Purnima Tanuku CBE to leave NDNA following over 20 years’ leading the organisation
National Day Nurseries Association’s (NDNA) Executive Chair, Purnima Tanuku CBE, is due to step down from her role at the end of March. Following more than 20 years at the organisation she is leaving NDNA, while continuing to work within early years and education as a non-executive director elsewhere.
Having joined NDNA in 2004 as Deputy Chief Executive, Purnima spent 20 years as Chief Executive before taking on the Executive Chair role following the appointment of Tim McLachlan as Chief Executive in 2025.
In her time as Chief Executive, NDNA opened the National Early Years Enterprise Centre in Huddersfield as its head office as well as setting up national offices in Wales and Scotland. She also oversaw the establishment of key programmes such as Development Zone online training, Quality Counts, Millie’s Mark and Maths Champions, all of which have supported practitioners and settings to improve children’s early education and care. Under Purnima’s leadership, NDNA also expanded its reach not only across the UK but internationally as well.
Purnima Tanuku CBE, NDNA’s Executive Chair said; “It has been a great privilege and honour to represent the early education and care sector across the UK. We have seen the sector transformed in this time – with more focus on children’s development and learning, emphasising their rights and greater appreciation across society of just how crucial the first five years truly are.
“I am delighted that early education and care is a key political priority for governments, not just on cost for families but on quality and outcomes for our children. There are still significant challenges ahead but I have great confidence in our sector and in NDNA as a strong voice for getting it right in early years.
“Across the country, hundreds of thousands of children are already getting the best start at nurseries and pre-schools in our sector. We have never just waited for governments to come up with solutions for the sector. This is why we developed programmes like Maths Champions, Millie’s Mark, Childcare Works, and our Quality Counts framework.
“I know Tim will take NDNA forward with all the work he has done over the past year, ensuring we remain the voice for our sector while providing the support and services that providers need. The time is right for me to step down from my role and focus on new and exciting opportunities supporting children and young people in other ways.
“I am fortunate to have a fantastic team, excellent Board and Policy Advisory Board members and a huge army of volunteers and members who have all supported me to take the organisation forward to where we are today. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone in the early years sector and
I hope that you will continue with the same passion and dedication I have had the pleasure to see in action over the years.”
NDNA’s Chair of Trustees, Jane Haywood MBE said, “I want to pay tribute to and thank Purnima for all she has done for NDNA and the sector over her distinguished time with the charity. She has been a formidable voice for children and providers and a driving force behind the development of NDNA as a national and international organisation.
“Giving children the best start in life has always been our ambition, reflected in the work our members do. We will continue to provide a strong voice for early years providers while following through on our ambitions to support the professionals working in our sector.
“Our Chief Executive Tim has been visiting members across the country and representing the sector at key points. I know he will drive these ambitions forward with his commitment to making a positive impact, proactively defending and promoting the sector.”
Tim McLachlan, NDNA’s Chief Executive said, “I joined NDNA because I want to see a world where all children can have better life chances through accessing high-quality early education and care. To achieve that we need strong and sustainable providers of all shapes and sizes, who are thriving, not just surviving.
“This year I have had the chance to get out and about, meet providers and visit different types of settings. There is a lot of focus on across early education and care right now and I want to make sure NDNA stays at the forefront of those national debates.
“Working alongside Purnima has given me great insights into the history and development of this amazing sector and I look forward to building on the legacy she has created for NDNA and taking the support we offer to the sector forward into the future. This means challenging underfunding, taking on unfair local authority positions and pushing for equity for nurseries who are the backbone of early education and care.”
- childcare
- early education
- early years
- NDNA
- Nursery Training and Development
- Purnima
- Purnima Tanuku
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