Edel Harris

Edel is the CEO of Mencap, the UK’s largest charity for supporting people with a learning disability, a post she took up in January 2020. She was previously chief executive of Cornerstone from May 2008, one of Scotland’s social care charities, where she introduced a new model of social care delivery. She is also a board member of the Robertson Trust, an independent funder that supports organisations to alleviate poverty and trauma in Scotland. Edel started her career as Metropolitan Police Officer but with a degree in Health and Social Care, her passion was healthcare and she moved to NHS Grampian, where she worked for eight years. Edel previously served as the first female president of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce. She was also a director of Opportunity North East (ONE) and a former chair of The Life Changes Trust and Scottish government’s Social Investment Fund. A devoted football fan, she is a former Director of the Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust. For improving the lives of disabled people, she received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2021. Other awards include the Scottish EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and the Institute of Directors NE Director of the Year in 2015.