New trustees join RNIB

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has welcomed two new trustees.

Paul Arnold, deputy chief executive at the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, has over 25 years’ experience of data, privacy and information rights regulation.

Arnold’s experience is in “empowering and safeguarding the public whilst enabling businesses to responsibly innovate and grow,” RNIB said.

The charity added that he is “experienced in all aspects of the leadership and transformation of large public bodies.”

Arnold has lived with severe sight loss since birth, and is actively involved in the visually impaired sporting community.

Tanya Castell MBE has also joined RNIB as a trustee.

Castell has a background in financial services and is an expert in risk management, corporate governance and regulation. She holds various non-executive directorships, is an external member of the Bank of England’s prudential regulation committee, and sits on the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory decisions committee.

She received an MBE in 2016 for her work as founder of Changing the Chemistry, a charity that seeks to improve board diversity.

Arnold said: “I’m honoured to be joining the team at RNIB. Supporting and empowering blind and partially sighted people to succeed in all aspects of life is something I’m extremely passionate about.

“As a senior leader with a severe visual impairment myself, I’ve observed far too many blind and partially sighted people encounter prejudice and limiting assumptions about their capability. RNIB is doing great work to challenge those prejudices and change those assumptions and I can’t wait to add my support and experience.”

Castell added: “As someone who is partially sighted, I’ve first-hand experience of the impact a loss of vision can have on day-to-day life.

“Additionally, as someone who is passionate about diversity and inclusion, I’m very pleased to join an organisation whose strategy includes changing public perceptions and behaviours towards those who are blind and partially sighted.”

The addition of Arnold and Castell to the RNIB Board of Trustees means that five out of 12 members are blind or partially sighted.

Anna Tylor, RNIB’s Chair of Trustees, said: “Both Paul and Tanya bring a plethora of professional and personal experience to their roles. They’re passionate about changing the narrative and breaking down barriers that impact every aspect of daily living for blind and partially sighted people.”

She added: “Paul and Tanya are joining us on the cusp of 2024, a year which is set to be exciting and transformative for RNIB. Their experience will be an essential element of our progress and evolution in the years to come. We’re so pleased they’ve chosen to be part of our team.”