The trustees of international relief and development charity World Emergency Relief UK have appointed Alex Haxton to be its new Chief Executive.

Mr Haxton joined WER UK in 1998, initially as a consultant to advise on management systems and programme development. He has been Director of Operations since November 2000.

During this time Alex has overseen the transformation of WER UK from an organisation focused on Gifts In Kind (GIK) to one with a focus on broad-based development.

WER UK provides support to local indigenous NGOs across 20 different countries in partnership with knowledgeable local operators who serve their own communities, as part of its vision of long-term sustainable development.

Even with these changes, WER UK has remained committed to the appropriate and effective use of GIK. WER UK was a founding member of the Global Hand Network and campaigns for ethical GIK which meet the needs of partners and communities overseas whilst protecting the local economy.

Alex continues to lead changes in the organisation’s approach to marketing and fundraising and WER UK has in recent years launched innovative campaigns such as Be a Good Egg and Kick it Into Play to attract new demographics to charitable giving.

“WER has had an outstanding few years. Appointing Alex as Chief Executive strengthens the leadership at WER and will help us to move forward,” said Dr. Harry Covert, Chair of the board of trustees.

“These are potentially lean times for charities across the world, which will not be good for all the people who rely on us.

"This is why I am so pleased that we have the right team in place at WER UK to make sure that we can continue to provide help to those that need it the most.”