The Vegan Society has announced the appointment of Steve Hamon as the charity’s Chief Executive Officer. Hamon will take up the post on 1 July.
Appointed by The Vegan Society’s Council of Trustees, Hamon is replacing George Gill, who has been acting as Interim CEO since January, while the recruitment process for a new CEO was completed, and who will remain in this role until the end of June.
Prior to joining The Vegan Society in 2020 as Head of Business Development and then Head of Commercial Services, Hamon, who hails from Guernsey and trained as an engineer in the Royal Air Force, spent 20 years in senior positions in the Testing Inspection & Certification (TIC) Industry, including BSI and Intertek PLC.
During his time at the society, Hamon has helped secure over 12 new partnership deals, overseen the society reaching the Vegan Trademark registration of its 60,000th product, managed the appointment of VEG 1, the society’s vegan supplement, as an official sponsor of Forest Green Rovers Football Club and allowed the charity to enjoy a strong financial footing year-on-year.
Congratulating Hamon on his new role, The Vegan Society’s Chair of Council Stephen Walsh, said: “This is an incredibly important and exciting time for The Vegan Society as we continue to grow rapidly. Steve brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills to the role. We are delighted that Steve will be taking on this new role and are looking forward to working together as we take the charity from strength to strength.”
Walsh continued: “I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Louise Davies and George Gill for their valuable contributions as interim CEOs. We wish them every success for the future. We were pleased to learn that George has recently been appointed as a Trustee of FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments) and is open to becoming a Trustee of The Vegan Society after an appropriate gap.”
Reacting to his appointment, The Vegan Society’s new CEO, Steve Hamon, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my current role and I will work closely with the Senior Management Team to ensure as smooth a transition as possible into the position of CEO over the next few months. The Vegan Society has faced a number of challenges in recent years. Tangible progress has been made, and there is a firm commitment from the Trustees to fully implement and embed all of the necessary improvements. This is an exciting time for veganism and I look forward to making further progress for its advancement together with all of those who work with and support The Vegan Society.”
The Vegan Society’s Council of Trustees has taken or plans the following action:
- EDI: Diverse Matters Limited undertook a diversity and inclusion audit during 2021 and HR policies are being updated based upon the audit report; trustees and staff have received EDI training; approval of an EDI strategy for the society is expected by the end of the year.
- Council has also appointed a trustee EDI Champion to support other trustees in ensuring that equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in Council's decision-making.
- Governance review: Additional trustees have been co-opted with relevant experience allowing the formation of a strong governance working group involving trustees and senior managers; and the society is currently receiving expert advice from the Centre for Charity Effectiveness.
- Strengthened policies: a new complaints policy and procedure and a new social media policy for trustees are already in place.
It is expected that all recommendations will have been addressed by the end of the year. Some changes rest with the society’s many members. Relevant proposals will be considered by our AGM, for example to introduce restrictions on the length of time that individuals can serve as trustees.
