Our Structure

The faces behind the National Council of Women

Home 5 Who we are 5 Our structure

National Council of Women GB is a charity headed by National President, Jilly Rogers. She is supported by Vice Presidents and a Management Committee of Trustees who are elected from our membership. The Management Committee are responsible for consulting with, and making decisions on behalf of, the members.

We have a Director of Development and an administrative office, ably run by our Administrative Secretary.

President and Management Committee Trustees

NCWGB President:
Jilly Rogers

Jilly was formerly Director of a consultancy specialising in health care education.

Immediate Past President:
Elsie Leadley

Elsie had a secretarial career in media and facility management. Elsie completed two terms as President of NCWGB, until December 2023.

Vice-President, Finance:
Gillian Weston

Gillian has worked with charities for 29 years, particularly on data and system analysis. Recently, she has used that knowledge to update NCW’s systems and enhance reporting.

Vice-President, NCYW:
Penny Bennett

Penny has a particular interest in the NCWY group. Her previous experience as a headteacher gives her special insight into this area of NCW’s work.

Vice-President, Current Affairs:
Gail Bishop

Gail brings her extensive experience at the Bank of England to the work of NCW and compiles our monthly parliamentary report.

Vice-President, International: Ann Davison

Ann began her career at Which? and has worked in consumer affairs thereafter. She won the UK Woman of Europe 2000 Award and has served as a consumer representative on a number of government committees. For nearly six years Ann was Defra’s consumer advisor and was chair of its Consumer Representatives Group. In addition, Ann co-founded the Fairtrade Foundation and chaired its Certification Committee for eleven years. She also chaired the World Development Movement. This appointment sees Ann make a welcome return to NCW.

Nationally Elected Member: Toni Letts

Toni began her journey as a nurse, which fuelled her passion for creating safe spaces for young people, a commitment that led her to become the CE of Croydon YMCA Housing Association. During that tenure she took particular pride in creating safe havens for women fleeing domestic violence. In recognition of her contributions to the community and humanitarian efforts Toni was awarded the OBE from the late Queen in 2004. She has also chaired Croydon’s Domestic Violence Murder Reviews and has spoken at the UN and international conferences about the advancement of women and the impact of domestic violence on individuals and communities.

Nationally Elected Member – Finance:
Alison Newall

I’ve spent my working life within the financial services administration sector, my last role being with an organisation that specifically dealt with ethical investments. I volunteered with Samaritans for five years as a listener and was privileged to be a member of the local branch leadership team responsible for outreach and fundraising.

Trustee and Company Secretary:
Wendy North

Wendy is a retired academic who continues with her research and keeps a close eye on the NCW Articles and Handbook.

Director of Development:
Ruth Batty

Ruth joined us in Sept 2023, after more than 20 years in senior charity management. Equality has been her passion throughout her career, which has included community development, homelessness prevention, debt management, recycling schemes and racial equality.

Administrative Secretary:
Sheila Rosewell

Sheila began working for NCWGB
in 2007. Before this, she had 27 years’ administrative experience in the NHS.

“My 40 years of membership have enabled me to meet friendly people with similar interests to my own. I have learnt much about a wide variety of topics from the knowledgeable speakers and debates at NCW conferences and meetings. It is satisfying to belong to a group working towards a fairer world for everyone, especially girls and women.”

Penny Eckley, former Management Committee member

We are also delighted to have two senior members with special responsibilities:

Gwenda Kibble,
Honorary Vice President and Network 18-30 coordinator.

Gwenda was previously President of NCW and has a particular interest in developing the skills and expertise of our younger members.

Barbara Maddison,
Honorary Vice President.

Barbara has long championed the NCW’s work with schools to engage with young women and girls and develop the vibrant NCYW work.

Membership

Individual and Branch Membership

Our membership is predominantly individual members plus one active branch in Darlington. Individual members are welcome to join the branch and take part in regular meetings and discussions.

Associates and Supporters

We also have a number of supporters and associate member organisations which share our aims and support out work.

Our associates