Shelter chief executive to step down after seven years in top job

In the event of a gap between Ms Neate’s departure and a new chief executive starting, Tim Gutteridge, chief operating officer at Shelter, will serve as interim chief executive with support from Shelter’s executive leadership team. 

In 2020, Ms Neate was awarded the CBE by the late Queen for services to tackling homelessness.

Two years later, she was awarded an honorary doctor of laws by the University of Bristol and was elected as a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. 

Ms Neate told Shelter’s board that she was stepping down for personal reasons, including her desire to pursue new challenges and her belief that now is an “optimal moment” in Shelter’s 10-year strategy cycle and the “external campaigning environment” to move to a new leader. 

She will continue to sit on the boards of both the Young Women’s Trust and Women in Sport, and as a non-executive director at Wessex Local Medical Committees. She is currently “exploring opportunities” before deciding what her next challenge will be.

Ms Neate said: “I joined Shelter because I know that an end to homelessness and housing insecurity in this country is not a wild fantasy – it is an achievable reality.

“I feel immensely proud of how Shelter has led the pursuit of that goal over the last seven years. Deciding to leave has been an incredibly difficult decision, but I know the time is right, both personally and for the organisation.

“I’ll forever be grateful to the incredible colleagues, volunteers and supporters who have enabled us to achieve so much in my time here. With their passion and focus, I know Shelter will continue to draw public and political attention to the housing emergency, champion the building of more social homes as the only answer to that emergency, and fight to defend the right to a safe home for everyone. 

“When we do finally have a country where homelessness is a thing of the past and everyone can afford a decent place to live, every one of those Shelter employees, volunteers and supporters will have been instrumental in that achievement.”

Under Ms Neate, Shelter was a key supporter of Inside Housing’s Build Social campaign, which has been calling for the UK to build 90,000 social rent homes a year.

Helen Baker, chair of Shelter’s board of trustees, said: “On behalf of Shelter’s board and staff, I’d like to express our deepest thanks to Polly for everything she has achieved over the last seven years. Her impact on Shelter and the wider housing and charity sectors is both incalculable and inspirational.

“Under her leadership, Shelter has truly shifted the public discourse on housing, driving a much fuller understanding of the housing emergency, its causes and solutions, to the top of the political agenda. 

“Polly is a born change-maker and an indefatigable force for social justice. We wish her all the very best at wherever she chooses to take that passion and leadership next.”