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SafeLives CEO Ellen Miller to retire early, following major life changes 

SafeLives, the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, has today announced that our CEO, Ellen Miller, is taking early retirement for personal reasons following major life changes.  

We want to begin by saying thank you for Ellen’s leadership.  Her time as CEO has been marked by compassion, determination and a clear belief that change is possible.  

Ellen has shaped an important period in SafeLives’ story. Last year, we marked 21 years of driving change, bringing together survivors, families of victims, sector partners, supporters and friends to celebrate what has been achieved, and to look ahead with purpose. We also set our direction for the future, developing our new strategy - Find what works. Help it happen – and strengthening our Whole Picture Framework, a blueprint for change, grounded in evidence, survivor expertise and multi-agency action to make families safer, sooner.  

SafeLives has always been determined, innovative and evidence-led, with survivor voice at our heart. We will carry that forward with urgency and hope, continuing to transform the domestic abuse response so that adult and child survivors get the right help at the right time, and perpetrators are held to account.  

Our mission is to end domestic abuse, for everyone and for good. That does not change. We will keep building the partnerships, evidence and momentum needed to prevent harm, reduce risk and support recovery for families across the UK.  

Leading SafeLives as CEO has been an absolute privilege and a joy. But when my lovely husband Terry died, 12 months ago, my life changed forever. After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time for me to make a new life. I want a gentler pace, and to focus my time on finding joy in the music and creative arts that have always been on the back burner as I’ve cared for first my kids and then my husband during his long battle with dementia. 

I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together and leave SafeLives with a clear strategy, the exciting and pivotal work on defining what a Whole Picture response looks like, backed up by clear plans to be a well-managed organisation; with strong and principled leadership from a talented Board, and the authentic voices of survivors at the heart of what we do

Ellen Miller

On behalf of the Board and everyone at SafeLives, I want to thank Ellen for her outstanding leadership, her warmth, and her ability to bring people together around what matters most: the safety and freedom of adult and child survivors of domestic abuse. 

Our three-year Whole Picture strategy - Find what works. Help it happen - remains firmly in place, and our focus continues to be on delivering against its priorities and strengthening our work to end domestic abuse. 

Ellen leaves now with our deepest gratitude and our very best wishes as she takes this next step. During this transition period, Jo Silver, our Director of Quality and Innovation, and Liz Thompson, our Director of External Relations, will take up the role of Joint Interim CEO, whilst the Board begins the process of recruiting an interim CEO in the coming weeks.

Rt Hon Dame Maria Miller, Chair of Trustees at SafeLives

Interim arrangements 

Jo Silver, our Director of Quality and Innovation, and Liz Thompson, our Director of External Relations, take up the role of Joint Interim CEO today, whilst the Board of Trustees begin the process of recruiting an interim CEO in the coming weeks.    

 

Notes to editors

  • SafeLives is a UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good. We work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse. We look at the whole picture for every individual in the family, to get them the right help at the right time, so families everywhere can be safe and well.  
  • Our strategy – Find what works. Help it happen – is grounded in survivor voice, evidence, and best practice. We listen deeply – to survivors, professionals and data. We analyse the systems, services and behaviours that shape people’s experiences. And we work side-by-side with local areas, government and organisations to embed real, lasting change.