The Board of Forces in Mind Trust has appointed Hans Pung, President of RAND Europe, as its Chairman with effect from December 2016.  Hans succeeds the Trust’s founding Chairman, Air Vice-Marshal Tony Stables CBE, who is standing down after 5 years.

Hans entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1991, and served in the US Army as an engineer officer until 2002.  During this period he studied for 2 years at postgraduate level at Merton College Oxford, and subsequently joined RAND Europe in Cambridge as a policy analyst.  Responsible for research across Europe in defence, health, innovation, social policy, and security, Hans was appointed RAND Europe’s President in 2012.  Hans and his family live in North Hertfordshire.

Deputy Chairman Andrew Cowan, who led the selection process, said: “We are delighted to appoint Hans Pung as our Board Chairman.  His experience and abilities will ensure Forces in Mind Trust builds on the outstanding work of Tony Stables as we implement our strategy for the coming years”.

Hans Pung said: “Being from a military background myself, I understand the challenges of moving from military to civilian life.  I’m delighted to be joining the Forces in Mind Trust as Chairman and supporting its exceptional work helping Service members and their families make a successful and sustainable transition.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editor

About the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

  • FiMT came about from a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund (‘the Fund’), Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities) and other charities and organisations.  FiMT continues the Fund’s long-standing legacy of support for veterans across the UK with an endowment of £35 million awarded in 2012.  http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/.
  • The mission of FiMT is to enable ex-Service personnel and their families make a successful and sustainable transition to civilian life, and it delivers this mission by generating an evidence base that influences and underpins policy making and service delivery.
  • FiMT awards grants (for both responsive and commissioned work) to support its change model around 6 outcomes in the following areas: Housing; Employment; Health and wellbeing; Finance; Criminal Justice System; and Relationships.
  • All work is published in open access and hosted on the Veterans’ Research Hub.  A high standard of reportage is demanded of all grant holders so as to provide a credible evidence base from which better informed decisions can be made.

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About RAND Europe:

RAND Europe is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.  Clients include European institutions, governments, charities, foundations, universities and private sector firms with a need for objective research.  Combined with proven methodological expertise in evaluation, impact measurement and choice modelling, RAND Europe offers quality-assured research and analysis, unbiased insights and actionable solutions that make a difference to people’s lives. www.randeurope.org

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