Professor Ian Cole
Chair, South Yorkshire Housing Association and Homes for Cathy

Professor Ian Cole has been an NED on SYHA’s Board for three years. For the past two years he has been the Chair of the main Board. He remains working at the Centre of Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University on a part-time basis. This is the team he set up and led for over 10 years. His research interests include the financialisation of housing associations and housing supply.

His experience includes appointments as special advisor on several Select Committee enquiries – most recently on land reform.

Pauline Davis
Vice Chair, Riverside

In 2014 Pauline retired from her role as deputy chief executive and corporate director at Hull City Council. Previously, she worked in Nottingham and Liverpool both for the NHS and Local Government. Pauline is an Honorary Member of the Faculty of Public Health. She spent a number of years as a school governor and was a non–executive director of Wirral Primary Care Trust. Pauline acts as vice chair of the Riverside Group Board and is also chair of the Governance & Remuneration Committee.

Althea Efunshile
Chair, Metropolitan Thames Valley

Althea Efunshile CBE has had a 40 year public sector career, during which she has gained extensive senior leadership experience in education, children’s services and culture. She has worked at both local and national levels of government.

She has been Deputy Chief Executive at Arts Council England; a Senior Civil Servant within the Department of Education, employed in a number of director-level roles all aimed at improving outcomes for disadvantaged and socially excluded children; Executive Director for Education & Culture at the London Borough of Lewisham; and Assistant Director of Education at the London Borough of Merton.

Althea stepped down from a full-time executive career three years ago. She is now a Non-Executive Director of a small number of organisations, including University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and Channel 4. She is Chair of professional dance company Ballet Black.

Althea was awarded a CBE in the 2016 Birthday Honours.

Alison Inman
Chair, TPAS and Board Member, Saffron Housing Trust

Alison Inman is a chair at Tpas and Past President of the Chartered Institute of Housing. She sits on the boards of two housing associations and is Co-founder of SHOUT, the social housing campaign group.

Alan Lewin
Board Member, Hundred Houses

Alan is an experienced housing professional and was an Executive Director at Circle Anglia (now Clarion) and Sanctuary Group before being appointed Chief Executive of Axiom Housing in 2008. Between 2009 – 2017 Axiom more than doubled in turnover and won three Sunday Times Top 100 awards, whilst achieving and maintaining V1/G1 regulatory ratings.

Alan oversaw the successful merger of Axiom with Longhurst Group in 2017 and chaired Homes for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough along with being a member of the boards of Longhurst and of Hundred Houses.

In 2018 Alan was appointed Chair of Iceni Homes and is a non executive Director of Greenacre and a member of the NHF Board Members Group.

Alan is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Sciences.

Hattie Llewelyn-Davies
Chair, Eastlight Community Homes

Hattie was the driving force behind the merger between Colne Housing – where she was Chair – and Greenfields Community Housing to create Eastlight Community Homes in July 2020. Awarded an OBE for her services to homeless people in 2004, Hattie’s career began in housing and homelessness and has since expanded to health, compliance, and financial services across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Her governance expertise benefit many housing providers in her role as Chair of BuildEast’s East of England Chairs Group. She is also Chair of The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.

Linda Nash
Chair, Live West

Linda was appointed to the board of Knightstone in 2014 and the board of LiveWest in 2018. Linda is a founding director of Nash Bevan Associates, a trustee on the board of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and chairman of North Somerset Community Partnership and Kings School’s Taunton. Linda has also been chairman of Somerset Partnership NHS Trust and on the Board of Musgrove Park Hospital.

Liz Potter
Chair, Curo

Liz is Chair of Curo and a governance consultant and executive coach, working independently and as a senior associate with Campbell Tickell. She works with boards, directors, chairs and chief executives of large and small housing organisations and national charities. She is also a board member of Housing 21 and Care and Repair England. She was previously Chair of Orbit Group, and Director of Policy at the National Housing Federation. She actively supports initiatives to promote more diverse leadership in housing.

Kim Vernau
Chair, Women’s Pioneer Housing

I am an experienced Chair and NED with a track record of formulating and executing Board-level strategy, building businesses and leading executive teams through high growth and turnaround situations. I am currently Chair of Women’s Pioneer Housing, iNED at Housing Association Property Mutual and formerly CEO of BLP Insurance - a key subsidiary of market leading insurance group Thomas Miller and highly regarded provider of housing warranty insurance and commercial development latent defects insurance.

I also sit on a Next Generation Advisory Services Committee for Innovate UK supporting projects considering the application of Artificial Intelligence in the financial services sector. I have recently been appointed an Ambassador for the Insurance Supper Club and am committed to diversity and equality for all. I am currently contributing to an initiative within the insurance sector to enable those experiencing domestic abuse to access help and support .

I wish to utilise my skills in insurance, housing associations and the arts to be challenged and to make a difference.