Jill Rawlins takes the title of communications consultant, reporting to deputy chief executive Howard Cresswell. She was previously interim director at drug and alcohol charity Addaction.
Rawlins said a key focus would be building up a lobbying capacity at the not-for-profit organisation.
‘The organisation has rapidly expanded and will continue to expand,’ she said. ‘I will be looking to raise the association’s political profile because it currently doesn’t have any public affairs activities.
Due to the expansion, I will be looking at how to develop comms for the group. We need to provide local-level services while also driving national support.’
Circle Anglia was formed in July 2005 from the merger of two established housing groups, Circle 33 and Anglia. Three smaller housing associations joined Circle Anglia last month, increasing the number of homes from about 32,000 to almost 46,000.
Before Addaction, Rawlins spent nine months as interim director at the Alzheimer’s Society. She previously spent seven months at the Institute for Grocery Distribution and a year at the Countryside Agency.
Rawlins has previously also worked in the comms team at supermarket chain Somerfield. Prior to that, she was comms manager at BT.
