Welcome to WISH North East

Caroline has over 30 years experience working in the Public Sector, including 15 years working at an Executive Level. She is passionate about customer service and making a difference and she has worked with a variety of partners across her career including working in an advisory capacity to the government and other bodies. She has managed a range of complex services and a number of new and innovative service offers have been developed under her leadership, many of which are award winning with tangible outcomes.

She has experience of managing significant resources in challenging environments across a range of agendas. She has also led on a number of significant key corporate agendas.

Her previous employer describes her as ‘a consistent top quartile performer, demonstrating passionate, energised leadership, a role model for others and a force for positive change. She brings a different dynamic, challenges the norm and encourages a greater focus on cultural and values alignment, outcomes monitoring and social impact. Her strengths are many, she has an extraordinary belief in people and their ability to achieve their potential. A supportive leader, well networked who enjoys challenges and variety’.

Caroline is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and in 2014 she was awarded an MBE for services to business in the North East of England.

In 2016 after being made redundant she set up Caroline L Gitsham Consulting Ltd. It exists to encourage, challenge and inspire people and organisations to enhance their contribution for customers, communities and society.

Services:

Facilitating Business Strategy & Planning Events

Innovation, Change & Transformation

Business Research & Insight

Enabling Business Improvement & Excellence

Policy Review & Development

Responsible Business Practices

Impact & Performance

Customer Strategy

Leadership & Culture

Employee & Stakeholder Engagement

Relationship Building and Influence

Service Review & Development

Areas of experience:

Housing Management, Anti-Social Behaviour, Regeneration, Health & Wellbeing, Care & Support, Work & Learning, Financial Inclusion, Volunteering, Domestic Abuse, Safeguarding, Community Engagement & Empowerment.

She has thoroughly enjoyed this experience and found herself working across the Region and beyond working with a number of Charities, Housing Associations and the Private Sector.

She is  a Member of the North East Chamber of Commerce.

She is on the North East Board for the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

In April 2017 she joined South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group as a Lay Member. She is the Vice Chair of the Governing Body, Chair of the Primary Care Commissioning Committee, Chair of the Patient Participation Advisory Group and Vice Chair of the Governance & Risk Committee.

She has recently joined the Governing Body of the Pupil Referral Unit in Sunderland.

She is actively involved with Poverty StopLight which aims to eradicate poverty and am working with Transmit Social Enterprises across the Region piloting this model.

She also supports Project Gambia which is an amazing local organisation and she is part of an informal network of women who actively do something about period poverty in Sunderland.

Agendas that she is particularly bothered about are: Tenant and staff engagement, innovation, technology, service delivery, poverty, domestic abuse and equity.

I have worked in the social housing sector, in the North East, for nearly 30 years. The last 20 have been in senior positions. I took up the post of Managing Director at Your Homes Newcastle in June 2016, the City Council's housing company. I began my career as a Repairs Clerk at Newcastle city Council Housing Department so you could say I have gone full circle and come back to where it all started.

Your Homes Newcastle remains the biggest housing ALMO (Arms’ Length Management Organisation) in the country and manages around 28,000 homes across Newcastle, employing around 800 staff.  It also provides a range of services that support tenants, including Newcastle Furniture Service, the country’s leading furniture rental service for social landlords.  I am leading a transformational change programme at YHN with the aim of reshaping the business so that it remains relevant and is in the best possible position to deal with the challenges it faces.

I am passionate about delivering excellent customer services and much of the change programme is focused on improving the customer experience, drawing on successes achieved in previous Executive roles at South Tyneside Homes, Castle Morpeth Housing and the Isos Group, where I was Group Executive Director (Customers and Communities).  Part of my current role is about creating sufficient financial scope to afford and sustain excellence, which is requiring YHN to develop new services and ways so that YHN's investment in communities across the city can be maintained – balanced with the need to deliver existing core services in cost effective and efficient ways that exceed customer aspirations.

I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and for 8 years I was an Independent Police Authority member.

Experienced Head of Marketing & Bid Management with over 20 years’ experience of working in the construction industry. Skilled in Marketing Management, Bid Writing, Social & Digital Media, Public Relations, Branding & Design. Strong operations professional with a Post Graduate Degree focused in Marketing/Marketing Management, from Northumbria University and a BA (Hons) European Management with Marketing & French.

Lead for PR and Communications at North Star

I am the very proud and passionate Lead for PR and Communications at North Star, based in Teesside. I design and deliver a robust communications strategy for North Star, providing creative, innovative and dynamic ways to promote and execute communications both internally and externally. I am the main contact for all external and internal partners in all matters requiring North Star representation and I am a brand ambassador for the company. I am responsible for all marketing, digital, PR and brand development activities.

I have been working in housing for over four years and it has been an absolute whirlwind. It was clear as soon as I started working in housing that I had found exactly where I wanted to be and I soon realised just how vital and powerful the work we do can be. I am also the North East regional Communications coordinator for PlaceShapers and a Member Champion for the Chartered Institute of Housing.

