The Board of Trustees are delighted to announce that Tony Byrne has been offered and accepted  the CEO role on a permanent basis.  
  
Jim Irvine Chair of Trustees commented:  

The Trustees are confident that Tony has the experience, skills and qualities to guide us through the next chapter as we continue to support the EB community.  We look forward to working with him to deliver our strategy as we seek to take the fight with EB to the next level.

Tony Byrne CEO commented:

I am delighted to be joining DEBRA permanently. I have been impressed and inspired by the commitment that is demonstrated daily by all of the teams at DEBRA and look forward to working with you all and our Members and Supporters to deliver the Trustees Strategic plan.  Together we will Fight EB and strive to achieve our vision  -   of a world where no one suffers from the painful skin condition epidermolysis bullosa. 

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DEBRA Welcomes Interim CEO Tony Byrne

Originally published 7 October 2020 

Tony Byrne has been appointed as Interim CEO at DEBRA UK, the national charity supporting people suffering from epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a potentially fatal genetic skin condition that causes constant pain due to unstoppable internal and external blistering. Tony will begin his role on Monday 12th October.

Tony brings over 30 years’ experience in senior management roles working in the commercial, charity and not for profit sectors globally including the position of Board Director for UK and Ireland at Compass Group PLC, where he devised and launched the Group’s UK & Ireland education strategy, branding and services, this was adopted across the Group’s education sector in 55 countries. Tony was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education to serve on the School Food Trust providing strategic advice and guidance on delivering school meals. He also led its healthcare sector revising its retail strategy and introducing a new senior living brand.

Commenting on his new appointment Tony Byrne said:

I am delighted to be joining DEBRA at such an exciting time. I share the charity’s vision of striving to achieve a world where no one suffers from the painful skin condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB). I look forward to contributing to the wonderful work the charity does, working alongside the DEBRA Trustees, Senior Leadership Team, staff and volunteers to deliver DEBRA’s key aims of funding pioneering research for symptom alleviation, providing ongoing care and support to the EB Community and ultimately finding a cure for this devastating condition.

Jim Irvine, Chair of Trustees at DEBRA said:

Tony brings a wealth of experience to this role spanning business and change management, e-commerce and executive leadership. Tony joins DEBRA at a pivotal time, charged with leading the charity through a transformational period of strategic development and driving income generation to enable the continued investment into research, healthcare, best practice and support for the EB community.

Tony is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (IOD) and currently holds non-executive positions with Brighter Futures for Children Ltd and Orian Solutions Ltd.