Mark Easton
Broadcaster, author and former Home Editor at the BBC

Alistair Smyth
Director of Policy and Research, National Housing Federation

Alistair has worked in the social housing sector for the last 16 years in a wide range of roles and organisations including a previous spell at the NHF from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, he worked as a consultant on a range of neighbourhood and community empowerment projects. He also spent three years working in a customer-facing role as a Neighbourhood Manager and as Assistant Head of Neighbourhoods for Peabody. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Policy Advisory Committee.

James Carss
Chief Executive, Castle Peak Group

James Carss is the founder and CEO of Castle Peak Group, an executive search firm with a difference. With over 20 years in executive recruitment across the UK, Asia, and North America, James has always challenged the norm. His journey began in the North East, where he stood up for a friend facing racial prejudice. This experience sparked a lifelong commitment to challenging inequality. After making his mark with top firms in London and leading teams in Hong Kong, James returned to the UK with a mission. In January 2024, he founded Castle Peak Group to offer executive search services that genuinely prioritise diversity, inclusion, and ethical leadership.

Donna Cesir
Chair, ForHousing

Holly Dagnall
Director of Homes and Wellbeing, Nottingham Community Housing Association

Holly has over 20 years of senior management experience in managing business risk, strategy, quality delivery and operational experience in the Housing, Care and Support sector. She joined NCHA in April 2002 and has worked across a range of specialist supported and registered care home settings in both an operational and strategic lead capacity.

Holly became Director of Housing with Care and Support in April 2016 and in April 2018 took on the role of Director of Homes and Wellbeing bringing together NCHA’s specialist housing, care and support teams with social, affordable and submarket rent homes.

Holly’s passion has always been social justice and she is a proud advocate of Supported Housing as both a platform for growth and independence and a safety net for those who need it.

Jenny Danson
Chief Executive, Healthy Homes Hub

With over 30 years of leadership experience, Jenny has held prominent roles including CEO, COO, Executive Director, and Programme Manager. Jenny's impressive career spans various sectors, working with giants like BAA plc, Boots Opticians, Lovell, Ilke Homes, Kier, and Fortem, as well as numerous Councils and Housing Associations. Her strategic and operational prowess has consistently driven growth and innovation in every organisation she’s touched. In 2017, Jenny founded Danery to provide executive coaching and consultancy to the housing sector and tech start-ups. Her passion for property innovation led to the launch of the Proptech Innovation Network in 2021, a groundbreaking initiative in social housing. Jenny has worked with and supported over 130 housing associations, local authorities and combined authorities over the last 20 years. Now, with the establishment of Healthy Homes Hub in 2024, Jenny aims to create a collaborative platform to promote healthier, more sustainable living environments. With her extensive expertise and industry connections, Jenny is set to make Healthy Homes Hub a beacon of change in social housing.

Parminder Dosanjh
Board Member, WHG

For the past twenty-five years Parminder has designed and delivered ground-breaking audience development initiatives for arts, broadcast, and heritage. Her work spans digital production with the BBC, supporting the Cultural Olympiad programme with Arts Council England, and inclusive programming.

Now Creative Director of one of Arts Council’s Creative People and Places programmes, Parminder co-leads Creative Black Country. Her role focusses on co-design, placemaking and amplifying the assets in the region through creative process.

Outside of her role, Parminder is an Area Council Member for Arts Council England, Trustee with Black Country Living Museum, and a Board Member of West Midlands Combined Authority Cultural Leadership Board.

Parminder is also a member of whg’s People and Governance Committee.

Jess Mullins
Head of Member Relations, National Housing Federation

Jess has worked at the NHF since 2017. She has worked in our public affairs team and has been Head of Member relations since 2021 leading on equality, diversity and inclusion; general election work and larger housing association members. Prior to joining the NHF Jess worked in Parliament.

Kate Henderson
Chief Executive, National Housing Federation

Kate is Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation (NHF), the voice of housing associations in England. Kate is passionate about tackling the housing crisis, inequality and climate change. She is a member of several government panels including the Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel and the Social Housing White Paper Expert Challenge Panel. Kate become a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2021. Prior to joining the NHF in 2018, Kate was Chief Executive of the Town and Country Planning Association.

Leanne Hurrell
Head of UK Regional Public Sector, Amazon Web Services

Leanne Hurrell brings extensive experience in the telecommunications and tech sectors. Beginning her journey at Cable & Wireless, followed by roles at Level 3 and Verizon, she focused on addressing customer challenges through digital transformation initiatives. Known for her collaborative approach and customer-centric mindset, Leanne played a key role in developing Verizon’s acquisition team and was honored with the Leader of the Year award.

In 2019, Leanne expanded her expertise by moving to AWS, leading cloud acceleration programs for the top global and strategic accounts. Transitioning to AWS's UK public sector division in April 2023, she continues to lead teams dedicated to driving innovation in healthcare, education, non-profit organizations, and local government.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Leanne volunteers with Reenage, a charity combating isolation among the elderly. She is committed to making a positive impact beyond technology, striving to uplift communities and contribute to a brighter future for all.

Nick Phillips
Chief Executive, The Almhouse Association

Nick is focused on seeing almshouses recognised as the exemplar form of community housing. A chartered surveyor, Nick has worked in the commercial world before changing to the charity sector twenty years ago. Nicks career has blended his passion for historic buildings, access for secure housing for all and charity support.

Pat Ritchie CBE
Chair, Homes England

Pat Ritchie brings a wide range of experience to the role of Homes England Chair. She has been Chair of the Government Property Agency since 2020 and currently sits on the Homes England Board, where she helps oversee and implement the agency’s key priorities. She was previously Chief Executive of both Newcastle City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency. The interim position is expected to last up to 18 months and will provide stability and momentum to Homes England while it continues to play a vital role in delivering this government’s housing agenda and moves to a regional and place-based operating model to deliver successful placemaking and align with the government’s wider devolution agenda.

Catherine Ryder
Chief Executive, PlaceShapers

Catherine previously led the Federation’s work on the Social Housing Green Paper. Catherine has also worked as Advisor to the Chief Executive at the Federation and has spent some time working on economic development and housing at Coast to Capital – a Local Enterprise Partnership in Surrey and Sussex. Before joining the Federation Catherine worked at the Audit Commission as a Strategy Manager, leading the development of assessment frameworks for local government.