RETRAK Announces a Change of CEO

After 12 years of extraordinary work of leading The Tigers Club Project and then the wider organisation of RETRAK, Andy Williams feels that it is the right time to step down from operational leadership as CEO and move from Nairobi to the UK with his family in July 2008.

Karen Brown, Chair of the Board of Trustees writes,

“Andy will continue to be a vital part of the RETRAK family.  In recognition of his immense contribution to the work with street children we are delighted to appoint him as President Emeritus and welcome him onto the Board in a non-executive capacity to continue to bring his enthusiasm and experience to bear on the organization as it develops and grows. In addition to that he will pursue a one year course in his other passion at Drama Studio London and has a longer term vision to combine theatre and performing arts with work amongst children in difficult circumstances.”

After a long and rigorous selection process, the RETRAK Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Diarmuid Ó Néill as Chief Executive Officer-designate from 1st June.  After a month of handover with Andy, he will become CEO on 1st July.

Diarmuid currently lives in Bradford, where he works as a Project Management Consultant for various organisations such as Tearfund and The Lighthouse Group. He was Project Manager of a youth agency called e:merge, working with largely excluded and marginalised young people and aiming to help them  develop in relation to self, in relation to others, in relation to their place & purpose in the world and in relation to God. Diarmuid is well travelled and worked in Brazil on a project enabling churches to develop programmes for drug and alcohol abusers.

“RETRAK is an inspiring and exceptional charity doing extraordinary things in service to street children and God” Diarmuid said “I am incredibly excited about serving and working with the team and leading RETRAK forward in its development. RETRAK does superb work with some of the most marginalised people of our world - something I am personally deeply committed to.”

Karen Brown said “As we look forward, we are extremely excited about the appointment of Diarmuid. We feel sure that with his gifts, experience, passion, compassion and commitment for bringing hope to young people, he is the right person to lead RETRAK into the next phase of its development. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the staff team we warmly welcome him.”