We are pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Frost as our new Managing Director, effective from the 2nd February 2026.
Stephen is firmly committed to Bridges’ values and brings a wealth of experience working with communities. He builds on the strong foundations left by Dan Green, who led the charity for over 15 years. Stephen’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Bridges as it continues to develop new approaches to working with Bristol’s communities and ensuring those seeking sanctuary here feel part of community life.
Owen Lynch, Chair of Bridges for Communities, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Stephen to lead Bridges for Communities into its next chapter. His expertise, vision and passion for connecting people will be invaluable as we continue our work to help Bristol’s communities grow in their understanding of each other and live well with difference.”
Stephen said:
“It is a real honour to join Bridges and be part of a community that is working to make our city fairer, kinder and more welcoming. Throughout my career I’ve had the privilege of working with people from all over the UK to build connections across differences and overcome shared challenges, so I’m excited to continue this work in Bristol. I’m looking forward to getting to know the Bridges team, volunteers and trustees as well as getting out and about in Bristol’s diverse neighbourhoods.”
About Stephen
Stephen is an experienced leader and has worked across the voluntary, social enterprise and public sector to help build stronger communities and a fairer society.
Before joining Bridges, Stephen was a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) where he worked with communities from across the UK to develop shared visions of the future and make policy recommendations on topics ranging from social inclusion to the future of their local areas and responses to environmental crises. He joined IPPR as the Co-Head of the Environmental Justice Commission, leading the citizens’ juries that underpinned its conclusions as well as co-authoring the commission’s final report.
Stephen has also worked as the Head of Research at the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans), developing his understanding of the role of the built environment in connecting people, and as the community development lead within a local authority. Before this he worked for a range of social enterprises and charities to promote volunteering, social action and public participation in decision making.