Homeless veterans’ charity Launchpad has appointed Jill Murray as its new CEO.
She will commence her role on 1 August after current CEO and Co-Founder, Major General David Shaw announced his decision to step down from the charity after serving for ten years.
Jill is currently serving as President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) – the professional body which supports housing professionals working throughout the UK.
Jill is no stranger to Launchpad and was instrumental in helping to form the charity. In 2012, she had a vision to start a homeless veterans project and invited David Shaw and Ken McMillan to Byker to discuss her plans. With support from Newcastle City Council, she applied for and successfully secured £250,000 grant funding from the Armed Forces Community Covenant.
At this time, Jill was Chief Executive of Byker Community Trust (BCT) Housing Association, who owned the Grade II* Byker Estate in Newcastle upon Tyne, and her Board agreed to prioritise the refurbishment of Avondale House which was then a vacant sheltered housing accommodation scheme for older people. The plan was to refurbish the facility into a homeless veterans’ scheme for former serving military personnel who were struggling with the transition from the military to civilian life and to tackle veterans’ homelessness by helping to reduce the city council’s waiting list.
She brings with her over 40 years’ experience working within the housing sector including nine years as chief executive of BCT.
In 2022, she was elected as Vice-President of the CIH before becoming the President following CIH’s annual general meeting last year. As part of her presidential campaign, her ambition is to ensure housing is more widely recognised as a vital and valuable sector – linked with individual values such as professionalism and excellence.
Jill is also a Non-Exec Director of Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, where she chairs the People, Culture and Diversity Committee and is the NED Wellbeing Guardian. During the last year, Jill has worked alongside a Child Poverty Charity, Action For Children, to raise awareness and valuable funding to help support the most vulnerable children/young people and their families throughout the UK.
On joining Launchpad, she commented:
“Home is the place where everything begins, when you have a safe home, you then have a foundation and launchpad to build a fulfilling and successful life. This is why I’m delighted to be appointed the new CEO of this wonderful homeless charity, and especially because of my instrumental involvement in the initial setting up of the veterans housing project in Byker back in 2012. Supporting our UK Armed Forces’ veterans, especially those who need housing and support to help them transition successfully into civilian life, has always been important to me.
“I have admired how Launchpad has grown over the last ten years and is now recognised nationally as a key charity in supporting veterans. I’m pleased to be taking over the reins from David and I’m looking forward to working with the staff who all do an amazing job assisting the residents.”
Jill replaces David Shaw who will continue in his role as CEO and founder of the Veterans’ Foundation, as well as co-founder of the Veterans’ Lottery.
He said:
“Jill has been involved with Launchpad since day one and has always been an advocate for tackling veterans’ homelessness. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in housing and mental health, which combined with her leadership and pursuance of excellence, make me very confident she will develop the charity further.
“As co-founder of this wonderful charity, I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved in the last ten years. We have supported over 700 veterans who have needed our help while they struggled with the transition into civilian life. I’d like to congratulate Jill on her appointment and thank the trustees and staff, the staff particularly for the dedication and commitment they have shown to our residents. Although my focus now lies with the Veterans’ Foundation, Launchpad will forever be close to my heart.”
Launchpad provides vital accommodation and targeted support to UK Armed Forces veterans experiencing homelessness and unemployment. The charity manages three houses in the North of England in Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Durham and accepts veterans from all over the UK. It provides accommodation for 100 homeless veterans at any one time.
