Conference Speakers

As the Head of Repairs and Data Delivery at Newlon, Hussein ensures the delivery of a resident-centered repairs service, regulatory compliance, and accurate data management. Previously, at Peabody, Hussein oversaw contract escalations and customer service performance, developed KPIs, and ensured health and safety standards. With a background in contract management and customer relations, Hussein brings extensive experience in enhancing service delivery and satisfaction. Hussein believes in leveraging data to bridge gaps and resolve housing’s most pressing issues, using insights to drive improvements and deliver better outcomes for residents.

Oliver has played a pivotal role in partnering with social landlord clients to ensure their adherence to British Standards for fire and carbon monoxide detection. Through his expertise, clients have seamlessly been able to comply with the latest regulations. Oliver has also been instrumental in integrating HomeLINK technology, enabling clients to effectively monitor the internal environments of their housing stock. Additionally, he oversees Aico’s accounts in the new build housing sector and manages accounts within the MOD/MOJ sector, ensuring the highest standards of safety and compliance.

Mathew founded Echelon in 2005, followed several years later by Pretium Frameworks and Echelon Improvement Partnerships, and more recently Quantum Training and E2EX (a joint venture with Exactly). He has over 25 years’ experience in the development and delivery of asset management projects within the affordable housing sector, as a client, contractor and consultant. Mathew takes an active project management role within each of the group’s companies, blending his entrepreneurial flair for developing the businesses with maintaining an intimate knowledge of the issues facing the sector. He has built a reputation for developing innovative delivery models and regularly goes out into the sector to share best practice, speaking at industry events, and leading training sessions.

Neel has over 15 years’ experience serving in senior leadership roles, both in the UK and internationally, within the following industry sectors including education, training, publishing, quantity surveying and as a non-executive director. In recent year’s Neel’s responsibilities have involved the running of various businesses which now includes a Social Enterprise developed to serve the built environment and other sectors such as housing. The Enterprise combines cross-cutting services associated to social value, training and sustainability.

Andy has been with Hyde for 10 years and is currently the Head of Commercial Transactions, overseeing the Procurement and Accounts Payable teams. He began his career at Deloitte, where he spent eight years as a Management Consultant specialising in supply chain and procurement for both public and private sector clients. His work included strategic sourcing, global cost reduction, and procurement organisational design. He also spent time on secondment at the London Olympics, delivering tenders for the Catering, Cleaning & Waste team. At Hyde, Andy is responsible for driving procurement strategy, commercial efficiency, and procurement regulatory compliance.

Andy Ellis is the Estimating Director for Wates Property Services with responsibility for the pre-construction commercial activity on all national tenders within the housing maintenance and facilities management sectors. He has performed this role since 2018 having joined as a trainee in 2007. During his career Andy has specialised in housing maintenance and holds knowledge across all aspects of the sector including planned, reactive, net zero carbon and compliance works. Andy is a RICS chartered professional with extensive experience of differing cost models enabling him to provide balanced and informed advice to others on the pros and cons of each.

Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Neuropsychologist, international keynote speaker and award-winning author. She has worked as a Health and Wellbeing Consultant to many companies across varied industries including Rail, Atomic Weapons, Civil Engineering and the NHS. Stephanie has successfully delivered interventions for companies ranging from global consultancies through to Premier League football teams. Stephanie specialises in delivering practical, evidence-based interventions, focusing on sustainable improvement. She is passionate about ensuring people are happy, healthy, safe and engaged in the workplace, and believes everyone can and should enjoy work.

Helen Francis is Group Strategic Partnerships Director at the Breyer Group Plc. She has worked in the social housing sector for the last 20 years, mainly representing large contractors specialising in property maintenance and new-build housing, heading up their work winning and delivery through bids, business development, strategic development, client relations and customer service as well as social value, PR, marketing and communications.
Starting out in the sector originally as a bid coordinator, Helen has knowledge and experience of tendering and securing contracts with local authorities and housing associations; she is solutions focused and champions innovation and added value to enhance both her clients’ and their customers’ experience.
As a board member of the Yorkshire Builders Federation, supporting SME contractors, and a Trustee of Breyer Foundation, the Breyer Group’s charitable arm, Helen remains connected to the sector at varying levels to ensure she brings benefit to the industry as a whole.

