St Basils is pleased to announce the appointment of Marsha Blake as its new Chief Executive.
Marsha Blake, who has been with St Basils since 1999, will succeed Jean Templeton who will step down after 26 years in the role.
Marsha has had a variety of roles at St Basils and has led on many key initiatives, including developing the nationally recognised Youth Hub and Transition Hub. As Nominated Individual for St Basils, Marsha led the achievement of Outcome 1 in its most recent OFSTED inspection, which has enabled the development of the Care Leaver pathways we have in place across a number of local authorities we operate within. She has played a pivotal part in shaping services, strengthening partnerships, and driving innovation to ensure vulnerable young people receive the support they need to thrive and prosper.
Speaking about her appointment, Marsha said: “It is an honour to take on the role of Chief Executive at St Basils, an organisation that has been such an important part of my professional life. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved under Jean’s leadership and look forward to building on that strong foundation. Our mission remains clear: to work with young people aged 16-25 in the West Midlands to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills, increase opportunities and prevent homelessness.”
Under Jean Templeton’s leadership, St Basils has expanded its reach and influence, strengthened its voice in national policy discussions, and developed innovative prevention models that have supported thousands of young people. Her contribution leaves a lasting legacy across the organisation and the wider homelessness sector.
Commenting on the transition, Jean Templeton said: “Leading St Basils has been a privilege. I am delighted that Marsha will be stepping into this role. Her passion, integrity and deep understanding of both our services and the young people we serve make her exceptionally well placed to guide the organisation into its next chapter.”
Feizal Hajat OBE, chair of St Basils, said: “After a robust search to find the next chief executive of St Basils, where we met some outstanding candidates, it became clear that the best placed person was already within the business. We have no doubt that Marsha will carry on the already great work that St Basils does and take us forward. We are delighted that she has accepted the role and look forward to working with her.”
As Chief Executive, Marsha will lead St Basils through its next phase of development, continuing to champion prevention, partnership working and innovative practice to ensure that every young person has a safe place to call home and the opportunity to fulfil their potential. She will officially start in post on the 1st May with Jean supporting her with the transition into the role until the end of the month.