Penny Fell

Background and experience

With over 20 years of experience as a Company Director and Board Member, Penny has held senior leadership roles in both local and regional government and headed up health and social care not-for-profit providers in NW England and the South East, as well as roles in national government fund management, social enterprises, and community organisations, in commercial and not-for-profit public, private and third sectors, across NW, SE and SW England, London, and nationally.

In September 2022, Penny retired from her role as national Commercial Director at the Disclosure and Barring Service, a non-governmental public body reporting to the Home and Cabinet Offices. Before that, Penny was Director of Commercialisation, Citizens and Shareholder Liaison with Bristol City Council, with responsibility for governance and support for the council’s arms’ length trading companies, including Goram Homes; its citizen support services, including telecare; and the City’s historic buildings, markets, and harbour.

Penny also has wide-ranging experience in commissioning and procurement, successful business start-ups, organisational change management, mergers and acquisitions, and consistent, efficient, effective, safe and innovative service delivery.

In addition to her recent appointments at Key and Progress Housing Group, Penny is a Trustee of Skills for Care, the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, and chairs their trading arm, Affina Organisational Development.

Penny has a BA in Law and started her career in the legal profession in private practice and local authority conveyancing.

Skills

Health and social care, partnership working, service delivery and leadership, governance, public sector working, delivery of strategic plans and business planning.

Personal interests

Cooking, reading, and travelling - both internationally and across the UK in our recently acquired narrowboat and campervan!