Ada Burns joined the Board of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 29 September 2025. She has held senior leadership roles across local government, higher education and the NHS including serving as Chief Executive of Darlington Borough Council from 2005 to 2018.

Burns has led major regeneration initiatives across the Tees Valley and London, with a focus on health inequalities, housing, and place-based leadership. She currently chairs the Board of Governors at Teesside University and sits on a number of sector bodies pursuing good governance and efficiency in higher education including Advance HE, Committee of University Chairs and Universities UK.