Press releases

ShelterBox appoints director of fundraising and communications

Lisa McCormack joins ShelterBox in its mission to provide emergency shelter to people affected by disaster or conflict

5 April 2024

Woman with blond and brown hair wearing glasses against a green background

Press release – 4 March

The international disaster relief charity ShelterBox has appointed Lisa McCormack as its new director of fundraising and communications. Joining the Cornwall-based charity in its mission to provide emergency shelter to people uprooted from their homes by disaster or conflict, Lisa brings extensive experience to the role.

Lisa has worked in the UK charity sector for the past 20 years, starting at Help the Aged (now AgeUK) where she worked in fundraising events before holding several different posts, including director of communications and fundraising at Creative Youth Network. Lisa has experience working for medical, disability, and animal welfare charities and, for the last five years, has worked as head of fundraising at the Donkey Sanctuary.

Lisa says: “As we begin our crucial response in Gaza, I am honoured to join the remarkable supporters and team at ShelterBox; an organisation renowned for its commitment to people made homeless by disaster and conflict. Together, we will work tirelessly to provide critical shelter when people need it most.”

Lisa lives with her family in Devon and is a trustee at North Devon Hospice.

Sanj Srikanthan, chief executive of ShelterBox, says he’s delighted that Lisa has chosen to join the team: “Lisa’s experience and belief in our mission to leave no one without shelter after disaster will bring a much-valued leader to ShelterBox as we seek to do more in the face of disasters around the world.

The charity, which has operational headquarters in Truro, currently has teams working to support displaced communities affected by conflict in Ukraine, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Syria, Cameroon, and Chad. It has an operational team permanently based in the Philippines because of the frequency with which it responds there, and is also providing aid to drought affected people in Ethiopia and Somalia.

Since it was founded in 2000, ShelterBox has supported more than 2.5 million people across around 100 countries with different combinations of emergency shelter, support, and essential household items. Most recently, the charity supported thousands of people affected by the earthquake in Morocco, severe flooding in Libya, and the earthquakes that devastated parts of Türkiye and Syria.

The charity is responding in Gaza and has launched an urgent fundraising appeal. Working alongside Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), the charity is set to support thousands of displaced people with emergency shelter aid to help people survive wet and cold weather, and items like blankets, mattresses, and kitchen sets.

ENDS

For more information contact the press office at ShelterBox via [email protected].

Notes to Editors

Photographs and captions included.

About ShelterBox

ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. With operational headquarters in Cornwall, the charity also has 13 affiliate organisations worldwide.

The charity has been Rotary International’s project partner in disaster relief since 2012. ShelterBox has supported more than 2.5 million people since it was founded in 2000. www.shelterbox.org