Bharat Mehta appointed as new GFCF Chair

The board and staff of the GFCF are delighted to announce that Bharat Mehta has been appointed as the new Chair of its board. Bharat takes on the role of Chair following the term of Ian Bird, Chief Executive Officer of Community Foundations Australia, who has held the position since 2021.

Based in London, Bharat stepped down as Chief Executive of the Trust for London in 2021. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (NSF, renamed RETHINK). He has also worked for the Medical Research Council, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Social Services Department of the London Borough of Waltham Forest and as a community worker for Pensioners Link. (Read Bharat’s full bio here)

Upon his appointment, Bharat shared the following message with GFCF partners and allies:

Hello friends,

I am immensely grateful to my colleagues on the board of the GFCF for having faith in appointing me as the Chair of the board to take over from Ian Bird. Ian leaves big shoes to fill, as he has done a great job in steering us through many critically important issues with sensitivity, patience and understanding. On behalf of us all at the GFCF, I would like to thank Ian. I’m very glad that he will be staying on the board. We will continue to welcome his guidance over the coming years. 

With cuts in funding from various sources, community organizations across the world are facing huge financial, philosophical and governance issues. Our work at the GFCF, supporting our partners in the essential work of building local resources and local constituencies for their work, has never seemed more important. We remain committed to the #ShiftThePower movement and values, while also looking forward towards what is Possible Now.

The GFCF is in very good hands with Jenny Hodgson as the Executive Director. She is hugely talented and a highly respected player in the development sector globally. She leads a small and immensely skilled team of four, dispersed across two continents. Together, I hope you will agree that they enable the GFCF to punch well above its weight.

I am really excited about working with you all in your various capacities over the next three years. The GFCF will need your guidance, patience and support as we face the looming challenges together. I promise to do my best to ensure that the GFCF plays it part. I’ll also rely on you to let me know when I and / or the GFCF fall short. 

My very best wishes to you all, and I hope I am able to meet as many of you as possible in person – including at the 2026 Summit in Kathmandu – or online during my tenure. 

Bharat