Deirdre Walsh

Previously Head of Retail and Compliance at the charity, Deirdre began her career with Jack and Jill as a volunteer 16 years ago, moving on to become a Fundraising Executive, and then to lead the Fundraising team for over seven years. More recently, Deirdre has orchestrated the successful expansion of the Retail arm of the organisation, which today includes 16 charity boutiques and an online store. Indeed in 2022, retail income for Jack and Jill saw a 67.5% increase versus the previous year, having successfully navigated through the difficulties that Covid brought to the retail sector and demonstrating Deirdre’s commitment to the strategic growth in this area. With three additional charity boutiques in the pipelines; this positive trajectory is set to continue as a major fundraising income stream for Jack and Jill. In her Compliance role, Deirdre has been instrumental in ensuring the highest standards of governance and transparency across the organisation, including securing Triple Lock Status from the Charities Institute for the last number of years. This is awarded to charities that uphold the highest standards in transparent reporting, ethical fundraising and strong governance structures. Speaking about her appointment to the CEO role in January 2024, Deirdre commented: “I am absolutely delighted and so proud to have been appointed as the new CEO of Jack and Jill. I am so passionate about Jack and Jill and, having started as a volunteer sixteen years ago and worked in multiple and varied roles across the organisation; I have a deep understanding of what support the families under our care need and how we must raise the funds to meet the considerable demands on our service.  Over the years I worked closely with our incredible Founder, Jonathan Irwin, who sadly passed away in December and am committed to continuing his and Mary-Ann’s legacy, in memory of their beautiful son, Jack.  We have a truly fantastic and dynamic team, and I am excited for this next chapter in my Jack and Jill story.”