Top government adviser will be new chief executive of Sephardi community

A senior Government advisor has agreed to take on the role of chief executive at the S&P Sephardi Community, beginning after Pesach.

David Arden, a strategic delivery adviser to the Cabinet Office, will take the reins of the S&P and be based at Lauderdale Road Synagogue.

The S&P board said they were delighted to have attracted Arden, a senior project manager who has previously headed the Home Office’s biometrics programme.

He will work alongside S&P’s current executive director Alison Rosen until she leaves at the end of March, and the popular Senior Sephardi Rabbi Joseph Dweck, who was widely criticised by strictly Orthodox leaders for statements on sexuality last year.

Speaking about Arden’s appointment, the S&P Board said: “His organisational skills and experience in bringing about change will enhance the ongoing evolution of the S&P Sephardi Community. We feel he is an excellent fit to take the community forward to the next stage in its development.”