Frankie Smith appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer
As Emily Jack begins her maternity leave, we’re pleased to share that Frankie Smith, our Chief Finance and Operations Officer, will step into the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer for the duration of her leave.
This transition comes at a strong moment for the charity. Our recently published 2024/25 Impact Report highlights the progress we continue to make in supporting children’s literacy, working in close partnership with schools, volunteers and supporters to deliver meaningful and lasting change. In the last academic year, we reached over 180,000 children through one of our 10 literacy programmes – a 92% increase on children benefitted year-on-year.
I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved this year so far and the impact reflected in our latest report. Bookmark is in a strong position, with a clear strategy and an experienced leadership team, to continue delivering for children, schools and supporters while I’m on leave. Frankie brings deep organisational knowledge, strong leadership and a clear commitment to our mission. I’m confident the organisation's work will grow in momentum as we continue to deliver our three-year strategy to have 500,000 children across 1,000 schools benefit from a Bookmark Literacy Programme by July 2027.
Frankie will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees to ensure continuity, stability and purposeful growth towards increased impact.
“It’s a privilege to step into the Interim CEO role at a time when the charity has such clarity of purpose and evidence of impact. My priority will be to support the team to continue delivering high-quality outcomes for children, while building on the strong foundations already in place.”
To support this transition, we’re delighted to have appointed Jess Dennis as our Interim Chief Finance and Operations Officer. Jess comes with a wealth of experience as the former Director of People, Finance and Operations at the Forward Institute, an organisation working with leaders to shape a better future through responsible leadership.
We thank Emily for her outstanding leadership and wish her every success as she begins her maternity leave. Looking ahead, we look forward to welcoming her back as we conclude the delivery of our current strategy.
Read our 2024 – 27 strategy
We’ve got ambitious plans to support more children across the country over the next three years.
