With the appointment of Ellie Southwood MBE as Director of Social Impact, Fight for Sight / Vision Foundation has become the only organisation in the sight loss sector with an Executive Leadership Team made up of 50% of people who have lived experience of sight loss.
As well as being a councillor for Queens Park in Brent, Ellie has previously held Cabinet-level responsibility for large services and policy issues, including housing and welfare reform. Ellie, who was born blind, is a former chair of the RNIB. She has just completed the Blenheim Palace Triathlon.
“It’s great to be joining an organisation that truly embraces inclusivity in the workplace,” commented Ellie, “but there’s still so much to be done, and I look forward to influencing change in our sector and beyond.”
“One of the things that’s super exciting about this role”, Ellie enthuses, “is we can use our role as a funder to incubate ideas. Let’s try things, and if they work, we have a great evidence base for seeking additional funding and scaling up. I think the key is working with people to encourage higher expectations of what the world can – and should – deliver for them in terms of opportunity.”
We hope you’re as excited as we are to have Ellie on the team.
We recorded Ellie and our CEO, Keith, having a chat about their ambitions for our charity. Catch up on our YouTube channel.
