An interim leadership case study with EdUKaid

EdUKaid: Steadying the Ship and Charting the Course 

A case study with Interim CEO Davinia Batley 

After 18 months of leadership transition, EdUKaid, a charity supporting education in Tanzania, approached Interims for Impact for help navigating uncertain waters. The Board needed clarity and direction, someone to stabilise operations while preparing the ground for a permanent Director to succeed.

Interims for Impact worked with the Board to define the brief and identify the right person for the task. From a shortlist of experienced leaders, EdUKaid chose Davinia Batley, who joined as Interim Programme Director (Charity Director/CEO) in April 2025.

Rather than arriving with a predetermined fix-it plan, Davinia took time to listen, observe, and understand where EdUKaid truly was, not where it ought to be or where people hoped it was.

“I’m a firm believer in meeting charities where they are,” Davinia explains. “EdUKaid had been through a period of change, and what they needed wasn’t someone pointing out everything that needed fixing. They needed someone to acknowledge the reality, re-energise the team around their brilliant mission, and build the foundations for sustainable success.”

Over five months, Davinia worked systematically across the organisation. She helped the team refocus on EdUKaid’s mission and priorities and designed an agile structure for the future. Behind the scenes, she rebuilt management accounts, created clear and actionable Board reports, updated policies, and produced the annual report and accounts.

Collaborating closely with Trustees, Davinia introduced a new committee structure to strengthen governance without overburdening the Board. She also led an income audit and developed a three-year fundraising strategy to support long-term sustainability. Perhaps most importantly, she ensured a smooth handover to the new permanent Director, onboarding them thoroughly so they could hit the ground running.

Throughout, Davinia had the Interims for Impact community behind her, a hive mind of fellow interim leaders to call upon. She and Felicia Willow, Director and Founder of Interims for Impact, held fortnightly peer support calls to discuss each stage of the contract, ensuring that EdUKaid benefited not only from Davinia’s leadership but also from the collective expertise of dozens of interims.

By August, the EdUKaid team felt energised and aligned. The Board had clarity on priorities for the next financial year, income generation had been reprioritised, and the new Director inherited an organisation ready for growth.

Reflecting on the experience, Davinia said: “It’s about creating the conditions for others to thrive. I’m proud that EdUKaid didn’t simply survive that transition; they emerged stronger and ready for their next chapter.”

Rebecca Harwood, Vice Chair of EdUKaid, said: “Davinia was a delight to work with. She communicated well and added lots of value to EdUKaid in terms of setting up governance structure and helping us with a fundraising plan.”

As part of the package, EdUKaid also benefited from governance support from Interims for Impact, choosing governance training and Board development facilitated by Felicia in November.

Interims for Impact exists to provide expert interim leaders who do more than hold the fort. Each assignment is backed by collective expertise, governance insight and ongoing peer support, helping charities navigate change with confidence and emerge stronger for the future.

Rebecca said: “Since our initial contact with Interims for Impact, we have been very impressed with the professional manner with which EdUKaid has been supported through the process of appointing an Interim CEO, to governance training and facilitating our recent strategy day.  We have come out of this process a stronger and more focussed charity.”