ORIGIN HOUSING - Key Persons
Abi joined the Board in October 2021. She is an experienced housing professional and is the Development Partnerships Director at London & Quadrant Housing Trust. She has responsibility for managing small to medium sized development schemes for L&Q across London, Southeast and the Northwest. Her team assists forty-five smaller housing associations in London with building new homes.
She is passionate about collaboration and partnership working, driving a one team culture. Abi has over 25 years' experience in the construction and housing sector; she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Building and holds an MBA degree from Keele University.
Declared Interests: Abi is Development Partnerships Director at L&Q Housing Trust. She is also an ambassador for Women in Social Housing and a member of Prince's Trust. She also volunteers for a charity called On A Silver Plate.
Committee membership: Abi is a member of the Investment committee.
Bryan joined the Board in March 2017. He is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years' experience, predominantly in the public and not-for-profit sectors. As a Director with the National Audit Office he provided assurance to Parliament on the activities of a number of government bodies, most notably the financial services regulatory bodies and other government owned companies.
He now has a range of independent and non-executive roles in the health, education, housing and local government sectors.
Declared interests: Bryan is Non-Executive director at First Community Health and Care CIC and Alliance for Better Care CIC. He is also the Chair at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust; and a Non-Executive Member of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Committee membership: Bryan is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and sits on the Remuneration and Nominations Committee.
Job Titles:
- Group Chief Executive Officer
- Origin As Chief Executive
- Trustee and Vice Chair of P3
Carol Carter joined Origin as Chief Executive in April 2017. She has over 40 years' experience in a wide range of roles and organisations across the housing sector with experience in driving organisational change and delivering high-quality services to residents; effective and efficient housing and property management and community investment; ensuring value for money and building strong external partnerships.
Prior to joining Origin, Carol was Group Director of Housing for six years at Hyde with responsibility for managing 50,000 homes. Previously she worked for a range of housing associations, inner London and rural local authorities, as well as a three year period in consultancy, including experience at Savills.
Carol has chaired the National Housing Federation's executive advisory group - the London Leaders Forum - since 2017 to 2022.
She holds a degree in Social Science and the Professional Qualification of the Institute of Housing.
Declared interests: Carol is a trustee and Vice Chair of P3, a national housing-related support services charity, a member of the Placeshapers Ltd Board and of the Euston Town Business improvement District Board
Committee membership: None
Caron Bradshaw joined Origin's Board in September 2021. She is Chief Executive of Charity Finance Group. She joined CFG in June 2010 from the ICAEW, where she was Head of the Charity and Voluntary Sector and had been secretary to a number of committees including the Social Housing Committee. In addition to supporting a number of small charities and community organisations Caron has been a member of the NCVO's National Assembly, sits on the Charities SORP Committee, has sat on a number of government working parties, is a member of the Church of England Pension Board's Audit and Risk Committee and the Finance and Risk committee of the British Asian Trust. Caron is a trained Barrister and has a wide array of experience across social change/charity, regulation & law, policy, member support, and professional ethics.
Caron is an avidly ‘social' CEO and was been named in the top 30 social CEOs in 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2015 she was named Charity Principal of the Year at the Charity Times Awards. In 2016 she received the Association Excellence Award for Leadership. She was named in the top 30 UK social influences in Risk, Compliance and Regtech 2017 and in the Charity Times top 25 Influencers in the charity sector 2019. In October 2020, Caron was named Woman of the Year (non-CCAB) at the Women in Finance and Accountancy Awards.
Caron was honoured with an OBE for 'services to charity' in the New Year's Honours list 2021.
Declared interests: Caron is CEO of Charity Finance Group, Director of CFDG Trading Co and a Director of Directory for Social Change.
Committee membership: Caron is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Job Titles:
- Director of Development, BSc ( Hons ) Surv, BA ( Hons ), MCIH
Gareth is a qualified Building Surveyor with over 25 years' experience in residential development work. He previously worked for PCHA in a range of development roles including Regional Development Manager and Head of Land & New Business, and at Genesis Housing Association, where he held the post of Assistant Director of Development before joining Origin as Development Director in early 2006.
Declared interests: Gareth is a member of the Asset Management and Development Committee for Waltham Forest Housing Association.
Jane joined the Board in September 2021. She has been an Origin resident for over 27 years. She has two grown up sons and a wonderful elderly dog. Over the years she has been on many resident panels and most recently was the chair of Origin's Spotlight panel. She believes that having a home which is safe and secure and kept to a good standard is vital to peace of mind, and that it is important for residents to work with Origin to help shape the resident living experience and to be able to have a say in what happens.
