Safe Passage International welcomes Jo Cobley as new CEO

We are happy to announce the appointment of Jo Cobley as Chief Executive Officer at Safe Passage International, with Donna Covey stepping down after an interim period.   

Jo Cobley said of joining Safe Passage International: “I am delighted to join this fantastic organisation that I have long admired. Having worked with children and young people seeking asylum for many years, I have a deep appreciation of just how vital this work is.  

“We are in a time of immense challenge: with growing polarisation on refugee rights across Europe, threats to support for unaccompanied children in Greece and increasingly dangerous tactics targeting refugees at French borders. In the UK, refugee family reunion is under attack amidst the harshest asylum policy reform we have seen in decades.  

“With this in mind, we will continue to work, alongside our Young Leaders, for refugee families and unaccompanied children to access safe routes and to live safely with their loved ones.”  

Jo brings 12 years of experience within the refugee sector, including seven years as CEO of Young Roots, developing an ambitious strategy for the organisation to meet young refugees’ needs. Jo has also held leadership roles at Migrant Help, Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants, and most recently at the Refugee Council.  

Our Board of Trustees said: “We’re pleased to welcome Jo as CEO at Safe Passage International, bringing her strategic skills and extensive experience of the refugee sector to our mission.  

“We look forward to working with Jo to ensure SPI’s teams in the UK, France and Greece can continue their essential work reuniting refugee families, and campaigning for safe routes.  

“We also want to thank Donna Covey immensely for her thoughtful and compassionate leadership as Interim CEO for the past nine months. We’re grateful for her expertise, and wish her all the best in her next steps.”