We live in a world where people are increasingly unhappy – and where there is an urgent need for more kindness, connection and meaning. Action for Happiness is a movement of people who want to see a fundamentally different kind of society.
One where people care less about what they can get for themselves and more about the happiness of others. As co-founder, it has been a joy to help this organisation grow from the seed of an idea in 2010 to a vibrant global movement in 2025.
I’m now excited to be passing the Chair role on to someone who can help lead it into its next, even more ambitious, chapter as we seek to scale our funding, capacity, and impact. As Chair, we will need you to help in opening doors, building relationships, and championing our cause externally.
I hope you’ll consider joining us on this journey. This mission is needed now more than ever.
Action for Happiness is a Registered Charity (1175160) but it’s more than just that – it’s a movement of people taking action together.
Our mission is to promote a happier world, by creating a culture that prioritises wellbeing and kindness. We do this by helping people get together regularly to learn evidence-based skills for happier living, feel a sense of belonging and commit to personal action to create more happiness, both for themselves and others.
We have made enormous strides in our first decade, building a ‘social reach’ of over 30m people, a base of 730,000 signed-up members and an incredible network of passionate volunteers running life-changing courses and groups in their local communities. We believe in empowering people to prioritise wellbeing and contribute to a better world. In the words of our Patron, the Dalai Lama: “Happiness is not something ready-made; it comes from your own actions”.
Our work has also been evaluated in an independent Randomised Controlled Trial, showing that it brings significant benefits in terms of enhancing wellbeing, reducing mental health issues and encouraging pro-social behaviour. We have even more ambitious plans for the coming years and hope to significantly scale-up our reach and impact.
Action for Happiness helps people take action to improve wellbeing, for themselves and others. Our vision is a happier and kinder society, with fewer people suffering (e.g. due to mental ill health or social isolation) and more people feeling good, functioning well and helping each other. We deliver our mission in a variety of ways:
As outlined in our latest Strategic Plan, we’re focused on:
At Action for Happiness, we’re building a movement that is truly inclusive and represents the diversity of the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and particularly from groups underrepresented in charity leadership. We are committed to ensuring that everyone involved with AfH feels a sense of belonging. https://actionforhappiness.org/diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging
Professor Lord Richard Layard
Chair of Trustees
Professor of Economics at LSE; founder of Centre for Economic Performance and Head of Well-Being program. Author of best-selling books Happiness and Thrive.
https://cep.lse.ac.uk/layard
Vanessa King
Expert in Positive Psychology, leadership and organisation development. Director at The Change Space. Author of Ten Keys to Happier Living, 50 Ways to Feel Happy and co-author of Creating the World We Want To Live In.
www.actionforhappiness.org/vanessa-king
Dr Radha Modgil
NHS doctor, broadcaster, author & campaigner for wellbeing. Medical expert for BBC Life Hacks and podcast presenter. Radha has an extensive broadcast career and has contributed to many books.
http://drradha.co.uk
Mike Nolet
Entrepreneur and philanthropist using his technology and strategy skills for social good. Founded the tech platform LiveBetter and was the co-founder and CTO at AppNexus. Mike is a member of Founders Pledge.
https://linkedin.com/in/mikenolet
Julie Bentley
CEO of Samaritans, with extensive experience in the charity sector including as CEO of Action for Children. Joint Vice Chair of NCVO and has held trustee roles at several other charities, including Shelter.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-bentley-24210663/
JOB DESCRIPTION
We are seeking an exceptional individual to Chair our Board of Trustees as we embark on an exciting and ambitious new phase.
The Chair of Trustees plays a pivotal leadership role — ensuring our Board functions effectively, our governance is sound, our mission is upheld, and our CEO and team are well supported. Crucially, the incoming Chair will also help us to scale our funding, capacity and impact — opening doors, building relationships and championing our cause externally.
This role is ideal for someone who combines strong experience as a Chair with emotional intelligence, strategic insight, plus a deep alignment to our values and a personal commitment to making the world a happier place.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Governance
Scaling Reach, Funding & Impact
Board Effectiveness
Support for the CEO
PERSON SPECIFICATION
We’re looking for someone who brings:
Skills and Experience
Personal Qualities
We welcome applications from candidates who meet many (but not necessarily all) of these criteria.
Most meetings are virtual, with some optional in-person engagements.
Anderson Quigley is acting as an employment advisor to Action for Happiness. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.
Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact Helene Usherwood at helene.usherwood@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7719 322 669 or Aino Betts, Consultant at aino.betts@andersonquigley.com or +44(0)7743 934 723.
The closing date for applications is 22 August 2025.
Applications should consist of:
| Closing date | 27 August 2025 |
| Preliminary interviews | 01 September - 04 September 2025 ; one hour via Teams |
| Shortlist Meeting | 15 September 2025 |
| Final panel interviews | 23 September 2025 – face to face at Action for Happiness |
actionforhappiness.org 