Aspire's Board of Trustees are pleased to announce the appointment of Nicci Marzec as CEO of Aspire.

Nicci was most recently the Director for Early Intervention at the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, a position she held for six years. In this role, she led strategic, partnership and operational plans for early intervention and targeted support. Starting her career in housing and benefits, Nicci has also been a Regional Director for Family Action, led delivery of the Troubled Families programme and held strategic roles in community safety, working closely with partners like health, probation and the Department for Work and Pensions. 

Nicci says, “I am thrilled to join Aspire Oxfordshire as CEO to continue their remarkable work in helping people facing homelessness, poverty, and disadvantage find employment and housing. My background has reinforced my belief in the transformative power of strengths-based support to enable lasting change in people’s lives.” 

Nicci has considerable experience of commissioning and delivering services to support people with challenging circumstances and complex needs. She has a genuine commitment to co-design and production to ensure that people and communities have access to the support they need when they need it. Nicci offers an impressive track record of supporting organisations to deliver effective impactful services and attract and secure funding for new initiatives. 

Aspire Oxfordshire chair, William Powlett Smith says, “We’re delighted to welcome Nicci as our next CEO. She takes over from Paul Roberts after his nearly 12 years of dedicated, successful service. She will find a team of capable and enthusiastic staff and trustees, determined to progress the prevention of homelessness and to support disadvantaged people into housing and work, collaborating closely with our partner organisations. Our team will find someone who, sharing Aspire’s values, is passionate to achieve good outcomes in communities, and who has many years’ experience engaging successfully with multiple partners in complex situations to deliver results for clients and commissioners similar to those we serve.” 

Aspire is a leading charity empowering people facing homelessness, poverty and disadvantage to find employment and housing. Aspire's charitable mission, and the social impact it can create, are more relevant and vital in communities now than they have ever been. 

Paul Roberts, outgoing Aspire CEO, says "Nicci is a highly credible leader and will bring so much to the charity and the brilliant people who work so tirelessly to change lives in our local communities. I'm sure she will thrive in the role and lead Aspire into its next exciting chapter." 

The trustees look forward to Nicci leading an ambitious senior team committed to maintaining the strong relationships Aspire has built and to pursue Aspire’s mission.