Grainia Long

Grainia Long is Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, the professional body for people involved in housing - with over 22,000 members internationally.  She was responsible for corporate strategy and business in Northern Ireland before being made Interim Chief Executive in August 2011.

Grainia’s key focus is on working with the Governing Board to create a long-term vision for how CIH can help meet the nation’s housing aspirations. As Chief Executive, Grainia’s priority is to oversee ongoing change and growth in the organisation while ensuring CIH delivers its core objectives. Her role ranges from working with the board to take strategic decisions affecting the organisation, setting and reviewing long-term business objectives, and ensuring CIH has the right resources in place to deliver the business. Grainia works with senior managers across the organisation to ensure CIH provides leadership to the sector, has a clear view of the world and articulates this effectively to members and the wider sector.

Grainia’s previous experience includes roles as Principal Adviser to the Commission on the Future for Housing in Northern Ireland from 2008-2010, and Director of Policy at the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Prior to this, she worked in Scotland for the housing and homelessness charity, Shelter.  She is a member of the Institute of Directors, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. She was recently appointed as a Commissioner to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.