Jenny Willott OBE joined Re-engage at the start of January as our new chief executive officer (CEO). Jenny has previously worked in the charity sector as chief executive of Victim Support South Wales and as head of advocacy for UNICEF UK. She spent 10 years as a Liberal Democrat MP, serving in opposition and in government, and was awarded an OBE in 2018 in recognition of her political and public service.

Jenny has held other professional roles including non-executive director of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) and is currently the chair of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) consumer panel. Her most recent role was as director of enterprise and innovation at St Mary’s University in South London.

Jenny currently lives in London with her husband and sons. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, particularly murder mystery books, singing and playing the piano.

Jenny said: “I’m excited and pleased to join Re-engage; it’s such an optimistic organisation with a clear identity and a strong ethos and vision.

“I’m always in awe of people who volunteer. During my time at Victim Support, I saw how volunteers supported people at the very worst points in their lives. As a charity, we simply wouldn’t have been able to do what we did without this extraordinary group of people.

“I believe it’s important to recognise the power and strength of Re-engage volunteers, as you’re so well-informed about the needs and perspectives of the older people you support. It’s vital that the services we offer and the support we give are in line with what older people need and want, and you can help us do this.

“I’m looking forward to finding out from you what else you need to continue with your valuable volunteering. One of my main focuses will be on finding ways to grow the number of volunteers we have as well as the number of older people that we support, and part of that process is discovering what you feel we do well, and where we can learn to do things differently.

“Volunteers like you are often very well placed to encourage more people to begin their volunteering journey. You understand what’s involved, you have great community connections, and you are brilliant ambassadors.”

Jenny added: “It’s incumbent on volunteers, older people and everyone at Re-engage to ensure that older people’s voices are at the centre of decisions being made about the services available to them, whether that’s locally, regionally, or at a national level.

“I’m looking forward to helping develop our influence, using my background in politics, to further develop this work, and explore how we can continue to grow so we can reach even more older people living with loneliness, and make an even bigger difference.

“Thanks for everything you do to help end loneliness for older people; I’m very much looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible and being part of Re-engage's exciting journey of growth.”