Fiona Cannon OBE appointed chair of Surviving Economic Abuse

We are excited to announce that Fiona Cannon OBE will be joining SEA as our new chair of trustees.

Fiona, who steps down as Group Sustainable Business Director at Lloyds Banking Group at the end of September, will succeed current chair Cathy Millis, who is stepping into the vice-chair role for the final year of her term.  

Cannon, who was awarded an OBE for services to equal opportunities in the 2011 New Year’s Honours List, will take on the role from the 1st of October 2023. 

In the role of chair, Fiona will oversee the delivery of our ambitious 2022-2025 strategy, “Making Waves” taking SEA to the next level and building on the successes we have already achieved.  

Fiona will also be spearheading the search for a new CEO later this year. This comes after the announcement that our founding CEO, Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, will transition into the newly created role of President in June 2024, reporting to the new CEO.

Speaking about her appointment, Fiona Cannon OBE said: “I am delighted to be taking up the role of chair of trustees at Surviving Economic Abuse. It’s a charity I have worked with for many years and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be part of taking the charity to the next level. 

“In the six years since it was founded, Surviving Economic Abuse has made huge waves – getting economic abuse recognised in law and transforming the response to it throughout society. I look forward to building on these ground-breaking achievements and supporting the charity to grow its reach and impact to continue to change the lives of many more women experiencing economic abuse. Together, we can support survivors and stop economic abuse forever.”  

Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, founding CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Fiona will be joining our board as chair of trustees. Fiona has been a huge champion for economic abuse survivors through both her professional and voluntary work. We look forward to her bringing her passion, commitment and expertise to the role of chair to take the charity forward into our exciting next chapter.”