30 April 2018
Olivia Amartey appointed as Elim's new Executive Director
Elim has appointed Olivia Amartey, former senior leader in the NHS and Deputy Chief Officer, Operations, Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, as our new Executive Director.
Olivia, who is an ordained Elim Minister with extensive senior leadership experience in the NHS, the Anglican Church and Third and voluntary sectors, is also widely recognised as the founder of Martha’s Oasis, a social enterprise featured on Channel Four’s ‘The Secret Millionaire’ in 2008.
Taking up her role in July, Olivia will report to the National Leadership Team and will be responsible for overseeing the charity’s operations, administration, and strategic planning, strengthening Elim’s mission and ministry while ensuring the organisation’s compliance with the legal requirements and responsibilities of the charitable sector.
Commenting on her new role as Executive Director, Olivia said, “This role demonstrates that there are other equally and vitally important ways to serve the body of Christ other than in pastoral ministry. As a Movement, we need the right policies and procedures in place to underpin our mission. Further, we need to deploy sound business practices that empower us to fulfil the mandate to progress the Kingdom of God.”
“The Elim Movement represents nearly 5,000 churches across the UK, Ireland and overseas, and I’m excited to be a part of this challenging vision, supporting the National Leadership Team, the General Superintendent, and the local churches towards dynamic growth. Elim has a fresh approach to sharing the gospel of Christ. It knows where it is going and has a strong heart for people and the diverse communities that they serve. Deploying effective business leadership and skills to achieve this mission is my top priority.”
Chris Cartwright, General Superintendent and leader of the Elim Movement, commented, “Olivia brings a wealth of experience in senior leadership and management to help us navigate a changing landscape for ministry and mission with confidence, creating a strong base to carry the vision forward over the next five to ten years. We believe we will need rigorous standards of management and administration to enable us to fulfil our vision and mission as a growing movement representing over 350,000 people in the UK, Ireland and overseas.”
As a Deputy Chief Officer for the NHS, Olivia led and directed all aspects of the commissioning operations for Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, with oversight of 30 employees, working collaboratively with health leaders, business leaders, local councillors and the Chief Executives and senior management teams of hospitals, Third sector and voluntary organisations.
Selected onto the prestigious NHS Management Scheme, Olivia has held a number of senior leadership positions within the health sector. She also worked for three years as Director of Social Responsibility for the Diocese of Lichfield, promoting participation in issues of justice and social responsibility.
After coming to faith, Olivia’s formative years were within the Church of God of Prophecy. In 1998 she joined Elim initially as a member of Zion Christian Centre in Halesowen. She then moved to Birmingham Christian Centre in 1999 where she served in various leadership positions including as an Assistant Pastor with responsibility for outreach and culminating as an elder and Minister in Training under Senior Pastor, Mark Ryan.
In 2015, Olivia pioneered Crosspoint Church, an Elim church plant in Great Barr, North Birmingham, where she will continue as Minister.