Ellie Southwood MBE

Director of impact and external Affairs

Until March 2023, Ellie was a member of Brent Council’s Cabinet. Over the past eight years she has been accountable for core council services, including waste management and highways: housing, including building the first council homes in decades: local welfare and financial inclusion: and jobs, economy and citizen experience. She is passionate about good quality, equitable local services.

Ellie is a former chair of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) where she led the organisation through a statutory review by the Charity Commission, financial transformation and significant modernisation. Ellie currently chairs Habinteg Housing Association, which specialises in accessible and adaptable homes across England.

Ellie’s earlier career spans the public private and non-profit sectors and she brings significant public policy, campaigning and organisational change experience. Ellie is blind and lives in North West London where she is a local Councillor for Queens Park, Brent.

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