Chief Executive

Jane Brewin is Chief Executive of Tommy's.

Born in Cheshire and educated in Buckinghamshire, Jane gained a degree in Geography from Manchester University before joining one of the largest food companies in the UK, Rank Hovis McDougall, where she became the youngest Board Director, aged 30. During her time at RHM she managed several large household-name food brands like Bisto, Hovis and Mother's Pride, as well as developing an innovative system of consumer response that increased profits for both manufacturer and retailer. She was also instrumental in developing the first crusty loaf which was able to remain fresh for several days!

Jane moved to Tommy's in 2000 in part because charities were looking to import more commercial people into the sector and in part because of her belief in Tommy's mission. She describes her own vision as a desire "to reduce the inequalities in pregnancy which give some babies a disadvantage throughout life and to reduce the long-term distress felt by parents when their baby dies and no one can explain why". Her initial priority was to make the charity better known, which would have the knock-on effect of improving the organisation's income and allowing it to have a greater impact on its cause.

In pursuit of this goal, she:

• Re-branded the organisation to increase clarity of Tommy's research and goals
• Secured free advertising campaigns for three years with the help of Dominic Proctor, one of Tommy's trustees, who runs the media agency, Mindshare
• Improved print and broadcast media coverage
• Managed several high-profile events
• Lobbied the government to increase the priority given to obstetrics care

As a result, Tommy's income has risen from £2.2m to over £3m per annum in recent years and it continues to rise, with increasing income generated from donors, events attendees and corporate partners. In addition, the ratio of fundraising cost to income (one of the best measurements of a charity's effectiveness) continues to fall.

Jane was instrumental in setting up the Manchester research centre which, together with its sister centres in London and Edinburgh, forms the largest research group in Europe. The centres have now established an international reputation thanks to their tangible results for the treatment of pre-eclampsia and pre-term birth. Jane has also helped establish a pregnancy information service, using website, phone and publications, which is now available to all pregnant women and their families.

Set up in 1992 with just a handful of employees, Tommy's has grown to a workforce of 25 and is now the UK's leading baby charity.

Jane combines her hectic business life in the city with a more relaxed rural background. She lives in a small Buckinghamshire village where she regularly pursues her passions for horse riding and "simply enjoying the countryside". The price for this is a 5.30am start each working morning and a daily four-hour round-trip into the Tommy's office in central London.

Jane has three god-children, including a Thomas, though she resists the temptation to call him Tommy!