Samaritans is the charity that prevents suicide through the power of human connection. Connecting people in crisis with trained volunteers who will always listen. People calling for change with those who need to listen. People who’ve been there before with those struggling now.
For over seven decades, Samaritans has striven to ensure that fewer people die by suicide, ever since the very first call was answered in 1953. From those humble beginnings, we have grown into one of the UK and Ireland’s most trusted charities. With 23,000 volunteers and 300 staff, we provide a 24/7/365 service. Samaritans never closes.
As our Chair, Keith Leslie, comes to the end of his six-year tenure, we are now seeking an exceptional person to lead this incredible charity through its next stage of evolution.
It is an exciting time for the charity as we undertake a transformational ‘future proofing’ programme. Our change programme will include a focus on finding the best service model for the future, major expansion of our online chat service, and exploring new innovative ways of volunteering to provide our life-saving service. Alongside this, we will continue to build on our influential voice across the UK and Ireland for maximum impact.
To help us to deliver on this work, and achieve our vision that fewer people die by suicide, we need a Chair who will help drive effective decision-making and prioritisation. We need an inspirational, low ego, values-driven Chair. We are looking for someone with a combination of strong strategic leadership skills, emotional intelligence and exceptional communications skills. You will be able to influence key external stakeholders, build a strong partnership with our CEO and engage compellingly with our volunteer and staff community. Above all, you will ensure we remain trusted and recognised as a well-run, well-governed organisation through a period of significant change.
To find out more about this exciting opportunity, please contact Miles at our executive search partners Green Park at miles.mackie@green-park.co.uk or visit our microsite: https://micro.green-park.co.uk/samaritans/
Closing date: 11:59pm Sunday 10th May 2026