Stonewall “delighted” as four new trustees are welcomed to Board
Marking National Trustee Week, Stonewall - the leading UK LGBTQ+ charity - has today announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Trustees. The new members are:
- The Rt Hon Sir Ben Bradshaw: the first openly gay person selected and elected to Parliament, in 1997, and Minister in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s Governments.
- Jake Graf: actor, screenwriter and director and prominent advocate for equitable parenthood and trans representation.
- Clare Fielding: coach, lawyer and the first openly trans leader of a City law firm.
- Sean Latus: eminent former equity investment lead and senior banker.
Trustees are responsible for overseeing the charity’s operation and ensuring that Stonewall is accountable, complying with the law and carrying out work for the public benefit and that meets its charitable objects. The combined skills of the four new appointees will further expand the wide range of voices and experiences that Trustees bring to this important role. Sir Ben Bradshaw said, of his appointment:
“I will always be grateful to Stonewall, whose campaigning paved the way for equal rights and transformed the lives of people like me. With those hard-won freedoms and protections under threat again, Stonewall is needed more than ever, and I am hugely honoured to have been asked to serve on its Board.”
Welcoming the new members, Ayla Holdom, Stonewall’s Interim Chair, said:
“On behalf of my fellow Trustees, and everyone at Stonewall, I am delighted that Ben, Jake, Clare and Sean will be joining the Board. As we launch our new strategy – In courage and unity, is hope – the diverse expertise and experience, and important personal and professional perspectives that they will bring to our work will further underpin our commitment to represent everyone in the LGBTQ+ community."
Simon Blake OBE, Chief Executive of Stonewall, added:
“I am particularly pleased that we are making this announcement at the start of Trustees Week 2025. Each year, this is the opportunity for organisations to celebrate our Trustees, and recognise the immense difference that they make. As Stonewall seeks to provide leadership to navigate these turbulent times for the community, Ben, Jake, Clare and Sean will be great assets in our drive to forge and strengthen coalitions, build partnerships, start and join conversations and seek pragmatic and effective means of achieving equality and inclusivity for all LGBTQ+ people.”
Jake Graf commented:
“I have always admired Stonewall’s work, and am very much aligned with their ethos of communication, collaboration and equality for all. It is vital that we now all work together for our rights and place in society, so I am thrilled to become a Stonewall Trustee at this time when we are facing some of the community’s biggest threats to our safety and wellbeing.”
The four new Board members will join Ayla Holdom (Interim Chair) and the five other Stonewall Trustees. Learn more about the current Board of Trustees here.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact press.office@stonewall.org.uk or phone 020 7593 1857.
Hi-res photos and biographies of all Stonewall Trustees are available on request.
About Stonewall:
Our vision is of a world where everyone, everywhere has equal rights. We will work until every LGBTQ+ person is living free from discrimination, prejudice and inequality, making our shared future safer, fairer and more prosperous.
Find out more at www.stonewall.org.uk
