Tony Burton joins Power to Change’s board of trustees as Chair and will take up the new role from January 2023. Stephen Howard, who has served as Chair since 2016, will step down this month having completed two full terms.
A long-standing champion of communities and placemaking, Tony has worked in leadership roles in influential organisations including the National Trust, CPRE and the Design Council. His non-executive roles include The National Lottery Community Fund, Friends of the Earth, CPRE London, TCV, mySociety and Greenspace Information for Greater London.
As founder of Civic Voice in 2010, he re-established a source of support for hundreds of local civic societies that champion their own place and was awarded a CBE for this work. More recently he chaired The National Lottery Community Fund during the Covid pandemic.
Tony joins a refreshed and diverse Power to Change board, with new experience from finance, marketing, and human resources, including three new trustees from community businesses. All share a common determination to strengthen communities through growing, nurturing, and diversifying community businesses.
Tim Davies-Pugh, CEO of Power to Change, said: “Tony Burton’s commitment and enthusiasm for Power to Change and community businesses makes him a great choice to take over as Chair of the Board. He has admired the organisation, its impact, and the high calibre of its people since its inception. Tony will use his leadership, income generation, policy and community movement building knowledge and experience to support our next chapter.
“I’d like to thank Stephen Howard for his service as Chair. His experience of both the corporate and voluntary sectors has been invaluable in helping Power to Change to raise the profile of community business and achieve our vision of ‘powerful communities, better places’.”
Stephen Howard, outgoing Chair of the Board, said: “I am delighted to welcome Tony to Power to Change and the community business movement. We know community business strengthens local communities. The incredible team at Power to Change use their experience to bring partners together to fund, grow and back community business to make places thrive. I wish them every success in the next stage of their journey. “
Tony Burton said: “Power to Change has not just supported and championed community business, it has defined its significance and given community business an identity, confidence and profile that makes it an unavoidable part of any sensible conversation about the future of neighbourhoods, high streets and local economies.
“I relish the opportunity to play my part in the next chapter of Power to Change and all it represents that’s good about the spirit, dynamism, diversity and resilience of local communities and places.”