This week, the Centre for Ageing Better welcomes Anna Dixon as its new Chief Executive.
Anna joins from the Department of Health, where she was Chief Analyst and Director of Strategy. Her new role will see her leading the work of the Centre for Ageing Better to fulfil its mission of promoting evidence-based change that transforms how we experience and think about growing older.
The Centre for Ageing Better is supported by funding which includes a £50 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund. Forming part of the What Works Centres network in England, it will work across the country to strengthen and apply evidence around how people can age better. Working in partnership with older people and collaborating with a diverse range of frontline groups and organisations, Ageing Better aims to create real and measureable change.
Over the past few months the organisation has been consulting stakeholders. It is currently working with Ipsos Mori to identify what older people believe are the key qualities of a good later life, and the barriers and opportunities to achieving these. Insights will be used to inform Ageing Better’s initial programmes of activity, details of which will be announced later this year.
Anna Dixon, Chief Executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “We want a future in which every person from every background is ready for ageing and able to enjoy a positive experience of growing old.
“I am joining the Centre for Ageing Better at a very exciting time and look forward to bringing fresh thinking to ageing, one of, if not the biggest issue facing society. Collaboration is going to be fundamental to achieving change. We will work with existing experts, service providers and innovators to incubate new ideas and encourage the spread of those that work to improve later life.”
Lord Geoffrey Filkin, Chair of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “We are delighted Anna has started at the Centre as our CEO. She has great relevant experience, she brings an understanding of evidence, she shares our goal to improve later lives and she has the skills and commitment to work with other organisations and older people to help bring about evidence informed change.”
Ageing Better will soon be announcing the appointment of a number of new board trustees as well as other key roles, including a Director of Evidence.
