CareTech Foundation chief executive Jonathan Freeman has been appointed as the chair of trustees of Carers Worldwide, the international development charity promoting recognition and support of family carers in low and middle-income countries, replacing the outgoing founding chair, Chris Underhill, who has been with the charity since its inception in 2012.

Freeman is chief executive of the CareTech Charitable Foundation, a position he has held since its establishment in 2017. The Foundation supports and champions the social care sector, care workers and those living in care. He is also vice-chair of the cross-sector Championing Social Care initiative.

Freeman was previously managing director of Mosaic, the Prince of Wales’s mentoring initiative, and before that a member of the senior civil service. He brings a wealth of experience of working in the public, private and charitable sectors over almost 30 years and will bring his skills in strategic development, change management, governance and people management to the role, along with both personal and professional knowledge of care and caring.

Freeman said: “Carers Worldwide is an amazing charity with a hugely important mission. I am humbled to have been given the opportunity to support the next phase of their ambitious journey to ensure that unpaid carers in the global South and beyond are recognised, supported and respected properly.”

Four new trustees have also been appointed: Dionne Williams, Ian Yates, Maria Andrews and Maveen Pereira.

The founder and executive director of Carers Worldwide Anil Patil said: “Our most diverse board yet, the trustees bring a rich mix of skills and expertise which will assist us in placing carers even more firmly on the agendas of governments, NGOs and corporates across the global South. The skills needed to strengthen all areas of the organisation, including our new training and consultancy offer will be very present. In addition, the lived personal and professional experiences of caring that many of our trustees bring to the board will continue to ensure an authentic understanding of carers and their lives will stay at the heart of all we do.”