A senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office has been appointed as the next chief executive of the membership body UK Community Foundations. 

Emma de Closset will succeed Rosemary Macdonald, who left the charity after four years in May to become director of partnerships at Investors in Community. 

De Closset, who has been at the Cabinet Office since 2018 in roles including chief operating officer for the UK’s G7 Presidency in 2021 and Prime Minister’s deputy representative for the first global AI Safety Summit in 2023, was also director of strategy at the National Citizen Service Trust between 2014 and 2017. 

She also previously worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in New York. 

She said: “I am excited to help grow and deepen the impact that our network has in every postcode of the UK. 

“Now more than ever, our communities face complex challenges, and I look forward to working with the UKCF team, our members and partners to build a more resilient and inclusive future for everyone.”

Andrew Tuggey, chair of UKCF, which works with 47 community foundations, said: “We were very keen that community foundations had the opportunity to have input into the selection process, and I am delighted to say that Emma won the overwhelming backing of our diverse network of chairs and chief executives. 

“I know they will all give her their full support when she takes up her new role. She has an infectious passion for place-based philanthropy and volunteering, and we know that she will bring her considerable experience to bear for the benefit of the whole network.”

De Closset will take up her new role in January.