Our people

Julie Butterworth

Head of Commercial Partnerships

Email: julie.butterworth@tpas.org.uk

Julie is an impactful and experienced relationship manager, with more than 20 years working within Social Housing, working for many years alongside Tpas in her roles as Head of Customer Experience for National Contractors, and Head of Contract Mobilisations, during which time she put these organisations through and achieved our contractors' accreditation.

Julie has led National Teams to great success and had done this by being authentic and analytical about the customer – service delivery, client or end-user. She is creative to bring about the delivery of operationally sound solutions, to enhance the customer experience.

With over 35 years’ experience in service industries and 20 within the social housing industry, providing clients a wealth of knowledge and tried, tested, but always fresh approaches, bespoke to the needs found.

She has also worked as a freelance consultant, and a Procurement Consultancy within Social Housing, and as a Business Partner for a Housing Association, developing fresh approaches to service delivery, and delivering feedback and lessons learnt from service failures.

Telephone: 0161 868 3500

Mobile: 07525616144

Caritas Charles

Policy and Insight Manager

Email: caritas.charles@tpas.org.uk

Caritas comes to Tpas with over 20 years of experience in the housing sector at customer facing and strategic levels. His career has so far seen him in a diverse set of roles from being a campaigns lead for a homelessness charity to being a manager for a youth housing project alongside working in engagement roles for 6 different housing associations and local authorities.

Responsible for Tpas Policy and Insight work, Caritas enjoys in his spare time trying to keep up with his daughter and is an avid reader, Sci-Fi Geek and a not-so-secret fan of a good Rom-com.

Megan Duggan

Marketing and Communications Manager

Email: megan.duggan@tpas.org.uk

Megan started at Tpas on the 1st November 2023 as the new Marketing and Communications Manager. She has a variety of roles within social housing under her belt starting in 2013, before eventually discovering a love and passion for Marketing

Megan is responsible for the marketing and communications strategy within Tpas and in her spare time she enjoys playing netball and cooking.

Telephone: 0161 868 3500

Mobile: 07947739410

Leanne Farrell

Consultancy Officer

Email: leanne.farrell@tpas.org.uk

Leanne is an experienced Project Coordinator having worked for Tpas for over 13 years’ providing support to the consultancy team. Leanne works both behind the scenes in a high-level administrative capacity and as part of the delivery teams for client projects too, in particular Independent Tenant Advice projects and community engagement campaigns.

Key services Leanne can offer:
- Full project contract management
- Gathering customer insight
- Improving the quality of services
- Process design and review
- Managing the Independent Advice insight and intelligence systems
- Design, co-ordination and event management of large-scale consultation campaigns

Telephone: 0161 868 3500

Emma Gilpin

Head of Consultancy

Email: emma.gilpin@tpas.org.uk

Emma is a qualified Broadcast Journalist and communications/resident engagement specialist with more than 20 years’ experience at the BBC and across a range of public and charitable sector services, including three Local Authorities. Emma has worked in association with Tpas for more than 12 years, including achieving Landlord accreditation and a Tpas engagement excellence award with a Housing Association.

She is an experienced Team Leader and Senior Manager having held responsibility for areas including; resident and community engagement, communications, open spaces, internal and external communal areas, and complaints handling.

She offers facilitation, training, and support in all areas of resident engagement including scrutiny, strategy and framework development, community development and communications.
Emma has developed successful methodology to draw out residents’ experiences and translate this into actionable insight alongside supporting Tpas’ Behavioural Insights work, delivering many successful recruitment campaigns utilising these principles.

Lisa Holt

Membership and Events Coordinator

Email: lisa.holt@tpas.org.uk

Lisa has worked at Tpas for over 13 years and spends her days helping our members, answering any questions they may have by email or telephone and ensuring they are getting the best value for money from their membership.
Lisa is also responsible for organising our national conferences, regional events and a host of webinars that our members look forward to attending.

Out of work Lisa enjoys running, chocolate and spending time with her children and cocker spaniel Honey!

Lisa is available to contact Monday – Thursday and loves to hear from you!

Telephone: 0161 868 3500

Louise Holt

Head of Membership Services

Email: louise.holt@tpas.org.uk

Louise has spent all her working life in the social housing sector, gaining a wealth of experience and knowledge across both Local Government and Housing Associations. In addition to this practical insight, she also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Housing Studies, a City and Guilds Level 4 teaching qualification and ILM management certificate. Louise started with Tpas in 2001 as an associate delivering training alongside her full-time job, before joining Tpas on a permanent basis in 2016.

Out of work, Louise is a season ticket holder at Barnsley FC, and enjoys walking and travelling.

Telephone: 0161 868 3500

Amy Leech

Communications and Marketing Coordinator

Email: amy.leech@tpas.org.uk

Amy joined our Marketing team in 2021, focussing on social media, email marketing, and video content creation.

Outside of work, Amy enjoys watching football, catching up on TV, and spending time with her little boy.

