Jewish Leadership Council chief Simon Johnson to step down after seven years

The Jewish Leadership Council’s (JLC) chief executive Simon Johnson is to step down in August after close to seven years in the position.

Johnson, who announced his decision on Thursday, revealed plans “to build up the successful consultancy business that I ran until 2014” but insisted his services would “always be available” to the JLC and Jewish community.

The chief executive said he was “immensely proud” of the organisation’s achievements since he joined in 2013. “We have built confidence in the JLC, given it an identity and a reputation to be proud of,” he told trustees in an email.

In the email, Johnson praised the JLC’s role in organising the “Enough is Enough” rally in Parliament Square in March 2018, held with the Board of Deputies, describing the demonstration as “pivotal in the political debate up to and through the General Election.”

The JLC’s chair Jonathan Goldstein paid tribute to Johnson’s contribution to the JLC, describing the departing chief executive as an “extremely eloquent advocate for our community at home and abroad.”

“His time as chief executive has been full of challenges and he has met them all head on and leaves the JLC in a far stronger state,” he told colleagues in an email, before wishing Johnson “all the best in his future endeavours.”