policy and Profile, and Cheryl Martin has been appointed Executive Director of People and Planning. The newly created roles will be crucial in shaping the charity’s mission to improve the lives of millions of donkeys.

Niall was appointed to his new role in August and brings with him a wealth of experience from a career spanning multiple industries and sector leaders, including the RSPCA, the Independent Press Standards Organisation, Nestlé UK Ltd, Qatar Airways, and local government.

Having previously served as Chair of Safe Haven for Donkeys, which works with donkeys and their owners in Israel and Palestine, Niall already has a keen awareness of the challenges facing donkeys and donkey-owning communities around the world.

Niall said: “To be joining the Donkey Sanctuary at this time, as the charity is embarking on its five-year global strategy, is really exciting, and a huge honour. I’m looking forward to working with the best equine welfare team in the business to make a lasting difference to the millions of donkeys globally that desperately need our help.”

Cheryl joined us in 2019 as Director of Brand and Communications. Her extensive background in marketing communications helped lead our strategic brand development. Cheryl also helped steer the organisation through the choppy waters that Covid-19 delivered.

Cheryl said: “Every day our people work hard to improve the lives of donkeys, wherever they are. Without them we couldn’t do what we do.

“After four years at The Donkey Sanctuary, it’s a privilege to be able to help shape and guide our next chapter together. It’s a big challenge but one supported by a compassionate, dedicated and incredibly talented group of people. Add our donkeys into the picture and that’s a huge motivator for any leadership team.”

Our CEO, Marianne Steele, said: “We’ve set ourselves a huge task - to improve the lives of five million donkeys over five years - and essential to this is a leadership team with the skills, experience and passion for animal welfare to make it happen. That’s why I am so delighted to have Cheryl and Niall in their new key roles.

“Their appointments will help put The Donkey Sanctuary in a strong position to fulfil our goals, as we strive toward a vision where every donkey has a good quality of life.”

This year, we launched our new five-year organisational strategy, embracing our founding values and setting out an ambitious plan that aims to improve the lives of five million donkeys worldwide.

This commitment to a single species is what sets us apart from other global animal charities and has allowed us to become a global leader in donkey welfare.