HouseProud is honoured to have the company of Althea Efunshile CBE, who will help us celebrate Black History Month 2021. Althea believes housing is a fundamental matter of social justice and as the Chair of a large housing association, she believes everyone should have a home and the chance to live well. As a Chair Althea sees her role as helping address one of the biggest social challenges of our time and will share her vision with HouseProud, how the housing sector can do this.

Althea has had a 40-year public sector career during which she has gained extensive senior leadership and; management experience in education, children’s services and culture. She has worked at both local and national levels of government.

Althea has been Deputy Chief Executive at Arts Council England; a Senior Civil Servant within the Department of Education employed in various Director level roles, all aimed at improving outcomes for disadvantaged and socially excluded people; and Executive Director of Education & Culture in the London Borough of Lewisham.

Althea began her career as a secondary school teacher and youth worker.  She currently holds a small number of Non-Executive Director roles, including at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and Channel 4, and she is the Chair of Ballet Black.  Althea was awarded a CBE in the 2016 birthday honours.

Althea joined a large housing association as Chair in 2020 will be joining HouseProud on the 21st October 2021, to share her experiences, her career, her journey to being awarded a CBE, her challenges and sharing her vision of housing in the next 10 years.