British Exploring Society chooses Joseph Howes as its next Chief Executive Officer

Following an extremely competitive process with over 200 applicants, the Council of British Exploring Society has chosen Joseph Howes – currently at Buttle UK – to become its next Chief Executive Officer. Joseph will succeed the current CEO, Honor Wilson-Fletcher, at the start of March 2026.

British Exploring Society is a world-class youth development charity with a unique heritage and a large, engaged membership of volunteers and supporters. It provides young people with expeditions and adventures to remote and wild environments in the UK and overseas to foster resilience and confidence. It believes that challenging experiences can transform lives, empowering and equipping young people with the courage, integrity, skills, and motivation to make the most of their future.

Over its 93 year history, British Explore Society has run 229 expeditions across six continents and more than 99 locations, including the Arctic, the Amazon, the Himalayas, and deserts across the globe. Today, the Society continues to combine adventure with education, empowering young people to develop self-belief, teamwork, and environmental awareness. The charity still works with young people aged 14-25 years from across the UK, but the demographic of those beneficiaries has transformed over the past decade. In 2024, 54% of Young Explorers that went on expedition declared total household income below £23,000. While any young person can still apply to join a programme, British Exploring Society has become particularly focused on finding and supporting those from communities lacking access, or the confidence to access, learning opportunities outside the classroom, as well as individuals with poor educational and employment prospects, and young people facing personal, emotional and social difficulties.

Joseph Howes has spent 23 years working with vulnerable children and young people. As well as a deep understanding of issues around risk management and safeguarding, he has a national profile through his role as Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition. 

For the past seven years Joseph has been Chief Executive of Buttle UK – a large national grant-giving charity supporting over 6,000 young people facing poverty or crisis. He comes from a business development and fundraising background, first at The King’s Trust (known then as The Prince’s Trust) and subsequently at Action for Children. Immediately prior to joining Buttle, he was Executive Director of Fundraising, Development and Communications at the youth homelessness charity Depaul. In his spare time, Joseph is a Trustee of School Home Support (SHS) and he has previously been a Trustee of the Rainforest Foundation and Peckham Shed. He is also a keen traveller and an enthusiastic cross-country runner and cyclist.

Speaking about the appointment Tim Passingham, British Exploring Society’s Chair, commented: 

“In Joseph we believe we have found the right person to lead British Exploring Society towards its Centenary in 2032, ensuring we have the stable foundations required to continue fulfilling our purpose of helping young people to unlock their self-belief and ‘Find their Fire’. We know he will be a passionate champion of our core intent – keeping everything we do anchored towards unlocking the self-belief of young people, even as we continually adapt and iterate to respond to the changing needs of our beneficiaries, and the evolving environment in which we deliver our programmes. Etc…”

Joseph added: 

“This is an opportunity to lead a truly remarkable organisation that has a profound and life-changing impact on the lives of young people. I am excited to start getting to know all the people who make up the British Exploring Society community. Etc…”