Mobile: 07852 284520

Gillian Mclaren

National Consultancy Manager

Email: gillian.mclaren@tpas.org.uk

Gillian has worked in Social housing for over 14 years in both Local Authorities and Housing Associations. Gillian has a strong experienced background in, Resident Involvement and empowerment and Community Development. Highlights drawn from her 14 years experience include leading a team of Community Development workers on the Better Government for older people project (funded through Government grant).

Mobile: 07968 913040

Jenny Osbourne MBE

Chief Executive

Email: jenny.osbourne@tpas.org.uk

Jenny has been Chief Executive since 2014. She started with Tpas in 2002 as Membership Manager which began her continued passion and committment to the Tpas membership family. Before joining Tpas Jenny worked for the Post Office in branch management and HR roles and worked for Scottish and Newcastle Retail based in Leeds in stock control management.

Outside of Tpas Jenny loves her book club, helping out at her local park and is head over heels in love with her cocker spaniels Coco and Amber.

Telephone: 0161 868 3551

Helen Phillips

Learning and Development Coordinator

Email: helen.phillips@tpas.org.uk

Helen has worked at Tpas for over 30 years. She is responsible for the administration and coordination of our digital training programme and in excess of 70 in-house training courses/programmes being delivered across the country to several clients. During her years at Tpas, Helen assisted the training team to deliver the Tenant empowerment Programme, Tenant Central. Helen has extensive experience of working with housing organisations, staff, tenants and residents’ groups to promote good practice in tenant involvement.

Outside of work Helen enjoys holidaying and spending time with her husband and friends and family.

Telephone: 0161 868 3522

Tonia Punter-Ojong

Consultancy Manager

Tonia has working in tenant engagement for over 15 years and is passionate about working in the social housing sector especially when it comes to helping tenants achieve and realise their full potential through engagement and participation.

Tonia is able to work collaboratively and creatively to go the extra mile so that the best outcomes can be achieved and to ensure that tenants are involved and empowered in major decision making.

Tonia has vast experience of leading and delivering all levels of national customer engagement plans within housing providers and constructively builds relationships in order to demonstrate outcomes, gain insight and understanding and raise awareness.

Key Skills:
• Coaching
• Social media and communications
• Facilitation and Stakeholder engagement
• Relationship and capacity building
• Specialist housing engagement
• Planning and communication
• Access to funding skills

Keeley Roscoe

Finance Manager

Email: Keeley.Roscoe@tpas.org.uk

Keeley is the Finance Manager and joined Tpas in August 2022.

Keeley has worked in finance for over 20 years at accountancy practices as a management accountant and outsourced business support, working with businesses varying from charities to construction.

Outside of work Keeley likes to spend time with her family and following her favourite football team, Manchester United.

Paula Thomas

Head of Strategy and Communications

Email: paula.thomas@tpas.org.uk

Paula joined Tpas in April 2024 covering Marketing and Communications. In November she started a new role as Head of Strategy and Communications, to work across the business shaping and executing the strategic direction of the organisation. She is also part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Paula has worked in Local Government, Social Housing, Property and for the NHS for over 25 years delivering on some high level, sensitive pieces of work.

She is a true leader, having managed teams for well over a decade. She is passionate about wellbeing in an organisation, engagement both internally and externally and making a difference to people’s lives.

In her spare time, she loves keeping fit by walking, running, and going to the gym and she also likes yoga and mindfulness. You will also find her in the kitchen cooking some creative vegetarian dishes.

Tosin Adewumi

Tpas Associate

Tosin is an award winner with over 15 years’ experience in community development and resident engagement, working within local authorities, charities, and housing associations. She is passionate about working together with diverse communities, residents, and housing associations to deliver service improvements and positive social impact.

She has worked in both medium and large housing associations, developing and delivering community engagement strategies in partnership with residents. In addition to her expertise in social housing, Tosin brings her own lived experience as a shared owner. She has worked with TPAS on scrutiny reviews since 2020 at her previous employer where developed their successful task and finish to resident scrutiny.

She has successfully led high performing resident engagement and community development teams making positive difference through digital inclusion, financial inclusion, and employment & training programmes. She has experience of delivering training and support to residents with setting up community groups and fundraising.

Tosin has worked for the Office for National Statistic as a Community Advisor to improve engagement with residents from the Black community. She also has experience of successfully improving the diversity of involved residents to ensure inclusion of voices often unheard.

Tosin is a qualified trainer with Chartered Institute of Housing qualification, Masters in Project Management and qualification in Community Development. She has also been on a board of a TMO and a current member of LocalMotion Enfield, a social, economic, and environmental justice movement.

Key Skills/services:
• Focus groups
• Co-design/production
• Advising on Strategy and Policy
• Fundraising for community groups
• Engagement events management
• Developing Consultation Programmes
• Resident scrutiny – advice, training, independent facilitator
• Training and mentoring Tenant groups – how to organise, form a group, roles and responsibilities and achieving desired change
• Training and delivering workshops –resident engagement methods, Social Housing, Tenant Satisfaction Measures, Consumer standards and similar.

