Devia Gurjar
Chief Charity & External Affairs Officer
Tell us a bit about your background
Having spent much of the last decade working in charities and membership organisations (largely disability and children’s causes), I have built a strong understanding of the sector and its contributions to supporting those who need it most.
I started my career managing internal communications and engagement in a FTSE 100 retailer in the charity sector, and have built a passion for strong, audience-led fundraising, marketing and communications campaigns.
Before joining Hft, I was Director of Brand, Marketing and then also Fundraising at children’s charity Barnardo’s. I have also led fundraising, communications and marketing teams at Girlguiding, RNIB and Scope. I’m particularly proud of my work on awareness raising and perception-shifting campaigns in the disability sector such as RNIB’s ‘#SeeSense’ and Scope’s ‘#EndTheAwkward’ as well as driving significant growth in fundraised income at Barnardo’s during the pandemic with fundraising products such as #Kidsmas and #UnseenSummer.
Having chaired cross-organisational digital transformation boards and programmes of work, I’m a keen enthusiast for the mainstreaming of technology which can support disabled people to enjoy inclusion and access across all areas of their lives.
I have been also able to share my skills across the sector and joined the MND Association Board of Trustees in 2019.
Devia says…
“I feel very privileged to be able to continue my passion for causes which build a more inclusive and equal future with Hft. My vision is to inspire more people to support and engage in our work, helping us to achieve more for people with learning disabilities.”