Katie Ghose

Katie Ghose
Born
Katie Sushila Ratna Ghose

1970 (age 55–56)
Shoreham by Sea, Sussex, England, UK
Alma materSomerville College, Oxford
Known forCharity chief executive

Katie Sushila Ratna Ghose (born July 1970) is a British charity chief executive and campaigner. In May 2026, she was appointed chief executive of the Refugee Council, a national charity for refugees and people seeking asylum in England.[1] She was previously CEO of KIDS[2], the Women's Aid Federation of England[3][4] and the Electoral Reform Society.[5]

Personal life and education

Ghose was born in Shoreham by Sea, Sussex to an Indian father and English mother. She went to Boundstone Community College in Lancing, Sussex and Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College. Ghose read law at Somerville College, Oxford. During her time at Oxford, she was editor of the student newspaper Cherwell.[6] She then studied for a master's degree in political science at the University of California, Riverside.[7]

Career

In the early part of her career Ghose worked in politics, law and charities.[7] She worked as a parliamentary researcher and senior caseworker for the Labour MP Greville Janner (1992–94)[8] and was then parliamentary officer for the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureau (1994–95).[9] Ghose qualified and practised as a barrister (1997–99), specialising in immigration, family and human rights law. Following her two-year law career she wrote Beyond the courtroom: A lawyer's guide to campaigning, which was published by the Legal Action Group in 2005.[10]

On her return to the charity sector, Ghose worked for the Child Accident Prevention Trust (1999–2000) and for Age Concern (2000–05) as their national campaigns and parliamentary affairs manager,[9] leading campaigns to protect older workers from discrimination and to oppose unfair hospital charges.

In 2005, she was appointed director of the British Institute of Human Rights, providing charities, hospitals and care homes with practical support and training about human rights in England. She joined the Electoral Reform Society as CEO in 2010, leaving in 2017, and was a regular media commentator on elections and voter disengagement. When departing, she said: "After seven years at the ERS, I am convinced that it is not a matter of 'if', but 'when' we'll get a fair voting system for all elections in the UK".[11]

Ghose was a council member of St George's House, Windsor Castle and was a trustee from 2019–2025. In 2025, she was appointed co-chair of Womankind Worldwide. She was an independent council member of the University of Sussex (2015–24), a board member of the US democracy group Fair Vote (2010–2017), a trustee and company secretary of Stonewall (2005–2011), and was chair of two charities, Asylum Aid (1997–99) and Bail for Immigration Detainees (2002–04). She also served as a commissioner on the Independent Asylum Commission from 2006 to 2008.

She became CEO of the Refugee Council in 2026.[12]

Politics

Ghose served as CEO of Women's Aid from 2017–19. She left by mutual agreement after video emerged of her online thanking UKIP and particularly the party's then-MP Douglas Carswell for his support for electoral reform.[13]

After serving as a parliamentary aide to Labour MP Greville Janner, Ghose sought selection as a Labour Party parliamentary candidate in a number of constituencies prior to the 2015 general election.

2011 AV referendum

Ghose became CEO of the Electoral Reform Society in the autumn of 2010, during which she worked for six months as chair of the unsuccessful YES! To Fairer Votes campaign.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Refugee Council appoints Katie Ghose as Chief Executive". Refugee Council. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "KIDS Appoints New Chief Executive". KIDS. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Our CEO". Women's Aid. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. ↑ Batty, David (7 February 2019). "Women's Aid chief Katie Ghose steps down after publicly praising Ukip". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. ↑ "ERS - meet our staff". Electoral Reform Society. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Cherwell Staff". Cherwell. Vol. 196, no. 1. 12 January 1990. p. 7.
  7. 1 2 Slawson, Nicola (13 March 2018). "Katie Ghose: 'Risky proposals are coming on top of cuts that led many refuges to close'". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Slawson, Nicola (13 March 2018). "Katie Ghose: 'Risky proposals are coming on top of cuts that led many refuges to close'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Katie Ghose – UK Citizens' Assemblies". Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Ghose, Katie; Legal Action Group (2005). Beyond the Courtroom: A Lawyer's Guide to Campaigning. London: Legal Action Group. ISBN 9781903307359. LCCN 2006365684.
  11. ↑ Katie Ghose (30 June 2017). "As I move on from the ERS, I know that we can win". Electoral Reform Society. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Refugee Council appoints Katie Ghose as Chief Executive". Refugee Council. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Batty, David (7 February 2019). "Women's Aid chief Katie Ghose steps down after publicly praising Ukip". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  14. ↑ "Interview: Katie Ghose". Third Sector. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
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