Christina Alexander

Tpas Associate

Christina has worked in leadership and management roles in social housing for more than 20 years before branching out into the wider charity sector, most recently as the CEO of a local infrastructure organisation which led on volunteering and supporting charities and community groups of all sizes.

Her roles have included housing management, resident engagement, community development & investment, advice to charities and community organisations and fundraising.

Christina is passionate about residents having a voice within the organisation, creating social value and addressing inequalities caused by poverty. She initiated Peterborough’s Poverty Truth Commission.

She set up new services, resident involvement and community investment at two housing associations. She enjoys change management whether that is new engagement structures, groups or getting new faces involved.

She enjoys troubleshooting, advising on and setting up new structures and how residents can be effectively involved in scrutiny and strategy.

In governance, she champions the voice of residents and that there is a meaningful role co-regulating with management boards bringing value through sharing their own experiences as residents.

Christina is a volunteer Trustee for Cambridge Cyrenians and a qualified Leadership & Management Coach. She founded Social Impact Consultants to promote social change.

Julia Burkin

Tpas Associate

Julia has a fairly diverse career path, and its common thread is ‘people’ and ‘community’. Her career spans roles within local authorities, ALMO’s, housing associations, and ‘not for profit’ organisations. Over the last five years, Julia has been working with community groups funded under the Big Local initiative, supporting resident-led decision-making and delivery in disadvantaged communities. In addition to her consultancy work, Julia is also a qualified life and relationship coach.
During the height of the Decent Homes program, Julia transitioned her housing management and tenant involvement expertise to the contractor side. She led a regional customer liaison team, delivering across multiple contracts to ensure the best possible resident experience during home improvements. This involved meeting local people’s needs and challenging contractors to do better when necessary.
As a coach, Julia often works with individuals active in their communities, whether in volunteer or leadership roles. This is particularly rewarding as stronger communication, better relationships, and more confident conversations have a ripple effect, leading to improved results.
Outside of work, Julia enjoys traveling, spending time with her dogs, and exploring her new hobby—creative sewing. Based in Derbyshire, and willing to travel and work online.

Karen Chambers

Tpas Associate

Karen has worked in housing for more than 20 years in a range of roles, predominantly in customer service and engagement, as well as leading customer facing teams in housing, care and support.

During her career Karen has held non-exec/Trustee roles for Tpas and The Foyer Federation, participated as a mentor with the Housing Diversity Network and worked as a Commissioner in adult social care.

Karen is passionate about housing and creating opportunities for residents to engage in positive, inclusive and meaningful ways resulting in the ability to hold their organisation to account and improve the services they receive. Ensuring that residents have homes and communities that are decent and safe, that boards can clearly articulate the difference made to their organisation by engaging and listening to their residents.

Karen's particular areas of interest are:
• Resident voice in governance
• Development of Resident Engagement Strategy and plans
• Resident scrutiny approaches
• SMART Reviews

In her spare time, Karen loves to spend time with her family, travel, listen to music and is a member of a pop choir.

Adam Clark

Tpas Associate

Adam’s career in social housing began in tenant involvement. Working closely with tenants has continued to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences throughout Adam’s 15 years in the sector. Adam is a very experienced and committed housing professional, a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and a founding member of CIH Futures, a board for young professionals.

He has a strong understanding of the strategic and operational landscape in the sector. With a compassionate approach, Adam has a strong social purpose and a real skill and energy for systems, data and technology. This has been used to focus on delivering responsive service to customers.

Adam has held senior leadership positions in the sector, most recently as Executive Director of Customers at North Star Housing and prior to that with Broadland Housing Association. Adam currently works as a freelance consultant delivering strategic and service reviews, analysis and improvement focused on the experience of tenants. Adam is a non-executive director of Your Own Place, a social enterprise delivering money, housing, tenancy and cost of living support to prevent homelessness.

Alongside work in social housing Adam runs a landscape and documentary photographic business. Adam joined TPAS in 2024 and is supporting implementation of a new customer scrutiny function and a re-engineering engagement with another landlord.

Strengths Include:
• Compassionate, focused, leadership
• Facilitating strategy, policy and procedure reviews and development
• Research and analysis
• Collaboration and partnership with professionals and tenants
• Personal development and coaching

Ellie Darling

Tpas Associate

Ellie has been working in social housing for 14 years, specialising in resident engagement and formal complaint handling. Her experience includes restructuring the service based on tenant feedback and strengthening tenants’ roles within the Governance structure, redefining the input and feedback loop between Board, staff and residents.

She is passionate about resident’s being heard through formal engagement structures, and more recently through using transactional data and insight to focus on what landlords already know from daily feedback from their residents.

Ellie is also a qualified coach and uses NLP techniques (Neurolinguistic programming) to help strengthen teams, communication, and setting and achieving goals, amongst other things!