I’ve been working in the social housing sector for over 8 years with a focus on Financial Inclusion & Employability. I am actively involved in the HDN Mentoring scheme and have held numerous non-executive director Board roles for local and regional organisations such as Credit Unions, Communtity Partnerships and CICs. I am passionate about empowering women and ensuring real equality in the workplace. I love working within social housing; finding the sector dynamic, innovative and caring that has so much potential for even greater things.

Stephanie is Regional Manager (North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humberside) for the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), the independent voice for housing and the home of professional standards.
 
Stephanie has a strong background  in Social Housing having worked in the sector for the past 15 years. Prior to joining CIH worked for Gentoo as a Policy Analyst, but has held a number of positions in different business area’s including housing management, business strategy and environmental sustainability.
 
She is not only experienced but also knowledgeable having studied housing at college and university and achieved Chartered status with the CIH.
 
Stephanie wanted to join WISH board as she is passionate about not only the work the sector undertakes to improve the lives of those living in our communities but also to improve the offer for women working in social housing. Stephanie says “for me having a strong network of peers and inspirational people is what has helped me throughout my career. I hope that WISH NE can deliver something new and different for those working in the region and enable women (and men) to support one another, offer successful and meaningful networking opportunities and host unique events to help with career progression”.

External Affairs Manager and Rural lead at the National Housing Federation

Monica has been the External Affairs Manager in the North East and Cumbria for the National Housing Federation for the last 10 years. She also leads on rural housing nationally. This position involves promoting the work of Housing Associations and ensuring that emerging policy represents the issues in the North East and rural areas.

Prior to this Monica worked as a Rural Housing Enabler working with local communities, Local Authorities and Government to ensure rural development to create sustainable communities. Monica was involved in the establishment of one of the first Community Development Trusts and led on their housing scheme.

Monica has also worked for a number of local authorities in senior management including Lewisham, Lambeth, Kirklees and Edinburgh. During this time Monica managed area offices delivering a wide range and housing management and development to various estates.

Kelly has a history of working in various roles across the community safety, corporate policy, domestic abuse and housing fields. Kelly’s housing career began 21 years ago and has included roles in housing management, asylum support, policy and research.

Kelly has a Masters in Housing Management and Policy and is currently undertaking a PhD at Durham University on the role of housing in a coordinated community response to domestic abuse which she will complete in autumn 2018.

Kelly is Co-founder of the award winning Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) whose mission is to improve the housing sector response to domestic abuse.  In this role she has engaged with various Government Departments, Ministers and MPs, she has also spoken at numerous conferences in the UK and USA on DAHA and her PhD doctoral research.

As a learning and development consultant, Judith is able to communicate effectively with all stakeholders and understands the challenges faced by all three sectors.

She previously held senior roles with Northumbria Police, and was the Force lead on Gender issues establishing the Northumbria Police Gender Support Association and was a representative on the National Superintendents Association Equality and Diversity Committee.

Judith now serves as Board Chair of County Durham Housing Group, she is the group’s first Chair since its establishment in 2015, and also sits on its Remuneration and Nominations Committee.

Judith has a wealth of housing experience, having also spent eight years as an independent member on Your Homes Newcastle’s (YHN) and Leazes Homes’ Boards, including time as Vice Chair at YHN.

She strongly believes that social housing is not simply providing a house; its aim is to develop services that turn an individual’s or family’s house into a home.

Charlotte McMurchie is a Partner with the regional commercial law firm Muckle LLP and has been working with the registered provider sector for the majority of her 20+ years in practice. Her specialism is contentious property and she assists many RPs both local and national with their operational issues concerning tenants and their homes. Charlotte hosts Muckle’s quarterly Housing Matters event where networking, legal and practical updates and best practice are shared with housing professionals.

I’m thrilled to be part of the WISH NE Board. I’ve recently taken on the role of External Affairs Manager (North East) for the National Housing Federation (NHF) – so I’m getting to know the North East and all the great work being delivered by Housing Associations in the area.

My role at the NHF involves me promoting the work of housing associations in the region and their pivotal roles as community anchors. I also ensure that the social housing needs of the region are reflected in national housing policy work acting as a key link between NE Housing Associations and the NHF nationally.

I’ve worked in housing for over 25 years, across a number of sectors. I started my career in the voluntary sector setting up a homeless project in Bolton, of which I was hugely proud of and demonstrated the need for support to help vulnerable people maintain their tenancies and live independently. I then went on to manage the Strategic Housing and Homelessness functions at a Local Authority for 10 years, leading on the development and delivery of housing needs and demands studies and housing strategies locally and in partnership with neighbouring Local Authorities.

Prior to joining the NHF I was Head of Supported Housing for a housing association in South Yorkshire/Derbyshire delivering housing and support to some of society’s most vulnerable groups including ex-offenders, young people, care leavers and people affected by mental health, substance misuse and domestic abuse.

I’ve received a really warm welcome form housing colleagues in the North East and I’m looking forward to building valuable networks with other women in the sector through WISH NE.