The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is delighted to announce the appointment of Jeremy Miles as its new Chief Executive Officer. He will join YEF in July 2026, succeeding Jon Yates MBE, who is stepping down after six years leading the organisation. 

Jeremy Miles has served as a Member of the Senedd since 2016, holding a range of senior ministerial roles in the Welsh Government — including Counsel General for Wales, Minister for European Transition, Minister for COVID Recovery, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language, and most recently Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. 

Throughout his ministerial career, Jeremy has led major cross-government work spanning health, education and economic policy. At the heart of that work has been a focus on improving the lives and prospects of children and families — experience he will bring directly to his new role. 

At YEF, he will lead the organisation’s mission to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence. Working closely with colleagues and partners across the services and sectors that shape young people’s lives and outcomes, he will build on the charity’s work to strengthen the evidence of what works, listen to and learn from young people’s experiences, and turn that insight into meaningful change in both practice and policy. 

Jeremy Miles, incoming CEO at Youth Endowment Fund, said: “I am excited to be joining YEF at this crucial time. Every young person deserves the best start in life, and the YEF’s mission to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence goes to the heart of this.  

“YEF’s reputation is underpinned by a rigorous body of evidence – it knows what works – and a passion for using that evidence to change lives.  That’s an incredibly powerful combination. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help YEF build on its successes to date, bringing my experience in reforming systems, and to working with others to help make the lives of children and young people free of violence.”  

Lisa Stone, Chair of the YEF Committee, said: “Jeremy brings a wealth of experience to YEF, having held senior government roles across areas central to our mission. He is a proven leader who will bring both passion and humility to this role, and we are thrilled to have him guiding YEF through its next phase. 

“Jon has been an extraordinary leader over the past six years. His focus and dedication will have a lasting impact on YEF. He hands over an ambitious and highly capable team to deliver our mission to reduce violence affecting children and young people,  

under the guidance of our new CEO, Jeremy.” 

Jon Yates said: “Nothing is more important than ensuring all our children grow up safely. That is why it has been an immense privilege to work with the fantastic team here at YEF to build the first What Works Centre to keep children safe from becoming involved in violence. A lot has been done; we know more than ever about what works to keep children safe, and brilliant work is being done supporting those working with children. It is fantastic to see Jeremy take on the role and I know the organisation will only grow in what it can do – with others – to change things for children.” 

Over the past six years, YEF has: 

• Committed over £165 million to the delivery and evaluation of violence prevention projects in England and Wales. 
• Commissioned over 100 evaluations, including more than 60 impact evaluations — the largest body of UK-based studies ever commissioned on preventing violence affecting children. 
• Carried out the UK’s largest survey of children’s experiences of violence, involving nearly 11,000 teenage children in England and Wales. 
• Helped drive reforms across key systems working with children, including education, youth justice and youth services. 
• Supported widespread use of its guidance and Violence Prevention Toolkit, including by education leaders, youth offending teams and other frontline practitioners. 

The appointment comes at a time when the importance of evidence on what works to prevent violence has never been clearer. The UK Government’s recent Protecting Lives, Building Hope: A Plan to Halve Knife Crime draws heavily on YEF’s research and recommendations. That momentum continues with YEF’s forthcoming Children’s Services Practice Guidance, due to be published in June 2026.