Ellie believes engagement should be accessible and flexible to increase opportunities for as many tenants as possible to have their voices heard.

Cath Davies

Tpas Associate

Cath has been working as a freelance, independent business improvement consultant for more than 10 years. She is a PRINCE2 qualified project manager and a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Working with housing associations and local authorities for over 35 years, Cath specialises in supporting landlords to develop and improve their housing management services.

Since 2020, Cath has been delivering Tpas’ unique and innovative project Re-engineering Engagement. Adding to Tpas’ unparalleled expertise in resident engagement, Cath challenges landlords to look at the value of resident engagement and influence through the lens of performance improvement and it being good for business.

Key skills:
• Carrying out regulatory compliance reviews
• Carrying out service reviews of housing management services, bringing an informed, robust (but friendly!) critical challenge that drives service improvements
• Supporting landlords to redesign services to improve service delivery
• Supporting and facilitating policy and procedure development
• Designing and delivering housing management training Interim management

Key services (at Tpas):
• Re-engineering engagement

Pete Davies

Tpas Associate

Pete brings over 15 years of social housing experience to Tpas with a career spanning neighbourhood and tenancy management, community development and more recently resident engagement.

Since starting as a Tpas Associate in 2018 Pete has undertaken research and development projects, delivered a series of measuring impact and re-engineering projects with members, piloted a TRA capacity building programme and through lock-down facilitated virtual action learning for resident engagement professionals.

Building on a wider portfolio of third and public sector experience in education, grant-making, regeneration, master planning and social enterprise development, Pete strives to position the voice of the community, citizen and resident at the heart of his work.

Derek Doran

Tpas Associate

Derek has over 30 years of success supporting tenants and residents of Housing Associations, Local Authorities and ALMO’s to get the best service from their landlord.

He was brought up in rented housing and knows the challenges tenants face to get the services they need and how to overcome them.

In recent years Derek has worked to ensure tenants got the best quality of new housing and rehousing offers in major demolition and regeneration schemes, as well as improving overall customer involvement.

Derek has worked for many landlords and worked his way up from being a Lettings Assistant at Nottingham City Council to a Regional Director at Riverside Housing Association, he was also a Non-Executive Director of Spire Homes and Longhurst Homes.

“I am used to working at all levels in housing organisations and know the pressures tenants and residents face to get the best services and real influence over how they are treated”.

Key skills:
• Listening and getting results
• Developing excellent relationships between – residents, board members, executives, funders, tenants, and regulators
• Analysis of external/internal challenges and negotiating tenant and resident focused responses
• Strictly confidential advice and mediation to resolve conflicts and problems
• Empowering disadvantaged people and groups

Adele Duncan

Tpas Associate

Adele has been working in the supported housing sector for over 30 years having worked with large and smaller registered providers in a range of senior and executive roles.

With over 20 years’ experience in executive roles in supported housing services and extensive experience in review and improvement of service delivery in line with corporate strategy. As CEO of a small specialist charity working for those with gambling related hard Adele has experience of board governance reviews and recruiting and supporting new board members. Someone who is committed to enabling and supporting people to achieve their ambitions for both team members, clients and service users. Adele has a true heartfelt passion and commitment to supporting vulnerable people and developing strategies to empower and involve those with lived experience in organisations.

Adele's key areas of expertise relate to strategic oversight of operational services; culture change management; risk management and review; customer experience involvement and engagement; new business development; business process mapping; contract negotiation and management; planning for regulatory inspections; accountable to board of trustees; managing mergers; and being a keen and effective problem solver.

Adele is also the Vice-Chair of Homeless Link and a Non-Executive Director of Salvation Army Homes.

Kevin Farrell

Tpas Associate

Kevin has worked as a housing practitioner in strategic and local authorities, as an executive director of a housing association, and for a voluntary sector homelessness organisation. He has taught at the School of Architecture & Built Environment at the University of Westminster, lecturing on the Masters Housing Practice and Regeneration Programme.

Kevin’s career in social housing started in East London in the mid-80s. He worked in estate management and area regeneration in North London during the 1990s. He then spent 10 years working at an executive management level for a pan-London homelessness agency and was Director of Housing & Development for two years, before joining Tpas as an associate 15 years go.

Over the past few years Kevin has worked on a range of resident engagement projects, including:
• Conducting Tpas resident involvement accreditations for local authority and housing association landlords
• Facilitating resident involvement processes at Arches Housing Association, Connect Housing Association, Leeds Federation Housing Association, Riverside and City of Wolverhampton Council
• Consultant to North Star Housing Group, Castles & Coasts, Connect Housing, Riverside, Northwards, Pickering and Ferens Homes and Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, supporting the development of resident-led scrutiny processes
• Independent Community Advisor in Milton Keynes and Manchester on Masterplanning projects
• Delivering a wide range of subjects to a cross-section of audiences for Tpas Training

Emma-Jane Flynn

Tpas Associate

Emma has over twenty years of strategic and operational housing experience and leadership. Proven ability leading and improving services to improve efficiency, compliance, performance and customer experience. Recognised for fostering excellent customer relationships and building strong connections through transformation and change. Emma is an expert in resident involvement, engagement and influence.

