Karen Ostler joins housing provider Lovell as business development manager for the Midlands. She joins from construction firm Bluestone, where she was West Midlands marketing manager.
Sheila Starr
Sheila Starr joins Oriel Housing Group as customer services manager. She plans to introduce a single customer service contact point for all the group's tenants. She was previously customer services manager for Volvo.
Mike Kay
Mike Kay joins South Somerset Homes as director of asset management. Previously he worked for English Churches Housing Group. He completes the four-strong executive team.
Sarah Shaw
Sarah Shaw is Family Housing Association's new regional housing manager for Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark in south London. She has worked for Family since 1998 as housing officer, area housing manager and in the community regeneration team.
Nadhia Hussain
Nadhia Hussain has been promoted to area manager for Yorkshire Metropolitan Housing 13 years after she joined as a trainee housing assistant. She is in charge of the Huddersfield office. Also chair of Nashayman Housing Association, she is studying for an MBA in public policy for RSL executives.
Mike Hew
Coldmore Area Housing Association's new chief executive is Mike Hew. He has worked in housing in the West Midlands for 27 years and was previously operations director at Ashram Group in Birmingham.
John Carpenter
John Carpenter has joined CRASH, the construction and property industry charity for the homeless, as trustee and chairman of its executive committee. Previously, he was a director of John Lewis Partnership until he retired. He is also president of the Design Build Foundation and was a founding director of the Reading Construction Forum.
Michael Coldwell
PCHA Housing Association has appointed Michael Coldwell as its customer service and complaints manager. He joins from the Lafferty Group, a financial publishing and conference organisation.
David Ashmore
Westlea Housing Association's new chief executive is David Ashmore. He joins from Oxford Citizens Housing Association, where he was also chief executive. He has been in housing since 1973, working for three London boroughs and a housing association in Liverpool.
Kathy Hampden and Sheila Whelan
Hacas Chapman Hendy has two new human resources divisional managers, Kathy Hampden and Sheila Whelan. Kathy (left) will manage the south-east and joined Hacas from Oxford Citizens Housing Association. Sheila Whelan moves from associate consultant with the firm to the northern division. She joined the company in 1997 after working for two engineering firms.
John Foxall
Kensington Housing Trust's new managing director is John Foxall. He was head of client services for Ealing council. The trust recently joined Ealing Family Group to form Catalyst Housing Group.
Paul Hewitt
Parkside Housing Group's new communications manager is Paul Hewitt. He joins from a PR company in Buckinghamshire.
Andrew Sledge
Andrew Sledge joins South Staffordshire Housing Association as tenant liaison assistant. He was previously a voluntary worker for Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship which supports students in university Christian groups.
Ashley Morris and Ed Turner
Building consultants Tuffin Ferraby and Taylor have appointed Ashley Morris and Ed Turner as building surveyors. Ashley joins the Bristol office as senior building surveyor and Ed joins the Kingston upon Thames team.
Job of the week
Clare Gibb
New job
Managing director, Capital City Homes, a housing association based in Edinburgh, which is a member of the Places for People Group
Old job
Head of property services, Shire Housing Association
First job in housing
“My first real job in housing was as development coordinator at Calvay Cooperative, providing project management and organisational development services.”
Do you have any advice or tips?
“When I moved from the private sector I was given this piece of advice: ‘It’s better to be silent and let people suspect you don’t understand the issues than to open your mouth and confirm that you don’t.’ My advice however is different: ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get.’ Asking ‘why’ often prompts a review that improves service.”
Who would you most like to interview and what would you ask them?
Dead: Florence Nightingale, chiefly because she worked in a male environment, managing to change a whole profession’s and society’s views, to make a difference. Alive: Professor Stephen Hawking, again because he has overcome such a lot of preconceived ideas to be recognised as the leader in his field. He also has a lively sense of humour and a very positive outlook.
If you were housing minister, what would you do to improve the housing situation in the UK?
I would lobby for housing to be tackled as the root contributory factor to resolve the current health, education and law-and-order agendas.
Source
Housing Today
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