Ben Kernighan joins LEF as Chair of the board

We’re excited to welcome Ben Kernighan as the new Chair of LEF’s board.

Ben is Co-CEO of Galop, a charity supporting thousands of LGBT+ survivors and victims of violence and abuse and advocating on their behalf. He is also Vice Chair of the Henry Smith Foundation, where he has helped lead one of the UK’s largest funders transform its strategy and brand. 

Ben has over 30 years’ experience working in the charity sector and was formerly CEO at Leap Confronting Conflict. He began his career at Terrence Higgins Trust, and since then has helped hundreds of charities to thrive. His previous roles included Group Chief Executive of the National Union of Students and Deputy Chief Executive at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. He has extensive non-executive experience, previously serving on the Boards of Business in the Community and the Basic Skills Agency.

We spoke to Ben about what he’s learnt from his experiences in the charity sector and the power of the law as a tool for making change.

You have a lot of experience in the charity sector. What drew you to the sector originally?

The first thing I did in the charity sector was volunteer on the helpline of the Terrence Higgins Trust. I had recently come out as a gay man and it was at a time when HIV was decimating our community, and I felt I wanted to do something to make a contribution. I enjoyed my volunteering and found it satisfying, difficult work. I learned a lot about supporting people in some of the most extreme circumstances. And that led me to working as a member of staff at the Terrence Higgins Trust for eight years. 

What’s been your career highlight in the charity sector?

There have been two things that have driven me. One has been issues very close to my heart, which would encompass the work that I’m now doing at Galop, supporting LGBT+ people who are the survivors and victims of violence and abuse. Having seen very high levels of homophobia through my work at the Terrence Higgins Trust, then life getting better for decades for LGBT+ people, and now growing threats, it’s been a source of satisfaction to be back working in that community.

The second type of highlight is where I feel that I’m in a role which can make a difference at scale and in a strategic way. The roles which tick that box are being responsible for public policy as Deputy Chief Executive at NCVO; being the Vice Chair of the Henry Smith Foundation, which has influence in that way because it funds a large number of organisations; and chairing LEF, which as a funder can also influence at scale.

What draws you to social change and social justice foundations like LEF and the Henry Smith Foundation?

One of the appeals of foundations for me is that they have a crucial role in underpinning the independence of civil society. They are a crucial part of the funding mix for so many charities. 

Foundations with significant endowments have the ability to think and act in the very long term, and act independently for the benefit of communities, despite changes in government. They have independence of action, but with that high level of autonomy comes a high level of responsibility and accountability as well.

What made you apply for the role of Chair of LEF’s board?

In the course of working with charities, I’ve seen the power of the law to make a difference for the communities that we’ve been working with.

And I also believe that there’s untapped potential for civil society organisations to do more in that space. As politics becomes more febrile and more fractured and there are growing political threats to minoritised communities, it’s becoming harder to affect change through politics. The law will therefore become a more important tool for making change.

I was also very impressed by the thoughtful approaches that LEF takes to demonstrating accountability to the communities that it serves, and thinking comprehensively about how it can use all its assets – financial and human – to fulfil its objectives. 

And when I met some of the trustees and the Chief Executive in the recruitment process, I liked them! That’s crucial if you’re going to volunteer.

What are you most looking forward to about joining LEF?

I’m most looking forward to meeting the people that I haven’t met yet, which is a lot of them! And I’m looking forward to trying to create a culture on the board where we can be more than the sum of our individual skills and experiences.

What have you learnt from your time in the sector that you’ll bring to your role as Chair?

The first is that the best decisions are made where the relationships are good and the evidence has been explored. 

The second is that in difficult times, or for people facing difficulties, being a source of hope is crucial in a leadership role. We are in difficult times. My experience of attitudes towards LGBT+ people over 40 years is that things get better and things get worse, but then they do get better. It isn’t a straight line, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a path towards greater progress. 

The third is that when I was Chief Executive of the charity Leap Confronting Conflict, I was fortunate to learn a huge amount about conflict and how to manage it. I learnt to see it as inevitable, not bad, and an opportunity to resolve issues and move forward. In a world in which values are often divided, I think that’s useful learning to bring into any leadership role.