The Board of User Voice are delighted to announce Lucie Russell as the new CEO of User Voice.

Lucie has many years of senior leadership experience in a range of social justice organisations. She began her career as a youth worker, then qualified as a Social Worker before joining the Big Issue, as a founder, and subsequently set up its sister charity.

She then went on to lead a national campaign on alternatives to prison at the Prison Reform Trust, was a Director at YoungMinds, championing the importance of young people’s mental health, was Head of Policy and Communications at the Young Foundation, created a campaign about the poverty premium at the Barrow Cadbury Trust and was CEO of StreetDoctors.

Lucie has most recently been CEO of Redthread, who provide transformative youth work in hospitals to young people affected by violence. In this role Lucie has led a recent successful merger with Catch22 to preserve Redthread’s vital services.

Lucie is committed to confronting systematic injustice and disadvantage and empowering those who lack power to take control of their own destinies, and in all her roles has ensured that lived experience engagement is an integral part of all her practice. Lucie also has her own past lived experience of homelessness and mental health challenges.

Lucie will take up her position with User Voice on 1^st October.

Lucie Russell said:

‘I am really delighted to be joining User Voice as their new CEO. The organization has such a groundbreaking history of ensuring experts with experience of the criminal justice system are at the forefront of much needed operational improvements and systems change, and I am hugely proud to be leading the charity into the future.

User Voice’s model of ensuring the most marginalized people are at the heart of changes both in policy and practice works, because it is targeted, effective and enriched with on the ground expertise.

With a new Government and a system in crisis I am totally committed to ensuring my role and skillset continues to empower the organization’s thriving network of experts by experience, amplifying their voices and increasing their influence, to ensure they play a pivotal role in creating a far more effective criminal justice system that works for all’.

Michael Barnett, Chair of the Board said:

“The Board is delighted to announce that Lucie Russell will be joining User Voice as Chief Executive on 1 October.  Lucie brings extensive experience from a range of roles from across the voluntary sector, including several in the criminal justice space.  Most recently, she was CEO of Redthread.  

Lucie will work closely with the whole team and external partners over the coming months to define how User Voice can grow the positive impact that it has on improving lives and develop the organisation.  With the opportunities ahead of User Voice, we are very excited to welcome her.”