Chief Executive
Women are the overwhelming majority of victims of domestic abuse, a violation of their and their children’s human rights. Over the past 46 years, Women’s Aid has been at the forefront of shaping and coordinating responses to domestic abuse through practice, research and policy. As a federation of just over 170 organisations, they provide almost 300 local lifesaving services to women and children.
We were seeking a Chief Executive to provide Women’s Aid with inclusive strategic leadership and a powerful voice for members through the next stage of the organisation’s development. The Chief Executive would work closely with members to represent them and the voices of women, including to government, parliamentarians and the media and be a key influencer of social policy and legislative change. We sought senior leader with a passion for women’s equality with a track record of high-profile networking to successfully influence national policy and media. Our search covered women’s organisations, federated bodies and the children and family sectors.
Farah Nazeer was appointed to lead Women’s Aid. Most recently Deputy Director of Advocacy at Action-Aid UK, Farah had held five senior leadership roles, had led on delivering policy change on ending violence against women and girls and worked with multiple partners to develop advocacy strategies on women’s rights issues. She bought skills in policy, advocacy, public affairs, campaigning and communications, as well as experience of working within membership organisations at senior leadership level. Farah has worked in women’s rights and gender issues for most of her career, including previously leading public affairs for the Women’s Institute. Farah holds bachelor and masters degrees in politics, gender, environment and climate.
Sarah Hill, Chair of Women’s Aid England, commented: “After what has been an exceptionally challenging but, in many ways galvanising year, we are extremely pleased to welcome Farah Nazeer as our new CEO.
I know that our members, the Board and the whole of the Women’s Aid team join me in wishing her all the very best as she starts her journey with us. We will throw all our support behind her and, together, look forward to forging ahead with the vital, life-saving work of Women’s Aid and of all our member organisations. We would also like to thank Anna and her team at Prospectus for providing such a smooth, effective service and for fully understanding our need to appoint a proactive feminist leader”.
On her appointment, Farah had this to say:
“I am thrilled to have joined Women’s Aid as chief executive. It is an organisation and federation which I greatly admire and I am excited to bring my knowledge and experience of working on women’s rights to the role. I want to thank Roberta and the team at Prospectus for their progressive, supportive and feminist approach to the recruitment. The celebration of International Women’s Day 2021 impresses on us yet again that no woman should ever have to experience violence, coercive control or any form of intimidation, and I am looking forward to working with the brilliant staff team at Women’s Aid, the member organisations who deliver the lifesaving work, stakeholders, and critically the survivors of domestic abuse, to collectively create the societal change needed to end domestic abuse and ensure sustainable, appropriate needs-led services.”