Tamsyn Barton leaves Chief Executive role at Bond

After a year in the role, Tamsyn Barton has announced that she is standing down as CEO of Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development.

Tamsyn commented, “I am honoured to have worked with remarkable colleagues in the Bond team and across the network who are so committed to achieving the Global Goals we, together with like-minded networks, helped to get agreed, ensuring that we all ensure no one is left behind in global development.

My remit for the past year was to put Bond on the right road after a period of change, and I am proud that I leave the organisation in a position of strength – having overseen the start of investment in the digital transformation of its services, as well as improving its regional and international reach, and helping Bond secure long-term organisational funding.”

“The Board is grateful to Tamsyn for her work as Chief Executive of Bond, and her service and leadership of the cause of international development. We wish her every success in the future”, said Chair of Bond, Caroline Nursey. “Tamsyn joined Bond in February last year and has been particularly successful in enabling sector voice and advocacy with government.

This is a critical time for the sector and Bond has never been needed as much as now. The Bond Conference two weeks ago was a key moment for us to come together and reflect on what we need to do. Bond again played an important role in organising last week’s Safeguarding Summit on behalf of DFID. That identified some next steps, but there is much more that we need to do as a sector to challenge ourselves on use of power in our organisations and remind ourselves of the values that we espouse as organisations and individuals.”

Tamsyn Barton has been the Chief Executive of Bond since February 2017 and will step down on 25 April.

Plans for the transition process are underway, with the Board beginning the recruitment process for both an interim and a permanent appointment to succeed Tamsyn.

Notes to Editor

  1. Tamsyn Barton joined Bond as chief executive in February 2017. Tamsyn spent 13 years working for ODA/DFID, starting as a social development adviser, initially focusing on water and sanitation projects in India, and later on a variety of policy and management roles in London. Between her stints in India and London (1998-2001), she was head of technology at ITDG (later Practical Action). Tamsyn was also the lead drafter of DFID policy papers on infrastructure, trade and conflict prevention as well as working to draft the paper on DFID’s work with the EU. From 2007-2010 she was head of the EU Department, which became from 2008, the Europe Department as it took on the management of the UK bilateral aid programmes in the Western Balkans and Moldova. In 2010, Tamsyn moved to the European Investment Bank (EIB) as director-general, responsible for lending operations outside the EU and candidate countries, during which time she brought in a results framework and got the EIB signed up to the International Aid Transparency Initiative, both key demands of CONCORD and its members. From 2014-16, she represented the EIB on the Board of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.
  2. Bond is the UK network for organisations working in international development. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 450 civil society organisations and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice.
  3. For further information please contact Maryam Mohsin, [email protected] or 07555 336029