Our people
We are proud of our colleagues and their strong motivation to improve our customers’ experience. We also understand that providing a positive working environment helps our colleagues deliver an excellent service. bpha was again recognised in 2022 as being a Great Place to Work (GPTW applies employees’ insights from 10,000 organisations), including specific recognition for valuing employee wellbeing.
Our values were established with significant input from our colleagues and supported by our customers’ feedback. They shape how we recruit, onboard, develop, and reward our people and encourage the behaviours customers say are most important.
Our colleagues, 33 of whom were internally promoted last year, also helped establish our new ways of working more flexibly and productively, including reimagining our office to make it more collaborative and tech savvy.
We value a diverse and equal culture, that represents and nurtures a wide range of ideas and views. While EDI is everybody’s responsibility, we have a dedicated diversity and inclusion lead, an executive sponsor, a cross business strategic team and a range of employee-led inclusion groups.
Board members
The Board is collectively responsible for ensuring the success of bpha and its compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations by directing and supervising bpha’s affairs.
The Board:
- provides leadership of bpha;
- sets the organisation’s strategic aims, ensures that the necessary financial and human resources are in place for the bpha to meet its objectives, and reviews management performance;
- sets the organisation’s values and standards and ensures that its legal and regulatory obligations are understood and met; and
- fulfils the functions as outlined in bpha’s Rules.
Dr Paul Leinster CBE
Chair of the Board
His first job was with BP. He then worked for Schering Agrochemicals before moving into consultancy and then on to SmithKline Beecham. Paul joined the Environment Agency in 1998 and was appointed Chief Executive in 2008, a post he held until 2015. He then became Professor of Environmental Assessment at Cranfield University and a member of the Government’s Natural Capital Committee.
Dr Leinster has lived in Bedford for almost 30 years and has extensive experience of the environmental, planning and infrastructure opportunities and challenges within bpha’s area of operation, the ‘growth and innovation’ corridor between Oxford and Cambridge.
Ian Ailles
Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
Ian is a non-executive Board Member at the Royal Chesterfield Hospital, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Royal Society of Arts and City & Guilds. He is also a Board Trustee at both MHA Care Homes and Haven House Children’s Hospice.
Ian was originally trained as an accountant with Ernst & Young. Following qualification he moved to NatWest Markets as Head of Finance and then to Thomas Cook as Group Financial Controller before rising to Deputy CEO and MD of their Specialist Businesses. From 2007 he worked for Wyndham, a US company before rejoining Thomas Cook in 2011 as the UK CEO and a member of the Global Executive Committee, stepping down in 2014.
Paul High
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Development and Assets Committee
Paul brings over 36 years’ experience in residential development and property management, the majority of which has been in the housing association sector.
He has been responsible for the strategic leadership of the Orbit Homes’ Property Investment Programme, the housebuilder of Orbit Group, for eight years. As Executive Director Property Investment, Paul was responsible for delivering over 1,700 new homes in the Midlands, East Anglia and the South East in 2015-16.
Previously he was the Director of Development and Asset Management at WM Housing Group and the Director of Development at Castle Vale Housing Action Trust in Birmingham.
He also spent three years whilst at Orbit as a board member of Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT).
Katherine Horrell
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Group Treasury Committee
Katherine qualified originally as an accountant and then with the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT). She has now worked in Corporate Treasury and Finance for over 20 years, holding Group Treasurer positions at Centrica plc, Arriva plc, and currently at the AA.
She has served as trustee for a local mental health charity in Surrey for 8 years, on the Board of Greensquare Housing Association prior to their merger; and is currently a Council Member at the ACT. She grew up and was educated in Bucks, Northants, Cambridge and Oxford and is delighted to be back supporting people, communities and development in the area.
Shirley Pointer
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee
Shirley has over 20 years’ senior HR experience gained in the private and public sectors, including most recently as Director of Human Resources for the Department of Health.
She is a Senior Independent Director of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Chairs the Remuneration Committee and the Workforce and Education Committee. She is also a non-executive board member designate of the Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.
Dr Geraldine O’Sullivan
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Customer Committee
Geraldine has extensive experience gained within the health service, including as a Consultant Psychiatrist and as Executive Director, Quality and Medical Leadership of the Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
She is a Non-Executive Director of the Norfolk and University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is a Chartered Director. Her knowledge of good corporate governance, together with experience of collective Board responsibility, achieved national recognition when she won the Health Service Journal Award for Board Leadership in 2014.
