Orla Gallagher – Chief Executive and Board member
Orla joined Housing Solutions in September 2016 with over 25 years’ experience in the housing sector. Prior to joining Housing Solutions Orla was Chief Executive of CDS Co-operatives and MD at Genesis Housing Group, Chief Executive of Hounslow Homes and Chief Transformation Officer for the London Borough of Hounslow. Orla has a degree in Housing & Development and qualifications in Housing Management (MCIH), Surveying (RICS) and Business Management (Henley Management College). Orla is an elected FRSA (fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufacturing and Commerce). Orla is currently a Trustee at Centrepoint.
Carol Lovell - Director of Corporate Services
Carol was appointed Director of Corporate Services in February 2018 having previously been Head of Development for Housing Solutions. Carol has extensive experience in the sector garnered from over 15 years of holding strategic roles for a number of local authorities. Carol is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
David Joyce – Director of Finance
David Joyce is our Director of Finance. David has had successful 18+ year career within the housing sector having previously worked for Christian Action Housing, A2 Dominion, Swan Housing, and Tower Hamlets Community Housing among other housing associations. He has a demonstrable track-record in both finance and treasury with a strong focus on operational excellence and driving value for money initiatives. David is a FCT (Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.) Originally from New Zealand, outside work David enjoys the somewhat pedestrian pursuits of white-water kayaking and paragliding.
David is a member of the Board and Audit & Risk Committee at South Essex Homes.
Steve Brookfield - Director of Property & Development
Steve is an established senior leader having led large scale teams in Kier Services Ltd for over 12 years. He has been responsible for leading housing contracts for large and small housing providers worth more than £120 million. Steve has a compelling vision for continuing to develop our customer services, especially focusing on our housing stock.
Board Members
The Housing Solutions Board is currently made up of non-executive independent members and our Chief Executive.
Liz Padmore - Chairman
Liz has been Chairman of the Board of Housing Solutions since 2018 and also chairs the organisation’s Nominations Committee. She has extensive experience at Board level in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and on 1 January 2022, Liz was appointed as the Chair of the British Red Cross. Liz is also Chairman of the Staff College for Learning, Remuneration Committee Chair of Brasenose College, Oxford and Trustee of both The Ditchely Foundation and Winchester Hospice.
Liz was previously a strategy partner at Accenture where she led Accenture’s global strategic Think Tank, specialising in scenario planning, strategic communications, corporate social responsibility, and relationship management.
Liz has held a broad range of non-executive roles including Chairman of Hampshire Hospitals NHS FT, board member of the IPSA; Council member of Chatham House; Director at National Australia Group Europe and Clydesdale Bank plc. and advisory board member of IMD. Liz is a member and previous vice chairman of IWF UK; a member of Women Corporate Directors and an elected FRSA (Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufacturing and Commerce).
Liz was awarded the Sunday Times public sector Non-Executive of the Year Award.
Angus McCallum - Senior Independent Director
Angus has been on the Housing Solutions Board since 2015 and was appointed to the role of Senior Independent Director on 1 June 2021. Angus chairs Housing Solutions’ Remuneration Committee and sits on the Funding & Nominations Committees. He is the Chair of the Renumeration Committee. Angus holds various non-executive roles at Reading University including as member of the Strategy and Finance Committee and Audit committee.
In his executive career Angus worked for BG Group for over 29 years and his areas of expertise are business transformation, change management and business and IT strategy. More recently Angus was Chief Information Officer for the Metropolitan Police (MPS)
Nick Whitaker
Nick joined the Housing Solutions Board in 2019 and chairs the Audit & Risk Committee and sits as a member on the Funding Committee.
Nick is a Director at Regents University, Governor of Leeds Beckett University and a Pannells LLP member. Nick is a Chartered Accountant. Until March 2015, he was a partner at BDO LLP and prior to this PKF (UK) LLP, providing audit, forensic and corporate finance services. This included work in the charity and not for profit sectors as well as for corporate and government departments and bodies. Nick has acted as an expert witness with High Court experience in a variety of commercial disputes and professional negligence cases. He is a qualified mediator. Since retiring Nick has taken on a number of trustee, non-executive and regulatory positions.
Jeremy Stibbe
Jeremy joined the Board in 2020. He is a member of Housing Solutions’ Audit & Risk Committee and is Housing Solutions’ Board health and safety champion. Jeremy is also Chair of BexleyCo Homes.
Jeremy has a passion for the housing sector and has held various executive board leadership roles . at Network Homes, Peabody, Notting Hill Genesis and as Managing Director of Lampton 360 Property Ltd.
Rebecca Smith
Rebecca joined the Housing Solutions Board in February 2022. She is an experienced sustainability professional with expertise in delivering property sustainability strategies and supporting wider strategic business growth. Rebecca has expertise in building design and retrofit, tenant sustainability and sustainable property management. She currently works as a UK Sustainability Director at Savills. Rebecca has a Master’s degree in Architecture and Environmental Design, a Fellowship in Sustainability Leadership and is a Chartered Environmentalist.
Barry Malki
Barry joined the Housing Solutions Board in February 2022, bringing with him an extensive background working as a consultant and senior manager across various community roles. He was Thames Valley Housing’s Community Investment Manager for 5 years before taking up a role as Head of Communities at HACT.
Barry is an Independent Consultant at Social Squared Limited, a specialist consultancy for strategic community investment and a Rural Housing Enabler at Connecting Communities Berkshire, raising awareness of housing need in rural communities through facilitative partnership. Barry is also a (non-voting) Clerk to two local Parish Councils, Bisham and Westcott.
Ian Windsor
Ian Windsor joined the Housing Solutions Board in November 2022 bringing with him over 30 years’ experience in IT/digital roles. Ian has led various digital and organisational transformations in UK and global companies including Procter & Gamble, WH Smith and Reckitt Benckiser. Ian was previously Chief Information Officer (CIO) at ConvaTec Plc, a FTSE 100 company where he oversaw the delivery of an enterprise-wide digital transformation and lead on Cyber and Privacy risk.
Ian has extensive Board level experience both as an executive and as a Trustee. He is currently a Trustee of charity Pets as Therapy
Fred Maroudas
Fred Maroudas joined the Housing Solutions Board in November 2022 bringing with him extensive senior treasury and commercial experience in UK regulated capital markets with a focus on infrastructure. He has held the roles of Finance Director of Heathrow Airport, Director of Treasury for BAA, Head of Rail & Airports Infrastructure within HM Treasury and prior to that he was Director of Funding at Network Rail.
Fred brings a wealth of experience acting as chair and non-executive director, having served on several boards within the commercial and non-profit sectors. This includes Chair of the Investment & Risk Committee at UK Green Investment Bank Ltd (where he was also a founding director) and trustee director at the Institute of Cancer Research Pension Fund and the Railway Pensions Scheme. Fred has a strong interest in the housing sector and currently chairs AWOL London Limited, a west London-based housing association and Agilia Infrastructure Partners Ltd.. He is also a Director at Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and The Day News and Media.
Fred has a professional background in journalism, investment banking and is a qualified solicitor having graduated from St Catherine’s College, Cambridge.