Reprieve is delighted to announce that the Rt. Hon Shaun Woodward will be the new Chair of its Board of Trustees. He replaces Dame Elish Angiolini, who has served as Chair since April 2021.
Shaun brings a wealth of relevant experience to the role. In his 18 years as an MP he served on numerous parliamentary Select Committees, including Equality and Human Rights and Foreign Affairs. He held various Ministerial positions in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown; and in Cabinet was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland concluding the last stage of the political and peace process in 2010 with devolution of policing and justice powers.
For six years, Shaun was Chair of Human Dignity Trust which globally champions equality for men and women criminalised for their sexuality by their identity as gay. HDT’s mission is achieved through strategic litigation, working with local lawyers and partners around the world to decriminalise homosexuality, bringing human rights and constitutional cases in domestic and international courts.
Most recently in Higher Education, Shaun was Chair of LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), the UK’s leading drama academy. He led the fundraising campaign to secure £28 million from private donors in the UK and USA, creating world class training facilities.
Shaun was a founding trustee and Deputy Chairman of ChildLine, trustee and the first Chair of the Capital Campaign for English National Opera and Chair of Understanding Industry. He has worked as a trustee for several other UK and US charities.
Before his political career, Shaun was a journalist at BBC TV, working as a producer for Panorama and Newsnight. He was the youngest Editor of current affairs campaign programme That’s Life! which reached 20 million television viewers each week.
Reprieve CEO Maya Foa said: “Shaun has been a supporter of Reprieve for many years, and we are overjoyed to have him as the new Chair of our Board of Trustees. He is a committed defender of human rights and equality, and at this time when international law is under sustained attack, we need his experience and insight more than ever. I look forward to working with him as we start a new chapter at Reprieve.”
Shaun Woodward said: “Reprieve is such an effective organisation, consistently punching above its weight in the fight against human rights abuses. I have followed and supported its work for many years and am honoured to Chair the Board of Trustees.
I am indebted to my predecessors in the role, and I look forward to working with the charity’s dedicated staff. These challenging times demand committed and skilful human rights defenders; Reprieve’s mission upholding the rule of law and seeking accountability for state violence has never been more relevant or as urgently needed.”