DSC’s Chair Catherine Johnstone made CBE for services to suicide prevention

Catherine has been a DSC trustee since 2011. She has 23 years’ experience as a CEO, primarily in the charity sector. Currently the CEO of the Dover-based national charity Migrant Help UK, Catherine led Samaritans for six and a half years before she moved on in August 2015.

During her time with Samaritans Catherine worked with 22,000 volunteers and a dedicated staff team to reorganise the charity to meet the increasing demand on its services.  She set up the Suicide Prevention Alliance to encourage collaboration and partnership working across all sectors and developed national initiatives with organisations such as Network Rail and Vodafone in a quest to reduce suicide.

On receiving the CBE, Catherine said ‘I am delighted to receive this honour. Throughout my career I have been privileged to lead organisations that offer support and hope to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.’

DSC’s Chief Executive Debra Allcock Tyler said ‘this is fabulous news and very richly deserved. We are terribly proud that our Chair has been so honoured, and for such important work. Catherine is an outstanding leader and talent in our sector, and her work with Samaritans was exemplary. She is a stalwart believer in the power of charity and voluntary action to change people’s lives. It is brilliant that this has been recognised.’