Skills
• Team leadership and development
• Customer centric culture change
• Customer Experience and Excellence
• Housing Management

Key achievements
• Leading an increased collaborative and customer centric culture
• Progressing landlords towards sector accreditation and compliance
• Guidance for innovative service improvements to organisations
• Published research reports in building safety and governance

Emma has spoken at a number of conferences and is an engagement advocate, working with hundreds of landlords to improve engagement and involvement practices and was National Consultancy Manager at Tpas 2011- 2019. Emma has also worked at the National Housing Federation and was involved in Together with Tenants development.

In her spare time Emma is a gardening enthusiast, loves travel and walking her dogs.

Andy Fry

Tpas Associate

Andy is a strategy, performance improvement and governance expert, working with organisations to support them in achieving excellent outcomes through the application of leading governance practice. He has a strong track record in the fields of organisational change and leadership, and works as a coach and facilitator to improve the individual and collective performance of people working together in teams and on governance bodies.

Andy has a strong background in leadership and governance himself, having operated at Corporate Director and Chief Executive level in the local government and fire and rescue sectors for over 15-years. He also worked in the Welsh civil service as principal advisor to Welsh Government ministers on fire and rescue policy and is the former Her Majesty’s Inspector of Fire Services in Wales.

Andy was made an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen in the 2018 New Year Honours, for services to the fire and rescue sector.

Andy brings a wide range of consultancy experience in the housing sector to his role as an associate with Tpas. He has undertaken various reviews to examine issues associated with governance and scrutiny, as well as designing and delivering training and development sessions for the boards of housing providers and resident groups. Andy also has an ongoing role in providing independent support to two tenant representative bodies, and is passionate about ensuring they achieve real impact by positively influencing the governance of the organisations with which they work.

Key skills:
• Undertaking governance and scrutiny reviews
• Designing and delivering training and development sessions
• Providing independent advice and support to tenant representative bodies
• Coaching and facilitation
• Leadership development
• Working with elected representatives
• Relationship building between non-executive board members and senior executive teams.

Sam Goodwin

Tpas Associate

Sam is based just outside Norwich and has worked as a freelance consultant and trainer since 2005. She is also a former regional manager for Tpas England.

Sam worked as a housing practitioner for over 30 years and became a Tpas associate in 1999 and a Savills associate in 2012. Sam is one of Tpas’ key Associates and is in high demand for her expertise in designing involvement and engagement strategies and delivery frameworks. She is also an aspiring trainer with numerous repeat clients.

Sam is passionate about scrutiny and ensuring that the residents voice is heard, listened too and influences service delivery. She is a trained mediator and volunteered with a Braintree mediation service for two years dealing with neighbour and landlord/tenant disputes.

Jackie Grannell

Tpas Associate

Jackie has worked in housing sector for 30 years and has been a Tpas Associate for over 10 years. During her career she has managed a sheltered housing service; a leasehold housing service; been a housing manager providing a generic housing service; and she was the Project Manager of a £13m regeneration project in Liverpool which involved demolition of high-rise housing and the creation of a an extra-care village for older people.

She has over 17 years’ experience as a housing consultant and ‘Independent Tenant Advisor’ (ITA). She has worked on behalf of tenants as they made choices about the future of their homes and has completed 16 Option Appraisal with local authority tenants; and worked on developing 11 stock transfer organisation and an ALMO.

She is a qualified trainer; and teaches and assesses the CIH Professional Practice Certificates. She is currently a non-executive director of Riverside Housing Group’s Neighbourhood Services Committee where she sits alongside tenants and independent members.

Her work with Tpas involves training tenants and staff; and she has extensive experience of supporting tenants and landlords to establish co-regulation committees and scrutiny.

She has a clear understanding of the legal, political and financial issues facing housing organisations and uses this understanding to create lively interesting training and consultation events which enable staff and tenants to focus on the key issues facing the business.

Lynda Hance

Tpas Associate

Lynda worked for a number of years in local authority housing management, and progressed to a senior position. She changed direction into freelance training and consultancy in 1997, where she uses her extensive housing experience and skills in planning and running both ongoing and one-off training courses and projects.

Lynda is a qualified trainer – City & Guilds 7307. She designs and delivers training on a wide range of subjects, keeping up to date with current housing issues including resident involvement, scrutiny, governance, leasehold and housing management. Her style is informative, informal and lively, with a focus on how law and regulation can be made to work for residents and their landlords.

Lynda really enjoys working with residents and local communities, she has most recently trained:
• Tenant directors of a social enterprise community business
• Resident board members
• Leaseholders on rights & responsibilities
• Scrutiny groups
• Tenants on the context of social housing

Mal Harrison

Tpas Associate

Mal is a qualified and widely-experienced trainer with more than 20 years’ experience working with residents and staff in Local Authorities and Housing Associations across the South West, South and Midlands.

