Meet RNID’s senior leaders.
Mark Atkinson, Chief Executive (CEO)
Mark was appointed Chief Executive of RNID in October 2018 and has a track record of leading organisations to define their strategy, transform their operations and deliver their commitments.
Mark has predominately worked in social sector organisations leading business change, refocus and growth. Prior to RNID, he spent five years at the disability charity Scope, including three and a half as its Chief Executive.
Mark is also a Board Member at the Social Care Institute for Excellence and a Board Member of Habinteg Housing Association. He sits on the People and Culture Committee of Comic Relief.
Harriet Oppenheimer, Deputy Chief Executive
Harriet joined RNID in November 2020 after a career as a management consultant at PA Consulting, where she worked across government, health and life sciences sectors, helping organisations shape and deliver strategic change. Her early career was in charities and the NHS.
Harriet’s move back to the not-for-profit sector is driven by a commitment to empowering lives and creating social inclusion, and her priority at RNID is to lead the delivery of our new strategy. Harriet is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Refugee Council.
Harriet lives with her husband and three children.
James Abbott, Director of Performance and Corporate Services
James has a charity finance background, having worked for charities including Guide Dogs, Diabetes UK and Scope. Since joining RNID in 2019, he has been part of the executive team which has transformed RNID into a modern home-based and digital-first social change organisation.
James leads our finance and performance team; our contact centre; our people team; and our governance and legal team. These functions ensure that our charity has the right plans, resources, and ways of working – putting us in the best possible position to make life more inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss or tinnitus.
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Dr Ralph Holme, Director of Research and Insight
Dr Ralph Holme leads RNID’s work to accelerate the discovery and development of treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus. Working globally, RNID fund ground-breaking research, build future research capacity, and connect innovators to the knowledge and resources they need to succeed.
Ralph is also the executive sponsor for RNID’s Insight and Policy, and Digital & Innovation teams. These capabilities ensure RNID understands the issues that matter the most to our communities, can influence across sectors to bring about change, and designs products and services our communities need.
Before joining RNID, Ralph was a research scientist investigating the genetic basis of deafness at the Medical Research Council’s Institute of Hearing Research.