Chair

Founded in 2011 by Sophie Hayes, a British woman trafficked into sexual exploitation overseas, Sophie Hayes Foundation’s work has always been centred around sustainable freedom. By this we mean both freedom from exploitation, slavery, and trafficking; and freedom to look to the future with renewed confidence, rebuilt skills, and a sense of purpose for survivors.

Through our three core programmes, we work with women survivors of modern slavery and exploitation to rebuild and develop the skills and confidence to help them achieve self-sufficiency and independence.

• Our flagship Employability Programme works through three modules: from re-building confidence and sense of purpose; to concrete workplace skills like CV building, cover letter writing, or interview techniques; on to personalised follow-on support through access to work placements, volunteering, or education.
   
• Our survivor community CREW – Creative Resilient Empowered Women – is a network of peer support, available to survivors on their own terms whenever they should choose to access it. It provides a rolling programme of skills workshops and social gatherings. From CREW we have built a Lived Experience Advisory Group with whom we consult and co-create new workstreams and approaches.
   
• Our Conversational English course started in 2024 from the desire to meet survivors where they are and the need to support women in rebuilding their independence. The 12-session programme runs over 6 weeks and combines taught and conversational practice. This course is designed for women survivors of modern slavery with a basic level and understanding of English.

As well as delivering practical programmes, Sophie Hayes Foundation advocates for survivors. We do not accept a system that lets survivors down, increases their marginalisation, and disempowers them. As an active advocate, we amplify survivor voices and perspectives to raise awareness, keep the topic of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) high on the policy and public agenda and lobby for change.

Our work has never been more important, and our impact is far greater than our relatively modest size would suggest. Moreover, we believe that we currently have a window of opportunity to scale up our work and our reach significantly. So this is a particularly important time to join us as our new Chair.

We want to hear from candidates with extensive experience of leading a volunteer board, and hands-on grasp of the full range of responsibilities in a comparable role. You’ll have a warm, appreciative style, and will be able to work effectively with colleagues in both executive and non-executive roles to share your insights and develop our collective capacity. Equally, you must be ready to lead with accountability, and will have the clarity and resilience to bring your judgement and wisdom to bear on complex issues. An applied knowledge of fundraising, with good networks and a willingness to make the most of them, would be a definite asset.

For more information, please download the candidate pack. If you have further questions about the role please email shf@cadencepartners.co.uk. 

Closing date: 13 May 2026.
Interviews are likely to be held in late May and early June.