CAREDIG - Key Persons
Amie is a Qualified Accountant with over 12 years experience in the Housing Sector. She is passionate about people, communities and believes in excellent customer satisfaction. Outside of work Amie has three children, is a member of a local Crossfit Gym and enjoys walks with her six dogs and ski holidays with her family.
Job Titles:
- Director Finance, Development & Governance
Cerys joined Caredig in September 2019 as Executive Director of Finance and Business Services.
Cerys graduated from Cardiff Business School, University of Wales, Cardiff with a honours degree in Economics and Accounting. She is a fully qualified "Big 4" trained Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Cerys has over 21 years of significant experience in a number of demanding financial management positions. Her last position prior to joining Caredig was with a global manufacturer in a UK wide role; she has extensive experience of multi-functional change management, leading and enabling transformation and delivering robust strategic financial leadership.
Chris gained experience in a number of finance roles outside of Housing before joining Caredig in July 2018. He is responsible for the financial transaction processing team s and for financial reporting. Chris enjoys walking the dog along the Wales coast and watching football.
Job Titles:
- Senior Independent Director ( SID )
Christina is a chartered surveyor with approximately 30 years' experience both in practice as a surveyor and as a management and training consultant. She has held a number of non-executive director positions in the housing and property sectors and has a strong understanding of good governance. She is the author of a range of professional and cross industry standards and guidance and is passionate about sustainability holding a Masters degree in renewable energy and resource management.
David is a Law graduate and Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of experience as a senior finance professional in both private and third sector organisations. He is the co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Bay Leisure Ltd, a health and fitness chain with sites across England and Wales. David enjoys spending his spare time with his wife and two children, and taking his golden retriever Ollie on long walks!
Job Titles:
- Head of Housing & Support
Emma joined Caredig over 16 years ago starting out as an administrator in the rents team. Emma has experience in a variety of roles, specialising in Housing Management and now leads the Housing & Support department.
Emma believes a quality home is the central foundation to achieving a good life and is key to achieving a good education, good health and positive wellbeing and centres this into all service delivery.
When not in work, Emma enjoys spending time with family, friends and walks with the dogs
Hamish is a regeneration and development specialist. In the last 30 years he has been the Director of Development Consultancy at TC Consult, the Head of Regeneration at Newport Unlimited, and has delivered regeneration projects for the Welsh Development Agency and Welsh Government. Hamish is a qualified youth worker and has worked in several youth and community organisations, and is currently coaching the local U18's football team.
Job Titles:
- Director for Property and Assets
Ian started his career in social housing in the late 80s with a district council. He worked with a number of great teams for 13 years managing a repairs workforce that looked after housing repairs, voids, and refurbishment.
He has continued to work in repairs, maintenance, and asset management for housing associations and community mutuals, as well as for contractors. His roles have included head of repairs and acting director.
Living near Malvern with his wife, Liz, Ian keeps himself busy with donkeys, pygmy goats, sheep, pigs, quail, rabbit, guinea pigs and cat. He is also a keen DIYer, fully refurbished several homes and he also love to cycle.
Job Titles:
- Head of Technology and Business Improvement
Ian joined Caredig in February 2023, and although this is the first time he has worked in social housing, he brings a wealth of experience from working for nearly 30 years across both the private and public sector, more latterly developing and delivering digital customer services at enterprise level.
Outside of work Ian is an avid sports fan and now that his team playing days are over is hoping to reduce his golf handicap!
Karen started her career as a Probation Officer before moving into the housing sector as a support worker 15 years ago. She has since held a number of roles, spending her last 5 years in senior management positions. She is currently the Director of Specialist Housing and Support for United Welsh Housing Association. She has extensive experience of working with people with a wide range of complex needs. Karen is passionate about working in a psychologically informed way and doing things differently, based on strong and meaningful relationships.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Technology Executive
We are delighted to announce that from 1st June 2023, Kirsten Achtelstetter has been appointed…
Kirsten is an experienced Technology executive with a strong record of transformation and growth across FTSE250 organisations and start-ups. Having held various CTO roles in the City, she has deep experience in financial services technology across asset management, trading and FinTech. She now runs her own business advising clients on business strategy, organisational efficiency and technology delivery. Her personal passion for property brought her to Caredig in March 2022.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Its Chief Executive
Marcia joined Caredig as its Chief Executive in January 2020. Prior to that she was Deputy Chief Executive at Tai Calon Community Housing. A qualified accountant, Marcia has held senior roles in social housing and local government, including supporting regeneration projects at Cardiff Council. She has held Board Member positions and is currently a lay member of Swansea University.
She believes that providing good quality affordable housing is essential to maintaining healthy, resilient communities and that this is a key driver of prosperous local economies. Marcia is committed to providing person centred outcomes for tenants and service users and recognises the importance of kindness in all relationships.
