JDRF appoints new fundraising chief

JDRF’s new UK Director of Fundraising is looking forward to “playing my part” in helping to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

Dean Benton joined the Type 1 charity this week from the RAF Benevolent Fund, where he had been Director of Marketing and Communications for eight years. Before that, he worked as Director of External Affairs for Action for Children.

With experience of corporate, appeal, direct marketing and legacy income generation, Dean started his fundraising career in community and regional fundraising.

Dean said: “I am absolutely thrilled by my appointment and excited by the prospect of playing my part in helping to find the cure for Type 1 diabetes.

“I join a vibrant organisation wholly committed to its charitable endeavour. Its spirit and single minded determination will one day make the world a better place for those currently affected by the condition.”

Karen Addington, Chief Executive of JDRF in the UK, said: “We are really looking forward to working with Dean and benefitting from his wealth of experience and knowledge.

“He joins us at a time of very exciting growth and development, as we aim to once again achieve the 12 per cent growth in income that we achieved last year. On behalf of everyone that lives with Type 1 diabetes, I thank him for joining the team and supporting our mission to cure the condition.”

Dean will be replacing Caroline Hellicar, who is moving onto Asthma UK after nearly eight years at JDRF.

The 400,000 people in the UK who live with type 1 diabetes – including 29,000 children – rely on multiple insulin injections or pump infusions every day just to stay alive. A child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of five faces up to 19,000 injections and 50,000 finger prick blood tests by the time they are 18. The condition is not linked to lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.

JDRF exists to find the cure for Type 1 diabetes, and is the world’s leading Type 1 diabetes research charity.  At a global level, JDRF volunteers and staff have been responsible for raising over £1 billion to support Type 1 diabetes research, since the charity’s inception.