Bob Tattar
Non-Executive Director
Bob is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a degree in Computer Science & Mathematics. Until October 2020 he worked for Martin’s Properties as Finance Director, joining in March 2018 from Priors Hall Park, a development of 5,000 new homes set in a 1,000 acre site where he held the position of Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to that he was the Head of Commercial Finance at Capco PLC and Divisional Finance Director of the Capital & Counties division of the Liberty International business from 2008. He spent 13 years at Cable & Wireless performing a number of roles including interconnect accounting, project management and risk management, and was also financial controller for global support services. In 2004 he was appointed a partner of King Sturge LLP and a director of its financial services company.
Executive directors
Kevin Bolt MBA, MCIM
Chief Executive
Julian Pearce
Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Astle
Executive Director of Development and Sale
Jeff was previously Director of New Business at the Guinness Partnership, having worked at the organisation for over 14 years. He has a wealth of experience of large-scale development projects and for-profit development.
Jeff leads the Development and Sales business units to drive the plans to deliver circa 3,000 new affordable homes over the next five years and to help shape the development of bpha’s subsidiary, Bushmead Homes.
Adrian Moore
Director of IT
Adrian joined bpha as Head of IT in November 2015 and was promoted to Director of IT in January 2018.
Adrian has over 30 years’ experience working in Information Technology (IT), including 14 years in the strategic IT leadership roles of IT Director or Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Adrian is responsible for leading the digital transformation of bpha’s systems and processes, in order to deliver improved services and meet the needs of our customers. He and his team are using transformational technology to deliver a 21st century housing association.
Anna Humphries
Director of Customers and Services
Anna joined bpha in July 2018 and has over 20 years’ experience in the social housing and care sector most recently as Regional Director East for The Abbeyfield Society.
Prior to joining Abbeyfield Anna worked for Orbit Independent Living (East) and MHA managing their independent living, support and housing services for older people at a regional and national level.
Adrian is responsible for leading the digital transformation of bpha’s systems and processes, in order to deliver improved services and meet the needs of our customers. He and his team are using transformational technology to deliver a 21st century housing association.
Gosia Motler
Director of Strategy and Corporate Finance
Gosia joined bpha in August 2016 as Head of Treasury and was promoted to Director of Strategy & Corporate Finance in October 2020.
She has over 20 years’ experience as a senior corporate finance professional across treasury, business planning and strategic finance, including M&A. Prior to joining bpha Gosia spent 12 years as Group Treasurer and Financial Planner at Wheatley Housing Group, one of the largest housing groups in the UK (> 90,000 homes), working closely with the Board, Scottish Government and the regulator and leading on funding strategies, viability and financial aspects of five successful corporate acquisitions.
Prior to housing Gosia set up and managed treasury and finance functions for global organisations in the telecoms and automotive industries.
Paul Cook
Director of Property Services and Compliance
Paul joined bpha in 2016 as Head of Property Services and has over 30 years in sector property management experience.
Prior to joining bpha, Paul was Head of Technical Services at Aldwyck Housing Group, a position he held since 2010. At bpha, he now leads the Property Services Directorate, which encompasses repairs and maintenance, asset compliance, tenant service, regeneration, leasehold and partnership management.
Eddie Kelly
Director of External Affairs
Eddie joined us from Catalyst where he was the Group Director of Communications and Engagement. He has a wealth of experience in communications, customer experience, brand, HR and consultancy from both the private and public sectors.
He will lead on Communications and Insights and develop our brand, communications and customer engagement.
Lindsay Todd
Director of HR & Employee Engagement
Lindsay joined bpha in 2016 as Head of HR and was promoted to Director of HR & Employee Engagement in October 2020. She brings over 20 years experience as a senior HR professional, previously as Head of People at Aldwyck Housing Group.
Her role at bpha leads on HR, Learning and Development and employee engagement, ensuring the “people” agenda remains at the core to delivering first class services to our customers.
Philippa Spratley
Director of Governance and Compliance
Philippa joined bpha in 2015 as Company Secretary. She has worked in roles across different sectors including previous roles within housing, logistics and recruitment. She is a qualified solicitor with over 20 years’ professional experience.
Independent and other committee members
Cliff Broadhurst
Independent member of the Group Treasury Committee
Cliff is an experienced banking professional.
Prior to entering the housing sector Cliff spent 35 years in Investment and Treasury banking and has held Non-Executive and Trustee roles that contribute to the valuable experience he is able to offer in financial and operational areas.
Malcolm Zack
Independent member of Audit and Risk Committee
Malcolm has a wealth of experience in FTSE, public sector and private equity backed organisations working through periods of change and development. He has wide sector experience including retail, FMCG, distribution and logistics, financial services, entertainment and airlines.
Malcolm specialises in set up, turnaround and development of internal audit and risk functions. He is a Chartered Accountant and has held several audit committee and non-Executive roles. He has provided audit and consulting services through his own company and is now Group Internal Audit Director for Element, a global leader in the Testing and Certification sector.