WOMEN IN SOCIAL HOUSING (South West) BOARD MEMBERS

The South West branch has been operational since March 2011 with membership being opened to all from July 2011.

Below are the details and bios of the board members who have worked hard to get the South West branch up and running.

Come and join us at the WISH SW Networking Event - Wednesday 29 February 2012

At our latest event we will be helping you to get ahead of the game and stand out from the crowd in a tough market!

How does your CV look? Does it show your best side?

Why not bring it along on the day and get the good, the bad and the ugly sorted out with our recruitment professionals, Louise Sorrell from Badenoch & Clark, one of the biggest recruitment consultants in the UK and Diana Drew from Wates HR team. They will advise on general recruitment, how to read and understand a job spec, help to structure your CV to get that special job and give tips for winning ways at interviews!

Find out how you can stand out from the crowd and make your mark with Sarah Ward Housing Manager for West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland Councils and Wendy Murphy, coach and mentor. They’ll take you through a hands-on session looking at how to shine with your current employer, how to sow the seeds that you’re ready for more responsibility and how to enjoy work again when its gone a bit stale.

Key speaker is Richard Kitson, chair of the South West Housing Initiative, who after a career leading and managing housing organisations, now coaches and mentors senior executives on leadership, business strategies and governance. Also, find out where you sit in your organisation with our fun team builder - thrive, survive or nosedive!

Lunch is provided and you will of course have the opportunity to network with our key speakers and other colleagues working across the housing sector in the south west region.

Date: Wednesday 29 February 2012
Time: 10am to 3.30pm (lunch included)
Venue: Wates Office, Ground Floor, South Wing, Equinox North, Great Park Road, Almondsbury Park, Bristol BS32 4QL.

Parking is limited so please email: cheryl.wood@wates.co.uk to let us know prior to the event if you need a space.

This event is FREE to WISH South West members. £15 to non members payable at the event by cash or cheque. WISH SW is a support and networking group for women working across the affordable housing sector. Join WISH SW at www.wishgb.co.uk

If you would like any further information or have any special dietary needs please email: cheryl.wood@wates.co.uk

This event is sponsored by Wates Living Space - one of the UK’s leading affordable housing construction services providers.

Jo Savage - Chair

Jo is an experienced housing professional with over 20 years experience in housing. Having worked for both small and large housing associations Jo is currently enjoying her role as Director of Customer Services at Synergy Housing based in Poole.

Jo is fairly new to the South West only starting with Synergy in March 2010 and has found starting the South west branch of WISH has been a great way to meet fellow professionals and navigate some of the regions beautiful countryside.

Jo has been involved in WISH in London for a number of years and is very pleased to be able to bring this valuable opportunity to the South West.

Jitinder Takar - Treasurer

Jitinder has a great deal of experience in the social housing sector having worked within it for 20 years, enjoying roles within several HAs from a Development Officer through to Group Business Development Director, her current role at Spectrum. She has been successful in leading the team through four consortium bid rounds with the Housing Corporation/HCA working as Lead RP with the Wessex Development Consortium, now Source Development Partnership. In addition since 2008, Jitinder has been managing the Group's commercial company, Signpost Homes Limited.

During her career Jitinder has been a voluntary board member with 3 different organisations including 2 housing associations, as well as serving as a statutory appointee of the Housing Corporation. Jitinder has also been a member of the regional committee of the CIH since 2008 and has recently been elected to the regional committee of the NHF.

During her career Jitinder has acted as mentor for a number of people and uses her master practitioner level NLP training to coach and motivate to success.

Amanda (Mandy) Meanwell - Secretary

I have worked in the social housing sector for over 20 years. I began my career working with and providing support to homeless people in East London in the late 1980's. From there I have done a number of different roles working mainly for housing associations with a focus on housing management, resident involvement and community development. I joined the CIH as Corporate Member in 1992.

I moved to the South West in 1996 and worked across the region becoming a Director in 2005. I currently work as Operations Director at Merlin Housing Society based in Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol. More recently I have become actively involved in the CIH South West Regional Committee and as a result of this helped in organising a Women's networking event, that led to the creation of WISH (South West).

Gill Smith - PR and Communications

Gill has worked in public relations, communications and marketing since leaving university in a variety of sectors ranging from high fashion to the nuclear industry. Since 2000, when she started up her own Public Relations & Communications Consultancy, WordSmith Communications, based in Poole, Dorset Gill has specialised in working for the housing sector, particularly social housing providers.

One of the first contracts her company won was to provide newsletter and publicity services to a local Housing Association in Poole, this proved to be a pivotal moment for Gill and her company. Over the past 11years Gill has specialised in providing a range of services including newsletters, e-zines, press releases and publicity material for housing providers, local authorities and charities. She also provides a range of PR and event services for the Chartered Institute of Housing in the South West (CIH SW).

Through her work with CIH SW and housing providers in the region Gill has acquired an excellent knowledge of housing and planning issues in the South West.

Caroline Moore

Caroline Moore joined Yarlington Housing Group in February 2002. As Director of Finance she was appointed as Executive Director (Finance, Development and Corporate Services) in September 2008. She is a Board member of Advantage South West, the regional procurement consortium and is also a Trustee at the Somerset County Pension Scheme. She previously worked for PriceWaterhouse Coopers as Senior Manager – Public Services, first at the London office and after that at the Bristol office where she developed the South West practice in housing and public sector. She had national responsibilities for the social housing practice for PWC in audit, consultancy, risk management and governance. Caroline also worked for the Housing Corporation in London regulating the financial aspects of housing associations.

Christina (Tina) Fulcher

I have worked in social housing since 1992. I started my housing career with Plymouth City Council and moved to the Devon & Cornwall Housing Group in 2003. I am currently working as a Neighbourhood Manager for Tor Homes (part of the DCH Group), based in Plymouth.

I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing, having been involved with the work of the Chartered Institute of Housing, via the Devon Area Group, for the last 12 years. I am also currently serving on the South West Regional Committee.

I got involved with WISH for the networking and support opportunities and look forward to the challenges ahead.

Daniela Goodwin

Daniela heads up the client services and development team at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, where she is responsible for all business development and marketing initiatives. Daniela has a particular interest in the social housing sector and has spent three years working closely with the sector to establish it as one of the key growth areas for Clarke Willmott. Previous to Clarke Willmott Daniela was a Business Development Manager at the Bevan Brittan LLP. In her role she focussed on the health sector working with both public and private sector initiatives.