Tim is Group CEO of Compliance Specifics, Design Specifics, Energy Specifics and more recently, Energy Specifics Academy. Together the companies offer an end-to-end service (turnkey) for all aspects of PAS 2035/2038 retrofit, with each concentrating on its core activities. Data and training are at the heart of what the companies do – they strive to improve. As one of the earliest delivery partners under PAS 2035, they understand the challenges and frustrations, as well as the good, bad and ugly parts!

With over 30 years in aviation, Mandy etched her name in history as the first woman to pilot the Tornado GR4 on the front line, navigating hostile zones such as Iraq. She transitioned from the RAF into a facilitator and coach in human factors, leveraging her experiences in calculated risk-taking and decision-making under pressure. She now imparts vivid lessons from her cockpit experiences to enrich management and leadership contexts. Renowned as a highly sought-after keynote speaker, she passionately motivates global audiences, sharing insights and strategies for navigating high-stakes situations. Mandy’s bestselling book, ‘An Officer, not a Gentleman,’ captures her inspirational journey as a trailblazing female fighter pilot.

Rosie’s business development experience within the construction industry spans over 30 years. Having moved into the social housing sector three years ago with MCP, Rosie has successfully developed and maintained strong working relationships with a range of industry-wide contacts.
Rosie’s operational knowledge is extensive; her current role not only involves business development, she also oversees contract mobilisation, client relationship management, dispute resolution and social value. The diverse nature of her role brings many challenges and gives her the opportunity to support various areas of the business.
She is also a Trustee of Stepping Stones Luton, a charity dedicated to empowering women who have suffered domestic abuse.

Nusheen is responsible for Home Group’s operational delivery for its customers and communities. She has held several senior roles over the last 20 years, across various industry sectors including publishing, broadcasting, energy, financial services, construction and housing. Her specialisms include sustainability and fuel poverty, customer and community operational delivery, customer experience and engagement, equality diversity and inclusion.

Aaron is responsible for the day-to-day running and strategic direction of Echelon Consultancy, working alongside his fellow board members to lead the Echelon Group.
Aaron, who has over 20 years’ experience in asset and facilities management as a client, contractor, and consultant, has a diverse role across the operational aspect of the business, leading project teams on options appraisals, business review and transformation projects, and procurement processes.
He also conducts reviews of operational delivery models, with a view to moulding them into procurement models and supports organisations through change management and service improvement programmes.
Aaron a certified Thomas International Practitioner and is chair of Platform Property Care and Christian Action Housing Enfield.

Kris advises on all aspects of public procurement law and practice and provides advice to both a wide range of contracting authorities (in particular Local Authorities, Registered Providers and collaborative procurement vehicles) and private sector bidding consortiums and contractors on procurement matters. Kris also has extensive experience of negotiating, drafting, reviewing and reporting on all forms of commercial contracts including maintenance and facilities management contracts, supply and distribution contracts, catering contracts, joint venture agreements, outsourcing contracts care and support contracts and framework agreements for various works, services and supplies.

Dan has worked at Fortem for 14 years, starting as a management trainee and progressing to a senior manager, specialising in social housing contracts.
As Head of Estimating, his role involves helping Fortem to grow sustainable contracts that maintain an appropriate balance of risk. Once a contract is secured, it is his responsibility to embed the learning and theory from the procurement phase into reality.
Recently, Dan successfully renegotiated one of the largest contracts in the sector, ensuring a fair balance of risk was achieved, which provided value for money and embedded Fortem’s values of partnership.

Richard is a strategic and operationally focused director with over 20 years’ experience within the housing and facilities management sectors as well as having proudly served in the British Army. He is a director and co-owner of Exactly which is an IT consultancy specialising within the social housing sector, supported by a team of specialist project managers, solution consultants and application developers. Often leading from the front, Richard takes an active project management and entrepreneurial business development role within Exactly.

Knowledgeable and experienced Director Chris, has extensive expertise in supporting businesses to deliver continuous improvement, having spent 24 years working in the public sector and 16 years in the private sector.

During his career he has delivered quality services to various Local Authorities and RSLs in both traditional and partnering forms of contract.

He has experience in all aspects of contract delivery, from pricing to mobilisation and day-to-day delivery, as well as bid writing.

