Jane Powell Appointed British Stammering Association CEO

The British Stammering Association has appointed Jane Powell as its new Chief Executive.

Powell was Chief Executive of the charity, CALM, which she founded in 2006 and ran until the start of 2017, making male suicide a recognised public health issue. She mobilised the support of Topman and Lynx behind the issue and landed the charity as a founding partner of the Royal Foundation’s Heads Together campaign.

Powell will take up her new role on 4th June.

Tim Fell, Chair of Trustees, said: “I am delighted that Jane Powell has agreed to join the BSA as our new chief executive. Jane has excellent leadership credentials, experience of providing crucial services and a track record of delivering cultural change. She presented a strong vision about how the BSA can move into the future and shape public understanding about stammering, and how it can provide excellent support for its members.”

Powell said: “About 1% of the adult population stammers, which can result in a lifetime dogged by ignorant jokes, restricted career choices and the navigation of daily chores made obstacles by the difficulty of saying the simplest things. I am excited and honoured to be leading the BSA. The mission, over the next five years, is to create a robust organisation, capable of supporting and advocating on behalf of its members, to seek early and effective therapy for children and, ambitiously, to end the discrimination and prejudice facing those who stammer.”

Media contacts:

For further information or to arrange interviews:

Tel during office hours: 020 8983 1003

Jane Powell: ce@stammering.org

About the British Stammering Association

The British Stammering Association (BSA), established in 1978, is a national registered charity. It is the only UK-wide charity which helps both adults and children who stammer. The BSA provides information, help and support to all whose lives are affected by stammering. Stammering helpline Contact us for any issue where you require confidential advice or support. 020 8880 6590 or info@stammering.org

Interviews

People who stammer can make excellent interviewees. We can put you in touch with people who stammer and others who are happy to be interviewed. We can usually find someone locally where that is required. Please contact the Media Contacts above.

What is stammering or stuttering? Stammering is a complex neurological condition that occurs in 1% of the adult population across the world. Men are four times more likely to stammer than women.

People who stammer may feel more anxious or nervous about speaking because of their stammer, but this is not the cause of their stammering. However, they often have qualities that employers rate highly, such as resilience, empathy, listening skills and creativity.

There is a huge stigma surrounds stammering as people inadvertently put a premium on smooth or ‘fluent’ speech.

What causes stammering? Research using brain imaging techniques (MRI) clearly shows that people who stammer have brain anatomy and function that is different from people who don’t stammer. Speech production is a hugely complex system of connections within the brain and, in people who stammer, the connections are arranged in a slightly less efficient way. These differences only affect fluency of speech, but no other cognitive function. People who stammer have normal intelligence, competence and ability.

Stammering can be audible or hidden, but both types can have an enormous effect on the individual’s personal and professional life. Most people develop stammering in early childhood as they learn to speak. However, some people develop a stammer in later life through a brain injury such as a stroke.