THREE new members of White Horse Housing Association’s board will add even more experience and knowledge to the organisation, says Chief Executive Steve Warran.
Sarah Knight, who began a career in housing more than 20 years ago, says she fell in love with housing when she was PA to the chief executive of a small South West housing association and is now Director of Development Delivery at Settle Paradigm.
She recently qualified as a planning and development surveyor with the RICS and is keen to promote both the property and housing sectors as brilliant places to work.
She has lived in Wiltshire for 16 years and is married to a former member of the Armed Forces. She has been a primary school governor and is an active member of her local church.
“I started my housing career in a small housing association and I really love the sector because it does such important work,” she said. “I’m looking forward to playing a part and really seeing the whole picture of the organisation. I've spent a lot of my career reporting to committees and boards and it’ll be nice to turn that around and offer that fresh pair of eyes for both support and scrutiny.”
She said she wanted to become a trustee to use the skills she has acquired over her career. “I think both for me personally and my own development, it’s a really good thing,” she said. “I’ve been aware of White Horse and it’s work for a long time and I know how much it punches above its weight and I’m looking forward to being part of that.”
Cherry Bennett Director of People and Change at Bath & North East Somerset Council, where her portfolio includes leading the Human Resources, Organisational Development, Business Change and Inclusive Communities teams.
She has lived in Batheaston, near Bath, for seven years and enjoys exploring the nearby countryside.
She said she leapt at the chance to use her skills and develop new ones by joining the White Horse board. “I already work in the public sector so it feels like something new and different but familiar at the same time,” she said. “I'm keen to learn and grow so this will be quite a new and different challenge for me.”
She said she is passionate about rural communities, having grown up in one in North Norfolk. “Housing is such a fundamental for all of us and if we can get that right, it’s one of the pillars of what we need to live a good, healthy and fulfilling life,” she said.
“There’s also something for me about the challenges facing rural areas and enabling families who’ve often been in places for generations to be able to support younger people to stay and to make sure that those communities benefit from multiple generations remaining and living and working together. It’s an area I feel strongly about.”
Chartered Accountant Tom Willis has 35 years’ experience, working for most of his career in senior finance roles including 20 years at logistics firm Wincanton and more recently as a senior interim contractor with a variety of businesses.
He said a previous interim assignment at a housing association whetted his appetite for the sector. “It does good things so if you are going to devote your time somewhere, this is the right place,” he said. “I was looking for a role that was interesting and challenging alongside my contracting work and this seems ideal.”
Steve said the new additions will strengthen the association’s management and add greater confidence for the future. “I’m delighted to welcome all three to our new board,” he said. “Each of them brings a wide range of experience, knowledge and skills, as well as a fresh perspective, to what is already a very strong team.”