Katie Kelly is the chair of New Local, an Executive Coach and Strategic Advisor. She is the former Depute Chief Executive with East Ayrshire Council and has recently retired following an incredible career of over 30 years in the public, health and communities’ sectors. She has led a wide portfolio of services and partnerships including Housing, Communities, Transformation, Economic Growth, Transport , Roads, Facilities and infrastructure, Net Zero and Wellbeing, Health Improvement, Events, Community Planning, Strategy and Policy development. Katie was also employed by NHS to set up the Community Health Partnership and integration arrangements in Ayrshire with a strong focus on co creating health and ensuring full engagement of patients, their families and wider communities in local healthcare and wellbeing.
Katie has a proven, evidence-based track record of leading whole system transformational change and co-designing innovative, sustainable people-centred and citizen-led services which have released large scale recurring revenue savings and simultaneously improved outcomes for local people. Katie developed and led the unique and nationally acclaimed Vibrant Communities approach in East Ayrshire which is underpinned by the findings of the Christie Commission and delivered whole system transformation with a focus on Community Power and community led regeneration. Vibrant Communities has now been established for over 10 years and has made a major positive impact locally and nationally with a clear vision of ‘putting people at the heart of everything we do’, valuing the talents in communities and transforming the relationship between public bodies and the people they serve. This approach is the clearest expression of community power and has influenced practice in public bodies across the UK and helped to shape key legislation around Community Empowerment and Public Service Reform.
Katie is passionate about working alongside people and communities, reducing inequalities, servant and collaborative leadership, coaching and helping to make a positive and lasting difference to people lives. Katie provides Executive coaching and leadership mentoring for colleagues from across the public and third sectors and has acts a as critical friend and facilitator for leadership teams.
Across the UK Katie is an outspoken champion for Community Power, Community Wealth Building and Public service Transformation, and is a regular contributor and panel member at national conferences. Katie has been a member of a number of Expert Advisory Groups including Health Inequalities, Violence Against Women and Girls, People and Place and Gambling Harm.