Alice has been working in decarbonisation for the last 10 years, starting her career initially as project support and as an energy assessor on Government-funded energy efficiency schemes. In this time, Alice has gained valuable project experience and technical qualifications around building assessment, Retrofit Coordination and project management, and she now heads up an in-house team of multi-skilled PAS2035 assessors, Retrofit Coordinators and energy modellers. Alice leads on all activity around Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) for Equans in the south and the internal and external quality management of PAS2035. She is passionate about improving the lives of residents, decarbonisation, reducing the skills gap and increasing diversity in the industry.

Vlad Nedelcu, PiLON’s Managing Director, is a seasoned leader with over 15 years’ experience in the social housing sector. He has a proven track record of driving growth, profitability, and brand awareness in a highly competitive and often volatile market. Vlad’s unique blend of commercial acumen, financial expertise, and hands-on experience has been instrumental in PiLON’s success and expansion. Since joining PiLON in 2011, Vlad has led a talented team through a period of exponential growth and profitability. His natural leadership and strong communication skills have created a culture of empowerment, where every employee has the opportunity to succeed and excel.
Vlad strongly believes in developing robust partnerships with clients and the supply chain and has fostered a culture of collaboration throughout the company, which has led to collaboration being one of PiLON’s five core values. With a background in electrical engineering, Vlad also holds a Law Degree, CIH Level 5, RICS Diploma, and has completed advanced business growth programmes at Cranfield University. His diverse qualifications complement his practical knowledge, enabling him to navigate complex challenges and steer the company towards continued success.

Jenny Osbourne is Chief Executive at Tpas – the tenant engagement experts – and has been in this role since 2014. Her previous role was Head of Corporate Services with specific responsibility for membership and governance. Jenny is an English Graduate from Leeds University, and before working for Tpas, she worked for the Post Office on their management programme in the branch network. Jenny is also the Chair of Stockport Homes Group and is a board member of the National Federation of ALMOs. Jenny is passionate about the tenant engagement agenda and is a strong advocate for effective partnership working between tenants, providers, contractors and government.

Gavin Oxenham, Group General Manager at Procast Group, brings 20 years of customer service experience to the construction industry, with a focus on retrofit projects. With a degree-level education and 14 years in IT management and security, Gavin uniquely combines technical knowledge with customer-centric approaches. His expertise in serving tenants and homeowners, coupled with a deep understanding of cyber security, provides a holistic view of modern construction challenges. A passionate advocate for sustainable building practices, Gavin has contributed to Scottish Government discussions on retrofit. Gavin will share insights from a significant retrofit project, demonstrating his commitment to advancing energy-efficient solutions in the built environment.

Experienced director George has worked in a number of different sectors and is the Managing Director of London-based social housing contractor MNM property Services, as well as a member of the board at national housing association District Homes. Over the last five years both organisations have had to navigate an everchanging landscape and he truly believes working together as a sector will help us to face the new challenges ahead.

For the past five years Kirsty has been dedicated to helping the community as a Community Development Officer at Bolton at Home. Her career in community development spans around 20 years, during which time she has worked with various social housing providers. Throughout this journey, her passion has always been to champion underrepresented voices, ensuring they have a role in shaping the services they receive. Kirsty’s experience has provided her with a good understanding of the challenges faced by diverse communities and she is committed to creating inclusive environments where everyone feels heard and valued. By developing strong relationships and engaging with residents, she strives to develop programmes and initiatives that reflect the true needs and aspirations of the community.

Phil is the Director of Property for the Riverside Group and has responsibility for its London and South portfolio, having previously held the position of Director of Assets for the Riverside Group. He has over 42 years’ experience in the housing sector having served with both public and private sector businesses where he has held a number of senior positions. He also sits on the committee of the National Housing Maintenance Forum, and the steering group of Direct Works. He has a passion for innovation and change in the housing sector and chairs a national group focusing on Proptech. Phil also has 20 years non-executive experience and is currently a board member of Livv Housing Group and a member of its audit and risk committee, as well as chair of Three Sixty a subsidiary of Stockport Homes.

Zane joined Ian Williams in 2007 and has since navigated various leadership roles across the organisation, culminating in his promotion to Managing Director in 2022. Emphasising the critical role that people play in driving the organisational success, Zane is focused on cultivating a dynamic culture of improvement and innovation within Ian Williams with the aim of becoming one of the UK’s best organisations to work with. “Investing in our people and systems is at the heart of my approach,” he says. “Together we strive to create an environment that inspires excellence and drives meaningful impact within our organisation and beyond.”