Her previous business experience includes roles as a leader and manager in the field of resident involvement, spanning both general needs and supported housing sectors, as well as senior positions in construction, manufacturing and marketing.

For a number of years Mal led an award-winning resident involvement team in the supported housing sector. Her passion for resident involvement was a key factor in her team winning a prestigious national award. Mal went on to develop an involvement strategy for one of the country’s largest general needs social housing providers.

Mal has a special interest in behavioural change, and is a student of psychology. She uses this knowledge, together with her experience of social housing, to design and deliver creative resident involvement training programmes to engage and inspire people and help individuals, teams and organisations to improve their performance by increasing skills, confidence and motivation.

Today Mal is a Tpas Associate, an Independent Trainer and Tenant Advisor on regeneration projects, providing training, independent advice services and information on engagement and consultation with community groups, stakeholder groups and project teams.

Mark Hillary

Tpas Associate

Mark became an Associate in 2020 and specialises in mentoring Tenant representatives. He is passionate about Housing process, using lean six sigma techniques to improve the customer experience, and making this relevant to value in the wider Public Sector. Also specialises in Local Authority Partnership working, breaking down silos and eliminating waste in challenging times.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) for more than 20 years, as well as a CIH Tutor and course author, Mark continues to develop integrated CIH accredited Professional Qualifications, with Apprenticeship Levy Housing Standards.

Mark is a Six Sigma Black Belt and has been the UAE Government’s Housing Subject Matter Expert since 2016. In 2021 he has widened his excellence assessments to non-housing entities, including Nuclear Regulation and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Key skills:
• Housing Subject Matter expert.
• Research and analysis
• Lean Six Sigma
• Project Management
• Mentoring , training needs assessment and confidence building
• Course author
• Co-creation
• Positive challenge
• Scrutiny bootcamps
• Training

Key Services:
• Teaching, training, coaching and listening to the voice of the customer
• Process re-engineering
• Course design and delivery.
• Improving services through application of Behavioural Insights and Appreciative Inquiry
• Translating insight into action
• Organisational transformation and reorganisation
• Lean Service reviews

Kai Jackson

Tpas Associate

Kai has been the chair for her Tenants Scrutiny panel for two years. In that time, she has carried out three reviews, been involved in stage 2 complaints, assisted shaping policies, interviewed potential staff members and panel members, and been a part of the wider reshaping of the culture of my housing association. Kai has been very vocal in her support for tenants to be more involved with their housing provider and working together to accomplish change, which can be achieved. She has first-hand experience as a social housing tenant and going through the process of engagement to achieve results. This has included working with staff at every level within the organisation and being willing to put biases aside. Kai has also spoken at two conferences with the National Housing Federation (NHF).

Previously, Kai worked at a senior level within healthcare for the NHS and private healthcare organisations. She has completed her BSc (Honours) Psychology and Counselling degree and achieved a British Psychological Society (BPS) accreditation. Kai has also volunteered with Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) to mentor ex-offenders, with the goal of reducing recidivism. Kai has also worked as a supply teacher for SEND children. She has also completed numerous personal development courses to expand her learning to help to make her better able to engage with tenants and staff to achieve common goals.

Kai really enjoys supporting tenants to engage with their landlord, as all tenants have something to offer, as lived experience provides different perspectives on services. Working within the social housing sector has become a passion for Kai, and there is so much that is yet to be achieved.

Carla Keegans

Tpas Associate

Carla is a well-known housing professional with over 20 years’ experience across local authorities and housing associations, from graduate trainee to housing director.

Her formative years in housing were within a large group structure LSVT housing association where she created an innovative tenant engagement strategy that achieved national inspection commendation and went on to shape sector standards.

She has extensive experience in housing management and policy and has always championed tenant engagement in meaningful and effective ways as part of organisational culture and high levels of performance and satisfaction.

Raj Kumar

Tpas Associate

Raj has 30 years practical experience of registered providers and council housing. This includes being Head of Service for a Local Authority, setting up an Arms Length Management Organisation, managing supported and sheltered housing schemes, preparing for stock transfers/mergers, and restructuring housing services.

Raj also has practical experience of leading and introducing a successful partnering contract for a RP and was responsible for implementing the delivery of decent homes works for both RP’s and local authorities (as an officer and a founding board member of a stock transfer organisation).

He is an expert in establishing Resident Led Self-Regulation (RLSR), having delivered over a 100 workshops for residents, boards, executives and officers.

He currently leads the One Enterprise Ltd team working on a regeneration scheme in Harrow as the Independent Tenant Advisors since 2015.

Sonji Nurse

Tpas Associate

With more than two decades of experience, Sonji is a seasoned operations professional specialising in strategic planning, transformational change, scrutiny and quality assurance. Her expertise has consistently contributed to performance improvements across the private, legal, financial, non-profit, and public sectors.

