CLLR MARGARET GREER
“Faith, Justice, Community, these aren’t just values I believe in. They are the blueprint of my life.”
If leadership is about showing up when it matters most, then Cllr Margaret Greer is not just present she is powerfully anchored. In May 2025, she made history as the first Black woman of Caribbean heritage to be elected Mayor of the London Borough of Enfield a milestone forged not through spectacle, but through decades of quiet, consistent service rooted in purpose, people and principle.
Born in Hackney and raised in the spirited community of Stoke Newington, Margaret’s formative years were shaped by the moral scaffolding of her Methodist upbringing, where justice wasn’t just preached from the pulpit it was practiced at the dinner table. “I grew up learning that service is sacred,” she reflects. That foundation would go on to influence a life dedicated to equity, public service and healing community divides.
Her public journey began in 1988 at Latymer Day Nursery in Hammersmith & Fulham", igniting a lifelong passion for social justice and care. Over the years, that spark evolved into a roaring flame fuelling a career spanning social work, trade union activism, faith-based leadership and community mobilisation, especially within Caribbean and ethnically diverse communities. Her role as UNISON’s National Race Equality Officer further deepened her resolve to tackle structural injustice at scale.
Elected to Enfield Council in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 to serve Upper Edmonton, Margaret became Deputy Mayor in 2024, before rising to Mayor in 2025. But this role is not simply ceremonial to her. “It is a platform to mobilise hope, to bring people together across cultures, across generations, across struggle and to make everyone in Enfield feel seen, heard and valued.”
Cllr Greer leads not from ambition but from alignment to her faith, values and lived experience. A survivor of racism and sexism, she channels adversity into advocacy, refusing to allow pain to have the final word. “What was meant to silence me” she says, “has become the very fuel of my public voice.”
Her mayoral year is guided by a bold, unshakable mission.
• To amplify the unheard.
• To celebrate cultural pride.
• To dismantle inequalities not just symbolically, but structurally.
This vision is reflected in her unwavering support for initiatives like Enfield Football Club’s community outreach, where sport becomes a vehicle for unity, self-worth and positive transformation.
Her chosen charities reflect her priorities.
•Royal Free Charity North Mid Red Cell Services Fund (Sickle Cell & Thalassemia). Standing with families impacted by systemic gaps in healthcare.
•Enfield Black Heritage Hub. Preserving and honouring local Black history as a foundation for the future.
•Macmillan Cancer Support. Providing strength and dignity in life’s most difficult chapters.
In every room she enters, whether in council chambers or community halls, Cllr Greer brings not just a title but a testimony. She is a living reminder that resilience is not about perfection it is about purpose, persistence and people.
As Mayor, she offers Enfield not just representation but revelation. that healing, hope and justice are not abstract ideals, but the work of ordinary people who dare to lead with extraordinary conviction.
Let’s find out more about her passions and beliefs which drive her ambition and motivation in Office.
All information and links were correct at the date of original publication on
18 Sept 2025
Your journey from nursery worker to Mayor spans decades of public service, advocacy and leadership. What personal disciplines and leadership principles have anchored your path and how did you remain committed when the milestones seemed distant?
What has kept me grounded from nursery worker to Mayor has been discipline in the small things. prayer, reflection and the daily practice of showing up with integrity. Leadership, for me, is not an event but a rhythm , choosing to be faithful in service, even when recognition was years away. The milestones often felt distant, but I reminded myself that justice work is generational. You may not always see the fruit, but you plant faithfully, trusting that others will water and harvest. That perspective kept me committed when the journey was long.
Leadership often requires making unpopular decisions in the name of long-term justice. Can you share a moment where you had to choose courage over comfort, perhaps in public life or community leadership and what that taught you about leading with conviction?
There was a time in local government when a proposal came forward that looked efficient on paper but would have deeply harmed vulnerable families in practice and my members.
The easier choice would have been to stay quiet, to go along with the majority. But I knew silence would betray the very people I was elected to serve. Speaking out was uncomfortable, it invited criticism and at the time it felt like I was standing alone. Yet in that moment, I learned something profound.
