Meet the people who govern RNID and direct how the charity is managed and run.
Ewen Stevenson
Ewen joined the Board as Chairman of RNID in June 2022. He is also Chairman of Serendipity Capital, a technology focused venture capital fund.
Ewen previously held various senior executive positions across the banking sector. Most recently he was Group Chief Financial Officer of HSBC Holdings plc from 2019 to 2023. Prior to HSBC Holdings, he was Chief Financial Officer at The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (now NatWest Group) from 2014 to 2018, and he held various senior management positions in Investment Banking at Credit Suisse, where he worked for over 25 years.
Ewen holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (majoring in Accountancy) and a Bachelor of Law from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. He has lived with single sided deafness since his mid-40s.
Ita Murphy
Ita has worked in the marketing and communications industry for the past 38 years, where she has worked with some of the largest FTSE 100 companies.
Until recently, Ita was CEO of Syzygy UK -a struggling data and digital agency, where she turned the business around in three years.
Ita mentors women across a broad range of industries.
With a family history of severe hearing loss and tinnitus, Ita is proud to be a trustee of the RNID.
Sally Harris
Sally developed severe hearing loss during her twenties following an infection. Having experienced first hand challenges hearing loss brings within the workplace and socially, Sally is passionate about removing the stigma and raising awareness of deafness, particularly in the workplace. Sally has spent 20 years in fashion retail as a Finance Director, latterly at Marks and Spencer. She is also a trustee for two other charities.
Nick Waring
Nick is a Chartered Accountant with broad experience in strategic and operational finance in non-profit organisations, both in the UK and Africa. He is currently Director of Finance and Resources at the Disasters Emergency Committee, and has previously held roles at Christian Aid, the Refugee Council and the RAF Benevolent Fund. Nick is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and holds a masters degree in Charity Management from City University, London.
Nick holds an active interest in the work of RNID as he suffers from partial hearing loss as a result of ear surgery earlier in his life. He wears hearing aids and lives with tinnitus.
Gill Budd
Gill has deep experience as a senior leader in the charity sector, working in the area of legal, governance and risk and through trustee roles in many charities. She has long been committed to charities which seek to challenge disadvantage – in health, education, rights, employment and opportunity – where she seeks to create and embed inclusion. Gill is a solicitor and has led on governance, risk, legal and compliance for various charities, latterly the education charity, Teach First, and including Save the Children UK and Plan International, after a career in private legal practice and the commercial world. She has been a trustee of charities including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Community Links and Blenheim CDP which all worked to address inequalities in some way and is Chair of the charitable foundation, Sharegift.
Gill has personal experience of sudden hearing loss and lives with partial hearing and tinnitus. When her hearing loss happened, it was RNID she turned to so she could better understand her new world and life, as the leading charity to support people like Gill. She also has family experience of deafness and hearing decline.
Julian Meekings
Julian was born profoundly deaf, with progressive binaural hearing loss, and diagnosed at the age of 3. After many years wearing hearing aids, his hearing loss progressed significantly and he underwent a cochlear implant operation. He works at The Medical Research Network, supporting clinical trials as Executive Director, Quality Management where he heads up the Quality Management and Learning Development functions. As part of this role, he has responsibility for driving corporate and cultural change in a rapidly growing organisation, and he has overall accountability for all quality matters across the company as well as building relationships with clients.
In his previous roles, he has worked with many global pharmaceutical companies across Europe, the US, and the UK government, to help them improve processes, define digital strategy, transform operating models and implement governance models for different technical functions in research and development. This experience working with multiple organisations, from large to small, has given him insight into a huge range of cultures and ways of working that enables him to understand different organisations and how best to bring best practices to life. Throughout his career, Julian has promoted awareness and accessibility for all, and has contributed to or sat on boards dedicated to promoting diversity and supporting those with disabilities.
Rt Hon Chloe Smith
Rt Hon Chloe Smith has served in Parliament for fifteen years, including a decade in ministerial and Cabinet roles. As Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, she co-led the British Sign Language Act 2022, working cross-party and with many campaigners in the Deaf community. Experience of deafness in her family drew her to work with RNID’s campaign for better subtitling, and she is thrilled to continue these efforts as a trustee.
Chloe now focuses on tech, innovation, and science, as well as the global economy, labour market, pensions and the future of work. She is passionate about disability, diversity and talent in business. She is an Honorary Fellow with the University of East Anglia. Chloe’s also a trustee for a regional cancer charity, after her own brush with breast cancer, and she speaks publicly to encourage others to check for signs of cancer and seek support.
Jessica Rasmussen
Jessica spent 30 years working in Investment Banking as a Global Markets expert, with her last 10 years at Bank of America, London as a Managing Director.
Since then, Jessica has led Two Magnolias, an Early-Stage Venture Capital fund, built on the founding principles of investing in entrepreneurs focused on Sustainability and Human Health solutions in the UK. Transitioning from the financial sector to private capital markets has
provided Jessica with a unique perspective on the intersection of business, social impact, and equity. As a female CEO, Jessica is acutely aware of the importance of diversity and inclusion in leadership positions and is committed to leveraging her platform and influence to amplify the voices of those affected by deafness.
Jessica’s son was born with congenital partial hearing loss in one ear and she herself has suffered from single ear tinnitus over the last year which was brought on suddenly following a seasonal virus infection. Jessica is passionate about putting deafness “stigma” on the back burner and fostering open conversations that promote understanding, empathy, and acceptance.