Webinar: Diversity, Spirituality and Leadership

Speaker: Charmaine De Souza, Chief People Officer, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

In conversation with Revd Dr Guy Harrison, Director of Oxford Centre for Spirituality & Wellbeing and LiSHoRe Project Lead on 17th March 2022

 

About the speaker

After leaving college with a history degree in medieval studies, Charmaine worked across a range of organisations in the public sector, starting her career as a graduate trainee at the BBC where she qualified as an HR professional and completed her Masters degree in Organisational Behaviour. This also cemented her passion for public service.

Moving to the Civil Service, Charmaine undertook policy and delivery roles working on police reform (Home Office), youth crime and antisocial behaviour (Department for Education). Charmaine then returned to the HR profession, rising to be a senior civil servant undertaking an HR Director role at HM Revenue and Customs before doing a spell at the Cabinet Office on senior leadership talent. This gave her a taste of large-scale operational organisations which she has come to realise is where she is at her best.

Charmaine then had a four-year tenure as HR Director at Greater London Authority, the capital’s unique devolved governance body which supports the Mayor of London and London Assembly. Whilst there she led on the design and delivery of the Mayor’s flagship talent programme for women across the GLA Group –  Our Time - which encourages the progression of women into senior leadership roles to support the ambition to reduce the gender pay gap.

Charmaine has recently changed sectors again and is the Chief People Officer at Oxford Health NHS Trust which provides community and mental health services.  Alongside this she is a voluntary Board member at Hightown Housing which is a charitable Housing Association serving the home counties.

While career and work remain an important part of her life, she has also come to appreciate the importance of balance and making room for things that give her joy – she has recently taken up painting and loves sketching, drawing and keeping fit.  She has one teenage son and lives in Hertfordshire.

Page last reviewed: 20 June, 2022