World Animal Protection Governance

We move the world to protect animals

We are local

Working on the ground with local partners for greatest effect, we are active in more than 50 countries.

We are global

We have consultative status at the Council of Europe and collaborate with national governments, the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health – influencers with the power to improve the lives of millions of animals.

Location and structure

Our International office is in London. We are registered as a charity and a company in the UK and work with affiliated World Animal Protection offices around the world. Our offices are linked through collaboration agreements that ensure we work in a unified and consistent way, supporting a strategy developed by staff worldwide.

We are governed by a Board of between 11 and 13 trustees from a wide variety of backgrounds. The Board has statutory duties under the UK Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011 for the general management and control of World Animal Protection. With the exception of certain powers, which it reserves for itself, the Board delegates the day-to-day management of World Animal Protection to the Chief Executive.

Our International Board

World Animal Protection’s current Board members are:

Joanna Kerr – Chair International Board
Sarah Ireland – Interim Deputy Chair International Board
Berangere Michel
Christine Lloyd
Franc Cortada
Jamie Patrick Craig
Mwikali Muthiani
Sandra Bereti
Svetlana Ignatieva

The work of our Board is supported by the following committees

Audit and Finance Committee

The Audit and Finance Committee oversees all financial aspects of our work on behalf of the Board. This includes:

  • to oversee, with delegated authority on behalf of the Board, all financial aspects of the charity, and report back to the Board as appropriate
  • to guide, advise and make recommendations to the Board regarding the approval of budgets, accounts and financial statements and relevant financial policies
  • to advise the Board on the financial implications of the organisation’s strategic plans and its on-going financial viability
  • to review the performance of charity investments
  • oversee the processes related to risk management and internal control and
  • to oversee the internal and external audit processes.

Standing Committee

The standing committee discharges the functions of the Board between regular Board meetings.

Missions Committee

  • reviews the quality of progress and impact of the organisation’s four strategic programme areas, ensuring they are consistent with the Global Strategy, its theory of change, strategic objectives and goals.
  • keeps under review the organisations animal welfare policy ensuring that it is consistent with international best practice and evidence, external policy developments, and World Animal Protection’s Global Strategy and Brand.

People and Culture Committee

  • reviews the CEO’s performance, remuneration and appraisal process.
  • maintains oversight of World Animal Protection’s policies on HR and pay to ensure they are consistent with the needs of the business, current legislation and best practice and the Board’s requirements as expressed from time to time and
  • maintains an oversight of the organisation’s development and culture.

Nominations and Governance Committee

The Nominations and Governance Committee identifies candidates for appointment and/or reappointment to the Board and reviews the performance of individual trustees and the Board as a whole on a regular basis. In addition, the Committee keeps the governance of World Animal Protection under review and recommends enhancements to ensure the systems in place are suitably robust, reflect best practice in the sector and elsewhere, and most effectively support the needs of the organisation now and in the future.

Become a World Animal Protection trustee

We welcome applications from people interested in becoming Trustees on our international and national boards. For more information and current vacancies, please email HokPang@worldanimalprotection.org.

Global organisational policies

To help us work better together, we have a Global Policy Framework. This is a set of policies that express our shared values and principles. Implemented locally by our country offices, these policies bind us together but still enable our offices to reflect their own legal, political, economic, social and cultural situations. 

Read our global policies

Modern Slavery Statement

This statement is made pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It constitutes World Animal Protection’s slavery and human trafficking statement in respect of the network of World Animal Protection offices.

Read the statement here

Accounts and annual reports

Read our annual reports to learn how donations from our supporters impact the lives of animals throughout the world.

Until June 2014, World Animal Protection was known as WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals). Annual reports for 2012 and before relate to WSPA. Find out why we changed our name.

Tell the world