The Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF) is delighted to announce the appointment of Ali Harris as Chief Executive. Ali is currently Head of Equality Strategy at Citizens Advice, and will take up her new post on 7th September.
EDF Chair Marie Staunton said:
After a rigorous recruitment process we are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Ali Harris. Ali is the perfect person to lead EDF and support members to achieve our shared vision of a society in which everyone can fulfil their potential and make a distinctive contribution. We are working together for a society where diversity is celebrated, people can express who they are free from the threat of violence and everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We believe that your chance to flourish should not be limited by who you are or where you come from.
As Head of Equality Strategy at Citizens Advice, Ali has championed equality within the national organisation and network of over 300 bureaux in all aspects of its work: advice, research and campaigns. Under her leadership on equality Citizens Advice has made advice on discrimination part of its core offer to clients, and pioneered new ways to support clients to get help for Gender Violence and Abuse, increasing the disclosure rate from 0.8% to 24%.
Ali has over 20 years’ experience in challenging senior roles for a range of organisations like Stonewall and Oxfam. From tackling racism and homophobia, to persuading humanitarian agencies to treat disability as a human rights issue in war-torn Bosnia, Ali brings a breadth of understanding of community-specific issues, coupled with in-depth experience of pan-equality and social justice.
Ali said:
I look forward to building on EDF’s excellent track record, working closely with members. Together we can create a stronger voice for equality and human rights, by bringing people together and showing why they matter in everyday life. We will enable more organisations to be effective in promoting equality and human rights, by pooling knowledge and resources as well as developing services for members.
The Equality and Diversity Forum is a network of national organisations committed to equal opportunities, social justice, good community relations, respect for human rights and an end to discrimination based on age, disability, gender and gender identity, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.