James Prestwich is the Director of Policy and External Affairs at the Chartered Institute of Housing. He joined CIH in early 2020 from the National Housing Federation (NHF) where he held the role of Head of Policy. Before joining NHF in 2016, James had roles at the Department for Communities and Local Government and several housing associations. Born in Birmingham, he started his career as a housing officer at North Shropshire District Council. James has a master’s degree in social housing from Birmingham City University and sits on the board of Hundred Houses Society in Cambridge, where he chairs the Operations Committee.

Nikkie is Head of Organisational Development for Abri and leads on professional development, performance and culture. With 20 years’ extensive background in people development in renowned organisations such as John Lewis and Kingfisher, Nikkie is an EMCC qualified coach, Strengthscope and Insights practitioner.

Joanne Scarlett is Head of Assets at The Riverside Group. She is a customer focused, experienced housing professional with extensive knowledge and experience of leading and transforming asset and housing teams. She is currently responsible for developing policy and standards with asset services, together with all functions relating to performance management.
She is also responsible for the technical repair teams including the management of Section 11 claims, and the implementation of a new approach to managing damp and mould across The Riverside Group. Joanne and The Group were also influential in setting up a nationwide best practice group who are involved in developing and implementing innovative ways of addressing damp and mould, and disrepair. A passionate advocate for building effective partnerships to shape and improve services, she represents The Riverside Group at various forums to develop and strengthen practice across the sector.

Liane Sheppard, Director of Property Services, has been with LiveWest for three years and worked in social housing for over 10 years. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has extensive operational and strategic experience within the social housing, public sector (Local Government) and the private sector within property & infrastructure.

Vicky is a Partner within the Housing Management and Property Litigation Department at Devonshires Solicitors. Acting for landlords in both England and Wales, she advises on a wide range of housing management matters, including housing conditions and EPA claims, complex possession claims and ASB matters. Vicky regularly advises social landlords on matters involving the Housing Ombudsman, reviewing policies and procedures in light of recommendations and orders, providing staff training and advising in respect of adverse determinations and grounds for review. Vicky has expertise in tackling tenancy fraud and regularly assists landlords with obtaining large Unlawful Profit Orders.

Gaz Summer, a serial web entrepreneur, has specialised in large-scale, database-driven web applications since 1997, transitioning from a SCUBA diving instructor in the Pacific. He owns Locarla.com, a leading business intelligence site for the Social Housing R&M sector. Based in London, Gaz has worked in India since 1998 and started a software development and data research company in Nagpur in 2001. Employing 51 people across the UK and India, the company adopted a four-day week in 2022. For the past 18 months, they’ve focused on utilising AI and building Large Language Model APIs to analyse data.

With over 20 years’ experience in a customer-focused environment at a senior level in both private and public sectors. Amanda is a passionate leader in the continuous improvement of services through reflective practices with a keen desire to make a difference within communities. She supports the asset strategy and delivery functions to lead the programme of housing condition repair activity on behalf of The Riverside Group. She leads the team to deliver the required projects and case management activities to ensure legal compliance, customer satisfaction and achieving repair obligations.

Mike is a Chartered Engineer and Executive Director with over 25 years’ experience within the property maintenance sector. He has created strategic plans that have delivered significant organisational change resulting in service improvement, growth and profitability. He has particular expertise in procurement and the creation of asset management solutions. Mike is an advocate of relationship management, customer service and how great communication can deliver performance improvement. He is an Executive Director of the NHMF and was Chair of the NHMF Service Providers Forum until 2024. Mike is an Executive Director of Cardo Group, Chair of the Board of Abbeyfield Living Society and a Board Trustee of Orbit Housing Association Limited. He was also an Executive Director of service provider Ian Williams Limited for over 20 years, Chair of The Housing Forum’s Retirement Living Policy Group and a judge of the West of England Business of the Year awards.

Anna joined MCP in 2017, with 30 years’ experience within HR, Learning & Development, having previously worked on Scotland’s Developing the Young Workforce, an early intervention youth employment strategy, bridging the gap between education and industry.
As Director of Talent and Relationships at MCP, leading both the New Business and People teams, Anna is passionate about developing people at all levels. She is committed to delivering MCP’s social value promises, which include working with local schools, colleges and charitable partners to create employment and training opportunities for residents.
Anna takes her responsibilities as a role model for learning seriously, having recently completed a MSc in Business Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.