FPI to get new Chief Executive

Family and Parenting Institute

Dr Katherine Rake will take over from Mary MacLeod as Chief Executive of the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI) this autumn.

Katherine, who is currently Director of the Fawcett Society, will be the new Chief Executive as Mary leaves after 10 years at the helm of the charity.

Dr Katherine Rake said: "I am delighted to have been offered this opportunity. The changing economic and political environment makes this a critical time for families and for family and parenting policy. I am very much looking forward to leading FPI through these challenges and to building on Mary's excellent work by taking the organisation to the next stage in its development."

Before joining the Fawcett Society in 2002, Katherine was a Lecturer in Social Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE). She has worked to influence change and public debate nationally and to inform policymaking right across government. In 2008 Katherine was awarded an OBE for services to equal opportunities.

Mary MacLeod said: "I have loved my role as Chief Executive of the Family and Parenting Institute and am so proud of all that the organisation has achieved in the past 10 years. I've had the privilege of leading a great team whose hard work and dedication has meant that we have been able to champion the needs of parents to practitioners and government.

"I am so very pleased that Dr Katherine Rake will be the new Chief Executive of the Family and Parenting Institute. She will do a great job of speaking up for families and getting parents' views heard by policymakers and I wish her every success."

Mary was the founding Chief Executive of the charity which was set up in 1999 and this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. As well as being the Chief Executive of the Family and Parenting Institute Mary sits on a number of boards and executive bodies. Mary plans to continue this work after she leaves FPI.

Fiona Millar, Chair of the Family and Parenting Institute said: "We are delighted to welcome Katherine to the Family and Parenting Institute. She has a strong track record in research, policy and campaigning and will be a great asset to the organisation at a time when the recession is putting extra pressure on families up and down the country.

"We are determined that the voices of families continue to be heard at the heart of policymaking and believe that Katherine is the right person to take FPI forward and build on the excellent work we have done over the last ten years."

Katherine will start at the Family and Parenting Institute in the autumn. An exact date is still to be confirmed.

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For more information
Please contact Emma Brennan is the press office of the Family and Parenting Institute on 020 7424 3477.

Notes to editors
The Family and Parenting Institute is a charity which researches what matters to families and parents. We use our knowledge to influence policymakers and foster public debate. We develop ideas to improve the services families use and the environment in which children grow up.

May 2009