Job Titles:
- Interim Director of Asset Strategy and Analysis at the Guinness Partnership
- Interim Director of Assets and Compliance
Jeremy has 20 years' experience as a senior leader in strategic asset management and sustainability in the Social Housing sector, having worked for several large national and G15 association both in general needs and specialist housing and care. He joins us with an outstanding record of delivering customer focused services.
Previously Jeremy, was the Interim Director of Asset Strategy and Analysis at The Guinness Partnership and led the developing their Environmental and Sustainability Strategy, investment planning, acquisitions and disposals. He is a passionate advocate for improving the quality and affordability of homes while reducing their impact on the environment.
Declared interests: Jeremy is the Director of Wilson Kape Consulting Ltd.
John has had a diverse career, with more than 20 years in the hospitality sector focused on the creation of premium, differentiated customer experiences. He currently serves as Senior Vice President, Hilton Worldwide, with responsibility for the management of Hilton's brands and central support teams across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The Hilton portfolio currently comprises over 600 hotels across EMEA representing 12 brands. Prior to taking up his current role, he was based in Washington DC leading Hilton's global product innovation team and prior to moving to the US, he was responsible for the management of Hilton's hotels in the UK and Ireland. John spent his early career at Ford Motor Company and with Costa Coffee where he was the Marketing Director.
In addition to his Hilton responsibilities, John serves as a non-executive director at HCL, an educational catering business wholly owned by Hertfordshire Council and Belong, a not-for-profit elderly care organisation.
Declared interests: John is Senior Vice President at Hilton Worldwide and is a Non-Executive Director at HCL Ltd and Belong.
Committee membership: John is a member of the Customer Services Committee.
Job Titles:
- Talent Resourcer
- Talent Resourcer for Origin Housing - Peopl
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance, Technology, Data and Change
Mark Farrar joined Origin in July 2023. He is a Qualified Accountant with wide ranging finance, strategic and operational experience over 25 years across both the public and private sector.
Prior to joining Origin, Mark was Executive Director of Resources at Thrive Homes (5,500 homes primarily in Hertfordshire) for 3 years with the responsibility for Finance, Treasury, Income Collection and Procurement. He helped to shape Thrive's corporate and treasury strategy whilst building the organisation's financial resilience through the recent period of uncertainty and challenge.
Previously he worked in Finance for bpha after 15 years working at Tesco; providing financial support and insight to many areas of the business.
Meena joined the Board in September 2020. She has recently returned to London after almost a decade in Asia and the Middle East. A seasoned Human Resources leader by background, Meena has operated at the c-suite level for over a decade for some of the best known FTSE 30 organisations. She is a passionate disruptor often sought to write, speak and comment upon next-gen HR. Her articles have recently been published in several magazines. In addition to her non-executive role at Origin, Meena is a Trustee of a local Multi Academy Trust covering three secondary schools in and around East London and a Board Advisor to Human Resources Online, a magazine aimed at senior HR professionals across Asia. Meena is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel, is a qualified Organisation Development Practitioner and executive coach.
Declared interests: Meena is a a Director at the Careers Company, Board Trustee at Community Schools Trust, a Non-Executive Director at Central and North West London NHS Trust and a trustee of Hyfa Foundation CIC, a financial inclusion charity.
Committee membership: Meena is Chair of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chartered Director
- Member of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee
Neil is a qualified chartered director and a fellow of the Chartered institute of Housing. He has over thirty years' experience of social housing with much of it at senior level.
In 2019 Neil retired from his last role as Chief Operating Officer with Clarion.
Committee membership: Neil is a member of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee as well as being the Chair of the Health and Safety Oversight Group.
Job Titles:
- Director of Resident Services
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing
Pam joined Origin in January 2022 and brings a considerable track record in delivering housing and resident services at Director level. Pam was most recently Operations Director at THCH and prior to that led sizable teams at Catalyst Housing as the London Area Director and Southern Housing Group as Director of Housing and Resident Services.
She is a champion of providing excellent customer focused services and resident engagement. Pam is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, the National Housing Federations Customer Experience & Housing Management National Group and holds an ILM certificate in coaching and mentoring.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Trainee Board
Hello - I'm Polly. I joined a local authority on a graduate scheme in 2018 and have worked in and around housing since. I have been fortunate enough to work in a number of roles - as a Neighbourhood Housing Officer, in Homelessness and the Regeneration & Development team and more recently in a corporate strategy and service design role working with housing services. I am passionate about housing and its key role as a determinant of people's outcomes and opportunities in life. I also live in a housing association shared ownership property so can bring that perspective, too - as well as my experience working with residents in my local authority area.
