Deirdre Evans

Laymember

In her current role, Deirdre is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Football Foundation, which delivers grassroots football facilities as the charity of the Premier League, The FA and Government.

Community football is a cause that is really motivating to Deirdre because of the direct difference it makes to people’s lives, especially their wellbeing.

This has become ever more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Football Foundation has ambitious growth plans which Deirdre will be instrumental in driving forward.

Before this, Deirdre was the CFO for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, a charity with a £120m turnover.

She is also currently the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at Together, the UK’s oldest mental health and wellbeing charity.

Deirdre has worked in the charity sector since 2011, having previously been CFO for The Challenge, the UK’s leading charity for building a more integrated society and Deputy Finance Director for the National Trust.

Before entering the third sector, Deirdre had a successful career in the corporate energy sector, and had executive roles at BG Group and BHP Billiton, culminating in a three-year spell as Deputy CFO at BHP, Aluminium. In these roles, Deirdre developed and led across asset management, business development and finance, operating internationally.

Throughout her career, Deirdre has had extensive involvement in developing, implementing, and monitoring all aspects of governance and risk and assurance.