Former WANdisco boss's charity donates £10,000 to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust

The trust delivers programmes to people of different ages, abilities and economic and cultural backgrounds to transform lives and support local communities.

Its founding chair is entrepreneur Dame Julie Kenny, who is now serving as the second Lady Master Cutler in the history of the Cutlers’ Company.

She said she was delighted by the backing of the foundation.

“We are enormously grateful for this generous donation from the David and Jane Richards Family Foundation, which will help the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust to enrich even more people’s lives with cultural activities.

“As the founding chair of the trustees, the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust is a charity that is very close to my heart. I personally know how hard it is to be a woman in industry – how uncomfortable it can be walking into a male-dominated room, with the ‘are you the secretary?’ comments and the lack of respect for your position.

“That is why I am so proud of the programmes we offer to show people the sky's the limit and inspire them to develop new skills in entrepreneurship, conservation, heritage, digital and hospitality.”

In a joint statement, Mr and Mrs Richards said: “We are thrilled to be able to support the Master Cutler’s Challenge 2023.

"We believe that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not and that’s why we are proud to be helping the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust to deliver life-changing community and educational projects for people across South Yorkshire.”

Mr Richards left WANdisco earlier this year in the wake of shares in the company being suspended after it revealed that it may have mis-stated its expected revenues for 2022 by millions of pounds.

After the issue was identified by Mr Richards and chief financial officer Erik Miller, subsequent investigations found that an unnamed single “senior sales employee” was responsible for “false” sales and revenue figures.

WANdisco now has a new leadership team, who have recently confirmed an intention to rename the Sheffield-based company in the wake of this year’s problems.

The company will be renamed Cirata.

Earlier this week, the firm published interim results which showed a pre-tax loss of £18m for the six months to June 30.

A statement to the London Stock Exchange said: “As communicated with shareholders during the recent equity fundraise, the discovery of the irregularities had a significant impact on prospective customers, strategic partners, the pipeline and the overall business.”

New chief executive officer Stephen Kelly said there are hopes for the future despite recent challenges.

" Our new name, Cirata, captures the opportunity of moving massive datasets to power analytic and AI strategies for customers, but also must embed our values and vision for a growth company centered on trust and integrity.

"Our partners and customers are re-engaging.”