Welcome

Welcome Letter – Ruth Purdie, CEO of The Road Safety Trust and UKROEd

Dear Applicant,

I would like to highlight an opportunity to join the Board of Trustees as Chair of The Road Safety Trust.

As the UK’s largest independent grant-funding body dedicated to road safety initiatives, The Road Safety Trust plays a vital role in supporting evidence-led interventions, research, education, and advocacy aimed at reducing harm on our roads. The Trust owns a subsidiary company – UK Road Offender Education which delivers the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme on behalf of UK policing.

As Chair of the Board you would play a central role in this important work by providing strategic leadership, ensuring strong governance, and supporting the financial stewardship needed to secure the Trust’s long-term sustainability. While the role is not involved in day-to-day operations, it is instrumental in shaping direction, supporting effective decision-making, and enabling the Trust team to deliver meaningful impact.

We’re seeking an experienced Chair with expertise in financial management, governance and risk, the public sector, communications, emergency services or road safety who can make a strong contribution to board and committee discussions.

We are particularly keen to hear from individuals of all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented groups, who bring curiosity, integrity, and a commitment to thoughtful and effective decision-making.

If you share our passion for road safety and our vision of zero road deaths and serious injuries on UK roads, I encourage you to consider this opportunity and welcome your application.

As CEO, that vision motivates me every day, and I am always keen to connect with people who share our commitment to making roads safer for everyone.

Ruth Purdie

Welcome and reflections from Tony Fuller, Outgoing Chair of The Road Safety Trust

Thank you for your interest in becoming the next Chair of The Road Safety Trust.

It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees since 2021, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the role. The Trust is a distinctive and purposeful organisation, with a clear mission to make UK roads safer and a vision that no one should be killed or seriously injured on our roads.

The role of Chair is both fulfilling and important. It brings the opportunity to work with a committed Board of Trustees, a highly dedicated executive team and a wide network of partners who share a determination to improve road safety through evidence, collaboration and practical action. It is a role that requires sound judgement, careful stewardship and constructive challenge, but also one that offers real satisfaction in helping to guide an organisation whose work has clear public benefit.

During my time as Chair, the Trust has continued to mature and strengthen its impact.

We have supported a wide range of research and practical interventions, invested in new areas of work, strengthened our governance and grown our role as a trusted voice in the road safety sector. A particularly proud moment was the recent launch of our 10-Year Impact Study at a major national event. The report demonstrated the breadth and depth of the Trust’s contribution over the past decade, including the way in which a number of our grant-funded projects have helped shape thinking at the highest levels, and also informed the Government’s Road Safety Strategy, published earlier this year. That, as much as anything else, demonstrates how far the Trust’s work now reaches, and the important role it will continue to play in supporting safer roads across the UK.

The next Chair will join the Trust at an important moment. We are just over a year into delivering our new 2025–2028 strategy, with a renewed focus on impact, evidence, influence and strong governance. The Trust has a strong platform from which to build, but there is also more to do as we seek to widen our reach, deepen our partnerships and maintain a strong focus on high-impact grant giving. An important part of the work ahead will be ensuring that the evidence, insight and learning generated through the projects we fund is easier to access, easier to share and more useful to those working to make UK roads safer.

This is a highly rewarding opportunity for someone who shares the Trust’s purpose and values, and who can help guide, challenge and support the organisation through its next stage of development. I do hope you consider applying.

Tony Fuller