Welcoming New Chief Executive – Paul Roberts
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Roberts as the new Chief Executive of Community Places. Paul is an award-winning third sector leader with a distinguished career in growing and developing organisations. His expertise is widely recognised, having been inducted into Social Enterprise UK’s Hall of Fame and honoured as an honorary professor in Practice of Planning and Urban Regeneration by Queen’s University Belfast in 2019.
Paul brings a wealth of experience, including his work with Development Trusts NI on Community Asset Transfer and Community Wealth Building, where he provided research and secretariat support to the Ministerial Advisory Panel. His tenure as CEO of Ashton Community Trust for 26 years saw the transformation of a small community business into a thriving regeneration social enterprise, employing over 250 people in North Belfast.
Paul’s deep knowledge of strategy development, social innovation, community engagement, and lobbying, combined with his experience in evaluating and guiding organisations across the sector, will be instrumental in leading Community Places into the future. We look forward to the fresh perspectives and strategic vision Paul will bring to our organisation.