Monica Shafaq

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Shafaq has had a varied career that has seen her leading large teams of people and implementing notable changes to a range of organisations.  

Throughout her work in the charity sector, Shafaq has changed the lives of many and boosted the reach of the organisations under her command. As the CEO of The Kaleidoscope Plus, the organisation was awarded the Gold Investors in People accreditation – an accolade that came in part from Shafaq’s leadership.  

Following on from nearly 14 years as The Kaleidoscope Plus’ CEO, Shafaq took on a new role as the CEO of Gordon Moody in January 2024 – a position that she still holds to this day. 

EMPLOYMENT

Shafaq’s first notable role was in 1998 when she became the Regional Manager for Asra Midlands Housing Association. She held this position for four years before moving on in October 2002. 

Shafaq’s next move saw her at the Accord Housing Association, a company she ultimately worked with for seven and a half years. She entered the company in November 2002 as the Housing Services Manager. In this role, she was responsible for a team of workers that provided support to vulnerable individuals across six local authorities.  

Following four years in this role, Shafaq was promoted to the position of Head of Neighbourhood Services. This role saw her taking responsibility for 48 members of staff and providing support services for around 3,000 properties. She held this role for three and a half years from October 2006 to March 2010. 

Immediately after this, Shafaq joined The Kaleidoscope Plus, a national mental health and wellbeing charity. She was appointed as the CEO of the company and under her guidance, the organisation saw growth and success.  

Within this position, Shafaq oversaw the rebranding and restructuring of the charity as well as managing the organisation’s budget of £3m. She was also responsible for implementing new marketing and public relations strategies to boost the charity’s reach. 

During her 14 years as The Kaleidoscope Plus’ CEO, Shafaq also took on several additional roles. To this day, she is a Non-Executive Director for the Manchester United Foundation and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, working with the organisations for eight months and a year and a half respectively. She is also a Trustee of the Accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructor with The Kaleidoscope Plus.

A particularly notable position she held during this time was as a Non-Executive Director with The Paul Canoville Foundation, which aims to empower children and tackles issues such as gun and knife crime, poverty, homelessness and mental health.

In total, Shafaq held the CEO position with Kaleidoscope for just shy of 14 years from March 2010 to January 2024.  

Following on from this, it was announced that Shafaq had been appointed as the CEO of Gordon Moody, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing advice, education and support to problem gamblers. Shafaq was appointed to this role in January 2024 and she has held it ever since. 

"My initial days with Gordon Moody have been a whirlwind of discovery and connection. The most humbling experience has been meeting our service users in our treatment centres. Their stories, resilience and determination have fuelled my passion to lead with purpose and compassion." Monica Shafaq

Interviews and public speeches

We spoke with Shafaq as she reflected on 100 days as Gordon Moody's CEO.