The National Lottery Community Fund appoints new board members

Both bring a wealth of experience at a pivotal time, as the Fund aims to make a bigger difference supporting bolder change that responds to the needs of communities.

Following a highly competitive recruitment process, led by the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport, the 2 new board members have taken up their roles this week.

They will work with Chair, Dame Julia Cleverdon, and 8 other members of the board who have the vital role of setting the vision and overseeing the effective delivery of the strategy, performance and funding to communities, driven primarily through local funding officers who cover every postcode area of the UK.

These appointments arise as board members Peter Stewart LVO and Stuart Hobley, step down after reaching the end of their 4-year terms.

Michelle Mitchell OBE is Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, where she leads the organisation's work to accelerate progress in preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer through world-class research and innovation. Over a career spanning some of the UK's leading charities, Michelle has led major organisational transformation programmes, strengthening impact, sustainability and public benefit at scale.

Sunder Katwala is the Director of British Future, an organisation which engages with questions of identity, immigration and integration, seeking to build confidence and common ground in a changing Britain. Since May 2026, Sunder has been a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and he is also a member of the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion.

The National Lottery Community Fund's Board oversees the effective performance of an operation that in 2024 to 2025 awarded over 13,000 grants with over £790 million across the UK. Over the last 10 years, and thanks to National Lottery players, the Fund has distributed £4.6 billion through 118,000 grants - the equivalent of 40 grants in every postcode district of the UK.

The Fund's strategy, It starts with community was informed by the views of 18,000 people across the UK. Over the coming months, as the Fund enters the next phase of the strategy, the board will preside over the acceleration of bigger, bolder ideas, continuing to support grassroots action and trusted local organisations while also acting more boldly where communities say greater change is needed.

Responding to the new appointments, Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, said:

"A wealth of great talent applied to join our 10-strong board which I am privileged to chair, and we are so thrilled that Michelle and Sunder have accepted the invitation of Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy, to do so.

“They will bring both strategic and particularly relevant skills to our task of investing in communities across the UK, in bringing people together, building healthier lives, and shaping sustainable thriving places. We much look forward to welcoming them to their first Board meeting in Dundee in September.

“As we welcome our new board members, we want to send all our gratitude to Peter and Stuart for the wisdom, insight and expertise they have brought to the board while playing key roles in the development and embedding of the Fund's strategy. They have been tireless champions and advocates particularly on equity, climate action, disability and social justice issues within the Fund.”

The Fund's UK board oversees the work of 4 committees for each of the UK nations, who connect to local priorities, support the role of the local funding teams, take decisions on major grants and ensure that funding has the greatest possible impact across the communities of each nation.

Today the Fund is also announcing 2 new members appointed to their England Committee. Abigail Pogson and Ugo Ikokwu will work with the committee to ensure the delivery of strategic ambitions in England, and help deliver the commitment of embedding equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of decision-making.

Abigail is CEO of the Barbican Centre and a board member of European Concert Hall Organisation. She was previously Chief Executive Officer at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and has also held roles at English National Opera, Music Theatre Wales and The Society for the Promotion of New Music.

Ugo Ikokwu is Grants Manager at Trust for London, where he leads the Racial and Economic Justice Fund, supporting organisations working to tackle the structural causes of poverty and racial inequality across London. He has over a decade of experience in grant-making, social investment and philanthropy, having previously held senior roles at Social Investment Business and The Fore.

Recruitment for new members for the Fund's Wales Committee and Northern Ireland Committee is also in progress.

Next steps

Read about the Fund's board and committee members.