Centre for Mental Health

Chief Executive's retirement
and future developments

18 June 2009

Sainsbury Centre chief executive Angela Greatley has announced her decision to retire at the end of October 2009.

Angela Greatley joined Sainsbury Centre as director of policy in 2003 and became chief executive in 2004. She previously had a distinguished career in NHS management and at the King's Fund.

Angela Greatley said today: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sainsbury Centre and I am extremely proud of what our staff team has achieved in that time. We have transformed our work to focus all of our efforts on the key issues of employment and criminal justice. We have contributed to important partnerships such as the Mental Health Alliance, the Bradley Review and the We Need to Talk campaign. And we have, with many others, seen the beginnings of a greater focus in mental health services on supporting people to live the lives they want for themselves."

Sainsbury Centre chair of trustees Chris Foy said: "I would like to thank Angela for the leadership, the energy and the commitment she has given to Sainsbury Centre. She has overseen a transformation in the way Sainsbury Centre works and made it a major force for change in the two areas in which our work is focused. Her passion for justice and equality for people with mental health problems has informed Sainsbury Centre’s work and is widely recognised. I wish Angela a very happy retirement on behalf of the trustees of Sainsbury Centre."

Chris Foy also today made a statement about the future of Sainsbury Centre:

The work of the Sainsbury Centre has been supported continuously by core funding from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation since its founding in 1985. Following Angela Greatley's decision to retire, Gatsby informed Sainsbury Centre Trustees that in view of its increased funding of other programmes it did not envisage funding the Centre long-term.

Sainsbury Centre Trustees have, therefore, decided not to appoint a new unitary chief executive but in the light of the key role played by the Centre's Employment and Prisons & Criminal Justice programmes to adopt a new leadership structure with the two Sainsbury Centre programme directors Bob Grove and Sean Duggan becoming Co-Directors; and Andy Bell as Deputy Director.

The Sainsbury Centre Trustees, together with the Directors, will be exploring new institutional arrangements and transitional financial support in order to safeguard the quality and impact of the core programmes.