I studied for a Masters in Social Policy in 2016/17 and wrote my dissertation on the impact of grant funding on tenure and the cross-subsidy finance model for housing associations since 2010 - so I have a long interest in the contribution that housing associations can make and how they are run! What appealed to me about this programme is my desire to critically assess and understand what it takes to run an effective organisation in practice - what good governance looks like and means, and how this supports the wider purpose of delivering for tenants. But more widely, the opportunity to contribute back to the sector through both my own work but also building my confidence to coach and support others. I was really impressed by Origin's commitment to the programme which came through strongly in the application process and the attentiveness of everyone I have interacted with - I really look forward to the programme and working with you!
Bob joined the Board in September 2019. He is a Qualified Accountant with over 30 years' experience in senior financial and general management roles including Finance Director of a FTSE 250 property company. He has been a NED in various public sector organisations for 10 years and is a trustee of Milton Keynes Parks Trust.
Job Titles:
- Talent Coordinator
- Talent Coordinator - Peopl
I'm Ruth the Talent Coordinator at Origin Housing . I joined in November 2022 and work alongside Samantha Culverhouse (Talent Acquisition Manager ) and Luke Burton our Talent Resourcer. Between us we have many years of Recruitment experience (too many to put a number against!) so that we can assist you as much as possible when you are applying for a role at Origin.
Job Titles:
- Talent Acquisition Manager
- Talent Acquisition Manager - Peopl
Job Titles:
- Member of the Trainee Board
My name is Tinashe Kelvin Midzi, joining the trainee programme from Scotland. I'm a Qualified Accountant through the ACCA with a decade of experience in the Accounting profession. Currently, I have the role of a Finance Business Partner overseeing operating expenditure and a large value capital project in the Energy sector.
I have worked in public sector and listed private sector organisations, mainly undertaking financial management roles, where there is a focus on producing budgets/forecasts and management reporting against plans.
My motivation for applying for the Board Trainee role are the opportunities for professional growth and career progression that will come from what I learn. It is my ambition to create a portfolio of voluntary and remunerated board roles in the future and I see this programme as an opportunity to gain competence in the boardroom by developing a strategic mind-set.
I was intrigued by Origin Housing due to the values, "providing great homes where people are proud to live". This resonates with me, as I am a firm believer that dignity, confidence and self-image come from having pride in where you live and how you live. Whilst I'm new to the housing sector, I can appreciate the impact that the services Origin offers may have on families especially with young people. I myself, grew up in a family in which my mother worked extremely hard to keep my siblings and I, in a neighbourhood that would provide access to decent schools and positive influences. I am excited to work with and learn from professionals from different disciplines in order to achieve a positive outcomes for Origin's customers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Trainee Board
My name is Tinashe Kelvin Midzi, joining the trainee programme from Scotland. I'm a Qualified Accountant through the ACCA with a decade of experience in the Accounting profession. Currently, I have the role of a Finance Business Partner overseeing operating expenditure and a large value capital project in the Energy sector.
I have worked in public sector and listed private sector organisations, mainly undertaking financial management roles, where there is a focus on producing budgets/forecasts and management reporting against plans.
My motivation for applying for the Board Trainee role are the opportunities for professional growth and career progression that will come from what I learn. It is my ambition to create a portfolio of voluntary and remunerated board roles in the future and I see this programme as an opportunity to gain competence in the boardroom by developing a strategic mind-set.
I was intrigued by Origin Housing due to the values, "providing great homes where people are proud to live". This resonates with me, as I am a firm believer that dignity, confidence and self-image come from having pride in where you live and how you live. Whilst I'm new to the housing sector, I can appreciate the impact that the services Origin offers may have on families especially with young people. I myself, grew up in a family in which my mother worked extremely hard to keep my siblings and I, in a neighbourhood that would provide access to decent schools and positive influences. I am excited to work with and learn from professionals from different disciplines in order to achieve a positive outcomes for Origin's customers.
Tony joined the Investment Committee in September 2020. He has over 25-years' experience in construction, development and asset management, and has held a number of executive and senior management positions within the housing sector. He is currently Development Director for Central & Cecil Housing Trust, and prior to that was Director of Development & Asset Management at the Salvation Army Housing Association. He also worked at L&Q Group for over 10-years on a variety of major mixed-use development, regeneration and asset renewal projects.
Tony has an honours degree in Quantity Surveying, and MSc in Construction Law & Dispute Resolution from King's College. He is a member of the Society of Construction Law and the Chartered Institute of Building (ICIOB).
Vicky joined the Board in October 2019. She has nearly 30 years experience within the social housing sector where for many years she held senior positions. She is particularly interested in how to drive improvements in resident satisfaction throughout the whole organisation. Vicky began her career in housing by studying for an MSc in Housing and Social Policy at the LSE.
Declared interests: Vicky is Director/Secretary for Danisa LTD and Danisa Developments.
Committee membership: Vicky chairs the Customer Services Committee and is a member of the Health and Safety Oversight Group.