Meet our Board members
Last year, we introduced our Board and got to hear a bit about our four newest Board members. The Board monitors how we, as a Housing Association, deliver services to you and they help set out our strategic direction. They are keen to get more involved with residents and understand what it is like being a ccha resident.
In December, we held an event for residents to meet the Board, which had a good number of people sign up and provide questions in advance. We welcomed around 14 residents on the day and they were able to meet our Chair of the Board, Heather Thomas, and Chief Executive, Tracy Cullen and ask questions about our Annual Report and Year 3 of our Corporate Business Plan.
For this edition of Connections, we had a chat with Neil Perrins, Board member and Committee member (who you may have met at the tree planting ceremony last year), and Felicity Gentle, who is an Independent Committee member.
Neil Perrins
Q. Hi Neil, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A. I am currently a Chief Finance Officer for a Housing Association and have worked in a variety of Finance roles across London and the South-East in both public and not-for-profit sectors. Outside of work, I enjoy both playing and watching most sports, including nowadays supporting my eldest child in his sporting interests.
Q. What prompted you to apply to be a Board member and what committee do you Chair?
A. Having worked in the sector for a number of years, I was keen to contribute to the industry in a Board role and grow a wider perspective, particularly in an organisation that seeks to put customers first as ccha does. I’m now Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, supporting the Board in seeking assurance on controls ccha has against its key risks.
Q. How do your skills support the committee?
A. From operating at a senior level in various sized organisations, my breadth of knowledge and awareness of key topics that the committee needs to explore helps complement the great skills and experience of other members.
Q. What are you excited to get involved in?
A. We have a series of improvements we are accelerating to enhance our governance arrangements, particularly in financial areas. I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the Board and the Executive Team to make that happen, and in turn, improve how ccha operates for our residents. It’ll be challenging, but very rewarding.
Q. What is the most rewarding part of being on the Board?
A. It’s really rewarding trying to deliver great services and communities for people to call home by putting residents at the centre of our focus.
Felicity Gentle
Q. Hi Felicity, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a consultant who specialises in Property Sales & Marketing, particularly Low-Cost Home Ownership, which in most cases is Shared Ownership. I’ve been in the housing sector for nearly 20 years now working for large Housing Associations such as Clarion (previously Affinity Sutton) and Optivo. My last full-time role was as Sales & Marketing Director for Optivo. I found it hard to balance my home life with that role so made the decision to leave and set up on my own.
Q. What prompted you to apply to be an Independent Committee Member?
A. I work with a variety of Housing Associations and Local Authorities to help them create, plan and deliver their Affordable Housing Programmes. I was attracted to working with ccha as the role offered was on their Development Committee and I understood the areas they worked in from previous roles.
Q. How do your skills support the committee?
A. In my previous full-time roles I was used to reviewing high volumes of potential new sites, many across Croydon. I apply the experience and knowledge gained through that process to my role as Development Committee Member at ccha. My experience with site issues and successes enables me to challenge and prompt information and processes when reviewing the ccha Development Programme and potential new sites.
Q. What are you excited to get involved in?
I get really excited looking at new sites; where are they located, what will be built there and what the risks are that need mitigating. We need to ensure we’ve thought of everything and been through all the detail before recommending the scheme to go to Board. This is the part of the process I enjoy contributing to most!
