We are delighted to announce our new Chief Executive, Louise Wright, who will take on the role from late July. She replaces Heather Blake, following her announcement earlier this year that she is to retire after four years in the role.
Louise joins the charity with a wealth of experience in senior leadership roles in the health and disability sector, most recently as Chief Executive of Vista, a Leicester-based sight loss charity and as Chief Executive of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis, where she led the organisation for five and a half years.
Louise starts with Changing Faces at the end of July
Interim Chair of Trustees, Susan Harrison, said. “After a rigorous selection process, we’re very pleased that Louise will be joining us as Changing Faces’ Chief Executive. Louise brings a wealth of experience from across the health and disability sector which is vital as we, like many charities, continue to navigate a difficult environment. We know that she will be an able and energetic leader, not just for Changing Faces but for the whole visible difference community who continue to face so many challenges. Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to our departing Chief Executive, Heather Blake, for her sterling work over the last four years and our best wishes as she embarks on the next phase of her life.
I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Chief Executive at Changing Faces. Around 20% of people in the UK have a visible difference, and nearly half of those have experienced inappropriate or unwelcome attention because of this. Changing Faces plays a leading role, not just in supporting people with a visible difference through their services, but also in changing attitudes through their energetic campaigns. It is an organisation that shares my passion for a fairer society for all and I am excited to be joining such a fantastic team.
Louise will join us at the end of July and is tasked with leading our services to people living with a visible difference, and campaigning to increase understanding and acceptance and reduce the prejudice and discrimination faced by many people living with a visible difference.