About Us
Mail Force Charity CIO is a registered charity (England and Wales number 1189196, Scotland number SC050218) launched by the Daily Mail and General Trust plc during the first UK lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity’s first mission was to source and provide essential equipment, including masks and coveralls, required by the NHS and care workers fighting the pandemic and, with the support of the very generous British public, we helped those heroic workers in their fight to save lives.
Subsequently, we responded to the crisis of online learning, helped to overcome the ‘digital divide’ and supported children and young people in education whose education was hampered by barriers to getting online and engaging in remote learning.
We then responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, helping refugees displaced in the war by supporting aid organisations getting help to those most in need.
We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, the independent regulator of charity fundraising. By registering, we agree that all of our fundraising will be legal, open, honest and respectful and we will comply with the fundraising promise.
Board of Trustees
ANDREW LANE
(Chair of Trustees)
Andrew Lane is a Partner at Forsters LLP and specialises in private client law. He brings a range of experience of dealing with complex legal and regulatory matters. He is a Non-Executive Director of Daily Mail and General Trust plc and also a Trustee of the Pension Fund of the Royal Agricultural Society of England.
Penny Elliott *
Penny is a Consultant in Forsters’ Private Client team. She specialises in advising clients with multiple business interests on legal and strategic issues. She works with a range of clients from overseas investors, institutional property owners, landed estates and high net worth individuals. She is a Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum Development Trust in Cambridge.
Charles Penney *
Charles is a Corporate Partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP based in the London office and was previously the firm’s Senior Partner from 2016 to 2023. He specialises in mainstream corporate finance and has acted over the years for a number of public and private companies, as well as intermediaries, on a wide range of transactions. He was a Director of British American Business Inc. from 2011 to 2023 and sat on its Executive Committee.
HAMISH WEBB
Hamish Webb has managed numerous events and sponsorships for Mail Newspapers since 1992. These have ranged from large consumer events, including Ideal Home Show and RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, to tailored reader competitions, including Daily Mail Foursomes and Not the Turner Prize. He is a director of sponsorship fulfilment company Fletcher Gray Ltd, and previously was Managing Director of Result Events Ltd and marketing manager for Head Sports UK.
JAMES WELSH
James Welsh became dmg media’s Deputy CEO in December 2021. Prior to that he served as dmg media’s Chief Financial Officer for 11 years, in a role which also incorporated functional and operational responsibility across the organisation. By the time James joined dmg media, he’d already accrued extensive experience working across European markets in commercial finance and change management roles, including as PC World’s and Dixons Retail’s Finance Director.
