Haringey coronavirus (COVID-19) updates

Zina Etheridge will be leaving her position as Chief Executive of Haringey Council to take up a new senior role with the NHS.

Zina has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer Designate of north east London’s health and care partnership where she will be working with leaders from acute, community, mental health and ambulance trusts, local government, and community and voluntary organisations.

Having first arrived at Haringey Council as Director of Strategy and Performance back in February 2013, Zina was thrilled to take over the chief executive role in March 2017. 

Zina has transformed a number of key services across the organisation, including Children’s Services, Adults and Housing and is especially proud of the work that was carried out through the pandemic to ensure that residents of Haringey were well supported and will always have a close bond with the local community.

Zina said:

“After more than eight amazing years at Haringey, I will be taking up a new role in the NHS in the next few months.  I am really excited about that, but incredibly sorry that I will be leaving Haringey. 

“I am very proud of all the things that the council, our partners and communities have achieved together over that time. Having been named as one of the lowest performing planning authorities in the country back in 2013, we are now regularly lauded as one of the best.  

“We have made huge strides in improving our Children’s and Adults Services – the latter winning the LGC award for health and social care integration just last week. We have continued to deliver a balanced budget in what is a very difficult climate for public sector finances. 

“We have started building council homes for the first time for many years. We have built a holistic approach to reducing youth violence and supported the police to improve community trust in community safety.  We have 22 green flag parks and maintained them to that quality despite huge reductions in our budgets.

“Our work over the pandemic was exceptional – including from our Public Health team who performed brilliantly, supporting schools, early years settings and community groups, setting up test centres and supporting the vaccination effort without even appearing to break into a (metaphorical) sweat.  Our staff put their hearts and souls into ensuring that Haringey’s residents were as well supported and protected as possible.

“Haringey feels like a family. It certainly feels like part of my family and I will always carry a bit of Haringey with me.”

Cllr Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council, said:

“I’d like to thank Zina personally for the support she has shown me and my new leadership team over the past few 
months. 

“Zina brought her outstanding management skills to the borough. She created stability and drove through changes here which have vastly improved outcomes for residents. 

“During Covid Zina was a steady hand skilfully navigating us through the crisis and dealing with the many issues which arose almost on an hourly basis. Her partnership working has always been a huge strength and it came to the fore city-wide when she led across London as chair of the London Councils Chief Executives network, coordinating the local response to Covid.

“We all wish well in the future – and I will very much miss her advice and counsel.”

Zina is due to take up her new role in early 2022.