Solicitor heads up whistleblowing charity as job share

A solicitor has been promoted to joint chief executive officer of whistleblowing charity Protect. 

Sybille Raphael, admitted to the roll in 2006, has been Protect’s legal director since November 2020. Her promotion, the organisation said, ‘is designed to strengthen strategic oversight, enhance innovation, and ensure Protect’s growth’.

Raphael said it was a ‘privilege’ to take on the role where she will work alongside existing chief executive Elizabeth Gardiner in a flexible job share.

She added: ‘Together [with Gardiner], we’re committed to deepening our impact, empowering our teams, and amplifying the vital work of Protect.’

Gardiner said: ‘In the last five years, Protect has expanded rapidly and increased our impact. I am looking forward to working with Sybille in this new arrangement and believe our complementary expertise will enable us to meet the next stage of our growth.’

Speaking of the job share, Lucy McLynn, Protect’s chair of trustees, said the ‘joint CEO model will help us scale our impact, building on the charity’s strong foundations and pushing forward with bold, collaborative leadership’.

She added: ‘Sybille brings not only exceptional expertise and skills but enthusiasm and ambition.’

The announcement of Raphael’s new role follows Protect and Whistleblowing International Network’s open letter to the secretary of state for business and trade Peter Kyle, calling for the adoption of clause 29 of the Employment Rights Bill. ‘An amendment that would place a legal duty on employers to investigate concerns raised by staff and extend protections against unfair dismissal,’ the charity said.