Jill Murray, the current president of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has been appointed as chief executive of the homeless veterans’ charity, Launchpad.
She will begin her new role on 1 August after the current chief – and co-founder – Major General David Shaw, announced his decision to step down from the charity after serving for 10 years.
Murray is no stranger to Launchpad, having been instrumental in helping to form the charity.
In 2012, she had a vision to start a homeless veterans project and invited Shaw and another co-founder 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, while others created the charity.
At this time, she was chief executive of Byker Community Trust (BCT) housing association, which owned the Grade II* Byker Estate in Newcastle upon Tyne. The 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 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.
Murray said: “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 as the new CEO of this wonderful homeless charity, and especially because of my instrumental involvement in the 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 10 years and is now recognised nationally as a key charity for 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.”
Shaw added: “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 10 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.”
Social housing veteran
Jill has spent the majority of her 43-year housing career in social housing including nine years as chief executive of BCT. She also served as chair of the CIH North East Regional Board between 2012 and 2016, and held vice chair roles at CIHNE and the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC).
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.
Main image: Jill Murray, appointed chief executive of the veterans’ charity, Launchpad
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