Turn2us bolsters trustee board

National poverty charity Turn2us is expanding its trustee board with two new appointments that reflect the charity’s new strategic direction.

Edwina Johnston and Kalm Paul-Christian join the Board of Trustees at a turning point for Turn2us and both bring vital expertise to help the charity build on its new purpose. They bring with them a wealth of professional and personal experience and will play a vital role in shaping the charity’s future.

Kalm Paul-Christian FRSA is an investment banker working in the Financial Institutions Advisory Team at NatWest Markets. He began his career with Rothschild & Co before joining The Social Investment Consultancy where he advised charities, social enterprises and investment funds. Kalm is a graduate of the University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and a member of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.  He also brings with him personal experience and insight into financial hardship as a child growing up in a low income family in the UK.

Edwina Johnston retired from Choice Care in August 2020 where she was CEO from 2009 and prior to that Financial Director from 2002. Before this, Edwina was Finance Director at another business having previously qualified as an ACA with Price Waterhouse. As well as extensive leadership experience, Edwina brings over 10 years of specialist safeguarding knowledge to her role as trustee.

Sally O’Sullivan, Chair of Trustees at Turn2us, said: “We are delighted to welcome Edwina and Kalm as new trustees to Turn2us at a time when we are embarking on a new and ambitious journey to challenge and change the narrative around poverty and ensure a fair and equitable social security system for all of us. Demand for our services is at an all time high, and the coronavirus pandemic has compounded the inequalities and poverty faced by so many in the UK. Both Kalm and Edwina bring expertise that will be vital in ensuring Turn2us meets its future challenges in a sustainable way, so we can make a meaningful impact in tackling the causes and symptoms of poverty.”

Edwina Johnston, comments:  “I’m delighted to be joining Sally and the rest of the board and leadership team at Turn2us.  Ever since I first came across the charity, I’ve been interested to see the role it has played during the pandemic and can see that it’s at a critical point in the charity’s history. I look forward to being part of their response to this in the future and giving my full support to the wider team as it pushes forward with its new strategy.”

Kalm Paul-Christian, comments: “I am proud to able to join the team at Turn2us as a member of the trustee board and hope that my professional skills and personal background will support the charity and its users as we move forward with its purpose and strategy. I am particularly motivated to be part of an organisation so determined to challenge, and ultimately change, the system and get to the root of the systemic issues pushing people into financial hardship.” 

The announcement of the new trustees comes after Turn2us revealed its new purpose and three year strategy to tackle the causes and symptoms of poverty.