National Trustee Week 6 – 11 November: RNIB welcomes two new Trustees
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has announced the appointment of two new Trustees – Paul Arnold and Tanya Castell MBE. The news comes as the charity celebrates National Trustee Week (6 – 11 November).
As Deputy Chief Executive at the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Paul Arnold has over 25 years’ experience of data, privacy and information rights regulation, empowering and safeguarding the public whilst enabling businesses to responsibly innovate and grow and is experienced in all aspects of the leadership and transformation of large public bodies.
In addition to being an experienced executive leader and board member, Paul has lived with severe sight loss since birth and has been an active member of the visually impaired (VI) sporting community for most of his life.
Paul Arnold, RNIB’s new Trustee commented: “I’m honoured to be joining the team at RNIB. Supporting and empowering blind and partially sighted people to succeed in all aspects of life is something I’m extremely passionate about.
As a senior leader with a severe visual impairment myself, I’ve observed far too many blind and partially sighted people encounter prejudice and limiting assumptions about their capability. RNIB is doing great work to challenge those prejudices and change those assumptions and I can’t wait to add my support and experience.”
Tanya Castell MBE has a portfolio of non-executive directorships; she is an external member of the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Committee, an independent non-executive director on the board for asset management company, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership. Tanya is also on is on the Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulatory Decisions Committee.
As an expert in risk management, corporate governance and regulation, Tanya spent most of her career working in financial services for companies such as JP Morgan and UBS. She received an MBE in 2016 for her work as founder of Changing the Chemistry, a charity that seeks to improve board diversity.
Tanya Castell, RNIB’s new Trustee commented: “As someone who is partially sighted, I’ve first-hand experience of the impact a loss of vision can have on day-to-day life. Additionally, as someone who is passionate about diversity and inclusion, I’m very pleased to join an organisation whose strategy includes changing public perceptions and behaviours towards those who are blind and partially sighted.”
With the additions of Paul and Tanya, RNIB’s Board of Trustees now consists of 12 people, five of whom are blind or partially sighted.
Anna Tylor, RNIB’s Chair of Trustees said: “What better way to celebrate National Trustee Week, than to welcome two magnificent new Trustees onto our Board.
“Both Paul and Tanya bring a plethora of professional and personal experience to their roles. They’re passionate about changing the narrative and breaking down barriers that impact every aspect of daily living for blind and partially sighted people.
“Paul and Tanya are joining us on the cusp of 2024, a year which is set to be exciting and transformative for RNIB. Their experience will be an essential element of our progress and evolution in the years to come. We’re so pleased they’ve chosen to be part of our team.”
Learn more about RNIB’s Governance structure