Marcia relaxes using alternative therapies, including yoga and reflexology, to support her well-being. She also enjoys walking with her springer spaniel and the family - in that order
Martin has worked in partnership with local RSL's, local authorities, Welsh Government and private developers for over 25 years, and has extensive knowledge of the Housing and Property market. Martin has a strong background in Regeneration, particularly in Town and City Centres, and is a member of the Vibrant and Viable Places Management Board in Bridgend. He has developed a strong and clear understanding of the need for transparent and sound governance through his voluntary and professional roles.
Max has worked in the automotive, aerospace and metals processing industries. He joined Jaguar Cars in 1988 and has held operational, technical and commercial roles in both large international and private businesses. He has been CEO of two private equity-owned manufacturing businesses and is able to focus on both operational and strategic objectives. Max holds an MBA from Warwick Business School and an Engineering degree from Portsmouth Polytechnic. He is married and has 3 sons!
Job Titles:
- Head of Property and Estates
Megan has gained over 20 years' experience within the housing sector. Having the opportunity to work with different associations Megan has held a wide variety of roles, from lettings administrator to housing officer to surveyor and repairs manager, to name just a few.
Megan's philosophy is to keep things simple so more time and energy can be spent focussing on what matters most to people. This philosophy is perfect as Megan leads our property and estates teams to provide maintenance services in and around our tenants' homes.
Living in Newport with her husband, two daughters and an utterly gorgeous dog called Bella, Megan tries hard to be a good Newport County fan in her spare time but will only go to the game when the weather is warm!
Mike has worked in Housing and Construction for over 30 years. Throughout his career, Mike has made a positive contribution to the built and wider social environment while supporting sustainable communities through local employment, training, volunteering and community investment. Mike is passionate about tackling inequalities and adding value within his sphere of influence, and is currently a Member of the South Glamorgan Community Health Council.
Sean has had a career spanning over 20 years working in development and asset management performing at differing levels through various roles.
He has extensive housing association development experience and his knowledge and skills have proved very successful.
Sean is keen to significantly increase Caredig's development programme by creating and delivering, beautiful, affordable homes in great locations.
Steffan owns a Healthcare Service Design Consultancy and has over 30 years of experience in the industry. He was a director of a charity working with adults with learning disabilities, has a post-graduate qualification in Philosophy and Healthcare, and is a member of the European (Care) Pathway Association. Steffan supports community development, reducing social isolation and health and wellbeing. He is very active in the voluntary sector, and works with the friends of parks and gardens community!
Job Titles:
- Director for Customer and Communities
Steve joined Caredig in April 2020. He is responsible for leading our housing management, care and support teams, helping them deliver great services for residents. He also leads our Technology and Business Improvement team who make sure our systems and ways of working keep us secure and help us work effectively.
Steve has worked at a senior level in a variety of Housing organisations across South Wales and in the North of England. He has extensive experience of working with tenants and staff to deliver customer-focused housing management, tenancy support and repair services.
He is a past Chair of the Community Housing Cymru Welfare Reform Strategic Delivery Group, and currently Chair of Governors at a local Primary School.
Steve is married with two young children and a lively dog called Lyra. He is a big music fan and sports mad and (still!) plays football and cycles regularly.
Job Titles:
- Head of Assets and Compliance
Stuart has worked in the Property sector for over 30 years and joined Caredig in 2001 following managerial and leadership roles in University Estate management and the Rent Officer Service.
Stuart leads our Assets and Compliance Team, who all work closely to make sure tenant's homes are safe and in great shape.
In his spare time, he is a volunteer at a local rugby club, having previously been a director of a sporting Association and a rugby and cricket coach for over a decade.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director for People and Culture
- Chartered Member of the CIPD
Vicky is a Chartered Member of the CIPD and has worked in a number of HR Management roles for over 25 years. She joined Caredig just over 12 years ago as HR Team Manager.
Prior to joining Caredig, Vicky worked for a large Public Sector organisation where she has managed local HR teams and national Business Change projects across multiple sites.
Wiard is a Dutch citizen and moved to Wales in 1984, via a brief spell of living in London. His career began in theatre. After obtaining an Art History degree from the Open University he worked extensively with artists, communities and public and private sector clients, developing creative projects and strategies in support of large scale regeneration and infrastructure renewal. He was the CEO of two successful creative agencies where he initiated and implemented significant organisational change, and worked across Wales, the UK and internationally. More recently he developed guidance for vulnerable EU citizens in the UK to assist them in obtaining their new immigration status post Brexit and helped establish the charity Settled, of which he is now a Trustee. Wiard is a Trustee of Sinfonia Cymru, is a keen sailor and lives with his wife in one of Cardiff's traditional dockland communities, where they also run a small allotment.