Beyond her professional achievements, Sonji's dedication to her community is evident in her long-standing volunteer work. Sonji has also spent over a decade championing resident's interests, contributing to the procurement of a new repairs contract that prioritises quality service delivery for all residents ensuring that residents voices are represented. She is a member of a number of groups including the Performance Review and Strategic Core Groups at her Housing Association. Their remit is to scrutinise the HAs performance and make recommendations to the Board and that service delivery is optimised. Sonji is a Housing Ombudsman Resident Panel Member.

Anna O'Halloran

Tpas Associate

Email: anna.ohalloran@tpas.org.uk

Anna worked as Tpas National Consultancy Manager in March 2020. Anna now works as a Tpas Associate as of April 2023.

Anna has worked in social housing since 1984, developing expertise and experience from employment with 4 local authorities, 3 housing associations, the Housing Inspectorate at the Audit Commission, CIH, Capita and of course many years ago working here at Tpas! In recent years, Anna has run her own management consultancy specialising in service improvement, engagement and the application of behaviour change methodologies.

Tonia Punter-Ojong

Consultancy Manager

Tonia has working in tenant engagement for over 15 years and is passionate about working in the social housing sector especially when it comes to helping tenants achieve and realise their full potential through engagement and participation.

Tonia is able to work collaboratively and creatively to go the extra mile so that the best outcomes can be achieved and to ensure that tenants are involved and empowered in major decision making.

Tonia has vast experience of leading and delivering all levels of national customer engagement plans within housing providers and constructively builds relationships in order to demonstrate outcomes, gain insight and understanding and raise awareness.

Key Skills:
• Coaching
• Social media and communications
• Facilitation and Stakeholder engagement
• Relationship and capacity building
• Specialist housing engagement
• Planning and communication
• Access to funding skills

Teagan Robinson-Bell

Tpas Associate

Teagan is an experienced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategist with a deep understanding of the challenges facing marginalised communities. With a background in HR, Teagan has developed and implemented impactful DEI strategies which support organisational culture-shift and growth.

As a Law graduate and Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 qualified professional, Teagan brings a structured, data-driven approach to diversity and inclusion. She is passionate about creating equitable workplaces and dismantling systemic barriers, and as a woman with various intersectional identities, Teagan brings a personal perspective to her work and her lived experience underpins her belief that everyone’s voice deserves to be heard.

Teagan’s approach focuses on practical, sustainable change that genuinely improves employee and customer experience and organisational culture. Her work often challenges organisations to move beyond performative allyship, embedding meaningful DEI practices into every aspect of their operations.

Key Skills:
• Designing and implementing comprehensive DEI strategies.
• Conducting organisational culture audits and equity assessments.
• Facilitating workshops and training sessions on anti-racism, challenging discrimination, allyship and inclusive leadership.
• Supporting organisations to develop inclusive policies and practices.
• Driving change through storytelling, lived experience, and empathy.
• Coaching leaders to become authentic, inclusive champions within their organisations

David Smethurst

Tpas Associate

Dave has worked in social housing for over 30 years In front line , senior management , service Development roles as well as a specialist in customer engagement and representation During this time Dave has worked for large regional housing associations, The chartered institute of housing, regional housing and community consultation agencies and most recently for TPAS.

Dave regularly works on developing consultation best practice with TPAS and recently helped write the TPAS National customer consultation guide for mergers.

Dave's experience as both a Housing association Service development manager and a tenant’s advisor have given him a great deal of knowledges of issues on both sides of the fence and how to solve these.

Over the years this has helped him to develop practical solutions that meet with the approval of all stakeholders and enable them to work effectively together.

Keys Experience:
• Working as an independent Tenant advisor on Large scale stock transfers, major redevelopment projects and Mergers on numerous projects across the country since the late 1990s
• Implementing service changes to meet promises made by landlords to tenants following large scale voluntary transfers and Mergers.
• Setting up, developing, and helping improve customer engagement and scrutiny networks for large Housing Associations and Local Authorities
• Development of customer focused neighbourhood service and development plans based on customer feedback and business performance. (Dave Undertook 2 national Pilots for the CIH involving over 30 landlords nation wide to develop the CIH neighbourhood working charter and accreditation)
• Setting up and advising Tenant Management Organisations across the country for over 25 years
• Leading major service charge depooling consultations with housing associations and local authorities
• Working with landlords and tenants to understand and implement service improvement programmes based on customer insight and performance information
• Specialist meeting facilitation/ mediator to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants’ organisations.
• Developing Customer service and customer experience Improvement plans with Landlords and tenants.
Dave has had a strong commitment to effective customer engagement throughout his career and is passionate about the potential of cocreation to produce the best outcomes for Landlords and tenants.

Elaine Warwick

Tpas Associate

Elaine joined as a Tpas associate after retiring from full time employment working 22 years in the field of engagement and empowerment.

