The London-based chief executive of a southern African youth charity co-founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, is to be replaced by an interim executive director tasked with delivering a strategic transformation project, the charity announced today.

Richard Miller, who has led Sentebale for the past five years and will step down in January, said the change was the “logical next step” for the charity.

He will be succeeded by the Johannesburg-based Carmel Gaillard, who will start this month in the new role of executive director on an interim basis as she leads the charity through a process of transformation. 

In a statement, Sentebale said the transformation agenda aimed to stimulate innovative impact investment and scale the impact of its programmes through digital and data-driven strategies.

The charity, which was founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, has evolved from supporting children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana to addressing broader issues of youth health, wealth inequity and climate resilience.

Gaillard will become Sentebale’s first senior leader based in southern Africa, marking the start of a concerted drive to localise executive decision-making powers to the region.

The charity said it would “determine vacancies” and launch the recruitment process for permanent executive roles in 2025, once the transformation process is complete. 

Gaillard, who has performed advisory work for Sentebale and previously held leadership positions at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the southern African youth mental health support charity REPSSI, described her appointment as a “true honour” at a “pivotal moment for the organisation”.

“Innovative funding solutions from both within the region and beyond will allow us to put the big ideas into practice that will take us to the next level of impact for young people in southern Africa,” she said.

Miller said: “I welcome this change and believe it is an exciting way forward that will help unlock new sources of funding and energy for the organisation.

“It is the logical next step for Sentebale, and the time is right for this shift to local leadership. Carmel is an incredible asset to position Sentebale further as a leader in the region.”

In a joint statement, Princes Harry and Seeiso said: “This shift reflects our continued commitment to being guided by voices from within the region we serve. 

“We sincerely thank Richard for his pivotal role in steering our organisation toward this important evolution”.

Sentebale said Miller would continue to work as a consultant in the international development space.