OCF names Adrian Sell as CEO

Adrian was appointed Interim CEO on 1st July, taking on the challenge of leading OCF with a focus on using its Resilience Fund to help the voluntary sector in Oxfordshire respond better and recover stronger from the pandemic.

Nick Case, Chair of OCF, commented: “Adrian’s background in international crisis response and in the charity sector in Oxfordshire enabled him to lead our team in a speedy and effective response, distributing more than £600k to 134 organisations.”

Adrian’s experience includes working on hurricane response, refugee and post-conflict programmes in a number of countries. Locally he has worked for Oxfordshire County Council and spent 10 years in the voluntary sector with East Oxford Action, as Director of Services for Age UK Oxfordshire and Executive Director of Oxford Parent Infant Project (OXPIP). More recently he was CEO of international mental health charity BasicNeeds.

Nick continued, “Adrian’s background is a great fit for the role and during the last four months he has proved his ability to lead the team. During a rigorous selection process, he has also shown a compelling vision and plan for OCF. We are delighted he has accepted the role on a permanent basis.”

Commenting on his appointment, Adrian said: “It has been a privilege to lead an organisation that has been at the forefront of supporting and driving the community response to the pandemic across Oxfordshire. We also have a role to play in helping our communities recover stronger through our strategic programmes and grant-making. To support that, fundraising and convening to address critical challenges in Oxfordshire will be a key personal focus.”

About Oxfordshire Community Foundation

• Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) works to improve the lives of our county’s most disadvantaged people by unlocking the power of community. We tackle the most pressing social problems locally: homelessness, educational inequality, loneliness and isolation.
• OCF brings together charities, philanthropists, businesses and the public sector to research, design and implement long-term solutions. By working in collaboration, OCF brings the best ideas to life, leading to sustained and meaningful improvements to people’s lives.
• OCF makes around £1 million in grants every year to charities across Oxfordshire that are working at the grassroots level to tackle pressing problems faced by its citizens, including emergency response to crises such as COVID-19.