Elaine has worked with dedication and passion to ensure the customer voice is heard and influences all levels of an organisation. She is skilled at creating opportunities for engagement to be woven into the cultural fabric of housing providers across all service delivery.

Elaine has networked extensively across the housing sector and is a real advocate for the tackling of stigma, and she has supported many colleagues throughout the industry with her experience and knowledge.

Elaine has an in depth understanding of the customer and in particular the position of leaseholders and shared owners, having worked extensively with these customers. Elaine is a leaseholder of a housing association which gives her the chance to see customer experience through that lens.

Key skills:
• Co-creation
• Innovative ideas for engagement opportunities
• Understanding customer experience
• Facilitation and group development

Key Services:
• Working with leaseholders and shared owners
• Reviewing and creating engagement frameworks
• Service reviews across all housing departments
• Measuring success through Impact Assessments

Matthew Wicks

Tpas Associate

Matthew joined Tpas in 2019 after 35 years working in social housing for London boroughs and housing associations.

His primary focus in housing is to empower residents to become more involved with their landlords, to influence and shape the services they receive.

He has delivered Smart Reviews of housing organisations, reviewing all aspects of service and cross checking with staff and residents to produce an action plan on improvements.

Additionally, Matthew has worked as Tpas Independent Tenant Advisor, where he worked with a Midlands TMO proposing to demolish an estate, as well as a merger between a London and North West housing association. Both projects required honesty, sensitivity and impartiality, as well as a good knowledge of housing policy, procedure, legislation and best practice.

Project areas delivered:
• Service Reviews
• Independent Tenant Advisor
• Smart Reviews
• Policies, Procedures and Handbooks

Yvonne Williams

Tpas Associate

Yvonne Williams has over 30 years practical experience of registered providers (RP’s) and council housing. This includes being Head of Service for a Local Authority and a Housing Association, supporting the setup of an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO) whilst managing a team deemed as being in the top 10% in the UK for delivery.

Yvonne has directly been involved in the preparation of stock transfers/mergers, and restructuring housing services, and has a sound track record of identifying service improvement, forging partnerships, and coordinating ways to implement and drive positive and effective change.

Over the years she has successfully built new teams and managed existing staff - even taking on the responsibility of staff outside her service area at short notice. She has led teams to follow her example to deliver and implement creative projects and solutions within a changing environment; always striving for excellence.

She successfully built and chaired the Barnet Homes Consultative Panel (BHCP) jointly with the residents’ movement, which had a borough-wide remit for consultation and dialogue with Barnet Council and Barnet Homes. It was challenging initially but had great outcomes-one being that the chair of the BHCP was eventually handed over to residents.

Following an audit commission inspection her resident engagement and community development team were assessed as providing a 3 star service, putting them in the top 10% of performers across the UK.

Yvonne has represented her organisations at the Local Strategic Partnerships, Domestic Violence Forums – in particular on forced marriage, honour killings and FGM.
She has delivered workshops at national and regional conferences on the positive aspects of engagement.

She has provided support in developing practical models through Lean systems interventions to improve work practices, service delivery, to achieve value for money (VfM) on void turnarounds. This required carrying out a number of interventions and service reviews across the RP she worked for, which positively impacted local authority performance indicators.
She has facilitated training, conferences and away-days for boards, executive leadership teams, housing teams and engaged residents. This includes delivering a range of bespoke workshops for boards, executives, officers and residents, which are interactive, uplifting, practical and humorous in content.

She was an advisory panel member on the working group that developed Brent Civic Centre and Library.

She has been a member of the Panels offering grants to local community projects and helped build a local Neighbourhood Forum, formed in response to the Localism Agenda.

Yvonne was instrumental in setting up and chairing a Multi-Agency Group in response to encountering incidents of anti-social behaviour on a road plagued by open drug dealing, drug taking, prostitution and shop keepers intimidated by criminals running protection rackets. There appeared to be very little if any regulation of parking and/or planning restrictions.
She was able to influence organisations including the Police, services within the local authority including Town Planning, Street Cleaning, and Environmental Health, Ward Working and local businesses and residents to establish a commitment to resolve the issues on the street.
The group worked up an improvement plan and as a result, a joint action group (JAG) combining the efforts of the Met Police, Environmental Health, Planning and Customs and Excise amongst others, was organised to ‘clean up’ the street. Several arrests were made and sanctions imposed upon some of the shop fronts operating illegally.

Today the street is less intimidating; perceptions have improved and although in decline it feels a much safer place and environment. This could not have been achieved without the willingness of agencies to work collaboratively.

Yvonne currently provides business development support for an organisation working with some of the most vulnerable young people in the UK focusing on gang affiliation, trafficking and other mainstream issues that affect the lives of children and young people.

Yvonne is currently experienced Board member of a pan-London mentoring organisation that works closely with local authorities and the government.

She is also a lead associate on several projects overseen by Tpas, supporting residents on regeneration schemes.

She has a post-graduate qualification from the Chartered Institute of Housing.