The CEO of ORT UK will be stepping down from his role, trustees of the charity have announced.
Dan Rickman joined the charity over six years ago, moving from his previous role of CEO of Mitzvah Day.
Issuing a statement, the board said that Rickman had “played a pivotal role in transforming the organisation from a purely fundraising body into a fully operational charity.
“Under his leadership, ORT UK has developed a portfolio of five employability skills programmes, now reaching over 1,000 students annually.”
Rickman spearheaded ORT Jump programmes for sixth formers, including a mentoring programme, a working skills day, an employability skills challenge, an alternative work experience week and an international careers challenge.
The board paid tribute to Rickman for “his leadership, vision, and dedication”, adding that he had “laid a strong foundation for ORT UK’s continued growth and impact”.
Rickman said: “It’s been an absolute privilege to work for ORT UK. I’ve been fortunate to witness first-hand the powerful impact our fundraising has on World ORT projects around the globe. I’m particularly proud of how our community responded to the crisis in Ukraine and, more recently, in Israel, showing just how deeply our supporters care.
“Our employability programmes have grown significantly and having the opportunity to help launch and shape them is something I’ll always be grateful for. I’m excited to watch ORT UK’s next chapter unfold.”
ORT UK has also been part of World ORT’s efforts to support its students globally. After war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the ORT global network began supporting around 3,000 ORT Ukraine staff, students and families, providing extensive emergency aid, including food, medicine and financial support.
Following October 7, World ORT’s operational arm in Israel, Kadima Mada offered psychological support, including one-to-one and therapeutic workshops in subjects including science, robotics, coding and virtual reality.
More than 2,000 children were reached within the first month and the organisation extended its support provision to more than 4,000 students across 44 evacuation centres.
The board said that ORT UK remained focused on expanding its local programmes and continuing its fundraising efforts for World ORT.