Nita Clarke OBE
Biography
Nita Clarke OBE has been the director of the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA) since 2008.
She also:
- was the co-author, with David MacLeod, of the 2009 government commissioned report Engaging for Success
- is the author of the 2008 report The Way Ahead: trade unions and the third sector, commissioned by Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO)
Nita continues to be involved in the voluntary Engage for Success movement, and is a member of the E4S Board which is sponsored by CIPD.
She was awarded the OBE for her work on employee engagement in 2013.
She previously:
- worked as assistant political secretary to the Prime Minister, liaising with the trade union movement, from January 2001 to June 2007
- was political officer for the trade union UNISON, with responsibility for liaison with the Labour Party and its policy making machinery, from 1992 to 2001
Before then she worked for the Government of Jamaica, for the Greater London Council and for the health service union (Confederation of Health Service Employees) COHSE.
She was a member of the expert panel on staff engagement in the NHS between 2013 and 2014, and a member of the Mutuals Task Force between 2011 and 2012.
Former board roles include member of the Court of Governors of the Whitgift Foundation between 2003 to 2017, and founding member of the New Opportunities Fund between 1998 and 2012.
She was vice-president of the CIPD between 2012 and 2014.
Nita is a graduate of Warwick University, studying history and politics and has a MA in labour history from the same university.
Non-executive board member
Our non-executives are senior figures from outside the department who bring a diverse mix of expertise and skills from across the public and private sector.
They all:
- give guidance and advice to DBT leaders and ministers
- support and challenge management on the department’s strategic direction
- provide support in monitoring and reviewing progress