Courage is not about the absence of fear, it is about refusing to let fear have the final say. When you lead with conviction, you may lose popularity in the short term, but you gain trust and integrity in the long term. Trust, once earned, becomes the foundation for lasting change.
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As someone who has broken barriers and become the first Black woman of Caribbean heritage to serve as Mayor of Enfield, what internal drive or strategy allowed you to push through ceilings that others were content to accept?
Becoming the first Black woman of Caribbean heritage to serve as Mayor of Enfield was not just about breaking a ceiling, it was about refusing to inherit limits that others had normalised. What pushed me through was a mixture of faith and determination.
My strategy was simple. Prepare diligently, work consistently and never allow rejection to define my worth. I reminded myself that the barriers before me were not mine to carry , they were cracks in the system and my job was to keep pressing until light could break through.
In a world increasingly driven by visibility and performance, how do you cultivate substance over spectacle and ensure your leadership leaves structural, not just symbolic, change?
In today’s world, it is tempting to lead for the headlines, but I have always believed that symbolism without structure is shallow.
I cultivate substance by asking “what will remain when the cameras are gone?” That question drives me to build policies, partnerships and community frameworks that endure beyond my tenure. For me, leadership is not about being seen, it is about ensuring people feel seen and that requires depth, not display.
The causes you support, health equity, heritage preservation and compassionate care require not just empathy, but execution. How do you translate community values into actionable policy, partnerships and outcomes?
Values without action remain ideals. My work with health equity, heritage preservation and compassionate care has always been about building bridges between councils and communities, between charities and service providers, between lived experience and policymaking.
For example, supporting sickle cell patients through the Royal Free Charity is not just about empathy, it is about lobbying for better healthcare systems. Preserving Black heritage is not just celebration, it is creating hubs that educate, empower and resource future generations. Compassion becomes powerful when it is codified into systems that last.
Your lived experiences as a survivor of both racism and sexism clearly inform your leadership. How have you transformed adversity into agency and what mindset do you adopt to lead through resistance?
Racism and sexism have been part of my lived reality, but I refused to let them have the final word. What was meant to diminish me became fuel for my public voice. My mindset has always been. Resistance is not rejection, it is a sign that change is stirring. Instead of internalising hostility, I externalise it into advocacy. I remind myself. “This struggle is not personal, it is structural.” That perspective allows me to fight the system without losing my soul.
Every leader faces moments of fatigue, doubt or opposition. What practices, spiritual, strategic or personal helped you remain grounded and forward-focused, especially in your toughest seasons?
Leadership can be exhausting. My anchor has always been faith, prayer and scripture which give me clarity when the noise of opposition is loud. Strategically, I surround myself with truth-tellers and encouragers. People who remind me why I began when doubts creep in.
Personally, I return to music, to walking in nature, to the quiet rituals that restore my spirit. Fatigue is inevitable, but I have learned that rest is also resistance. You cannot pour from an empty cup.
Finally, as someone who has built a legacy through faith, determination and hard-won experience, what message, mindset or mentorship would you most want to impart to the next generation of female leaders navigating a complex world?
To the next generation of women leaders, especially young Black women navigating complex worlds, my message is this. Lead with alignment, not just ambition. Do not let titles or positions define you. Let your values be your compass, your community be your grounding and your faith be your fuel. Remember, leadership is not about being perfect, it is about being purposeful. You will face resistance, but do not confuse opposition with failure.
The world needs your voice, your vision, your courage. My hope is that my journey shows that legacies are not built overnight, they are crafted daily by choosing faith over fear, justice over comfort and community over self.
In honouring Cllr Margaret Greer, we don’t simply recognise a historic appointment, we celebrate a lifetime of disciplined leadership, unshakable faith and generational vision. Her voice reminds us that true leadership is not about the spotlight, it is about what you do when no one is watching. Through every act of service, every stand for justice and every bridge built between policy and people, she has shown that legacy is crafted not in moments of applause, but in years of steadfast conviction.
We are deeply grateful for her contribution to this feature, her story is not only a testament to what is possible, but a call to action for all who dare to lead with integrity, courage and purpose.
You can contact Cllr Greer via:-
Email: Mayor@enfield.gov.uk