This is my professional background so you know what I can bring to the Board.

I was the Director of Housing at Chelmer Housing Partnership (CHP)  in Essex for the last 10 years.

CHP was a 9,500 property multi-tenure housing association.  I led a large directorate responsible for all housing management services including 1000 sheltered properties. I delivered high level performance in all housing services including income management. I have held portfolios for sales and marketing, internal and external communications, community engagement and housing options. I was Chair of Essex Chief Housing Officer Group. 

Before this position I was an Area Director for the Guinness Trust, another large charitable housing association.  I have built up my career in housing from working my way up in other housing organisations, demonstrating how I can work on complex projects and bring success. I have always worked alongside tenants and other stakeholders to ensure we achieve our goals. I originally worked in a Local Authority at Managerial level with 18,000 residents in the area and 21 staff to manage. I represented the Local Authority in Community Safety Partnerships, so I have had my time working in the Statutory Sector too.

I am a passionate believer in working with people who have had life tough to achieve their goals. I have worked voluntarily with people with learning disabilities who have been in good community housing and had excellent support and seen the difference this has made to their lives. I have also made arrangements far more simple for people who have been struggling to maintain their tenancies due to having the wrong type of housing in the wrong location. I am not a "sit at your desk in an ivory tower" person. I stand alongside people to achieve their aims and goals and I am delighted to have been asked to serve on this board as it is making housing available for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

My housing expertise and the fact I have already helped to register two large associations will assist in the regulatory side of the organisation. However, I bring also a sense of fairness and justice to my position on the Board. I will strive hard along with the other members of the board to ensure that people are no longer put away into institutions and in many cases treated with disrespect and sadly abuses that we have seen in many exposés about the system. 

I have experience in strategic management, business planning, performance management and governance; strong leadership skills; a broad range of communication, persuasion and negotiation skills. I also have extensive experience of managing change effectively. But more importantly than any of this I enjoy working in the charitable sector and I want to make changes in the way housing and care are delivered. I am excited to work with the members of the Rightful Housing board who I think are all highly effective and as motivated as I am to do this.

Business Experience:

Andy has held a number of leadership positions, most recently Head of Business Improvement (Retail Banking), Head of Lending Products, Head of Commercial Banking Products and Head of Small Business Propositions. 

Andy has developed his breadth of view and strategic insight through a wide variety of senior roles in commercial, small business and retail banking markets; he has led development of business strategies, managed large product and marketing portfolios, delivered service improvement initiatives and developed digital and direct channels. This breadth of experience, combined with his key leadership strengths, underpins Andy's strong delivery ethos.

Throughout his career Andy has demonstrated a track record of delivering strong customer and business outcomes through good judgement, tenacity and persuasive influencing. He is a challenger of traditional thinking and originator of customer orientated solutions. Andy is a leader who takes pride in attracting and nurturing talent, building a future leadership pipeline and creating followership through his leadership style.

Andy has demonstrable leadership strengths, notably:

• strong judgement, seen as a thought leader, he consistently demonstrates good judgement and has been brought in to steer key challenges facing the business
• proven track record of delivering financial service solutions which meet customer needs
• extensive experience of new, innovative and compelling financial propositions for personal and business customers
• skilful influencer of senior stakeholders across the company. His success leverages a clear, compelling and structured thought process, with sharp and insightful analysis. Andy uses his persuasive influencing skills to ensure the right judgement calls are made
• demonstrable drive and resilience. Andy ensures that he and his team deliver on their promises, achieving customer and business goals

These leadership strengths are evidenced through strong feedback, for example:

"...where Andy has really impressed everyone on the Executive team has been his judgement in terms of how to guide and navigate our business through extraordinary times, balancing stakeholder requirements and the style in which he influences us as a team. His approach to managing stakeholders, presentational style and rigorous grasp of the brief instils great confidence" - feedback from Commercial Banking Executive team.

Wider Experience:

Andy is chairing a parent led housing project to create homes for 9 young people with learning difficulties. The group, comprising Andy’s son and 8 lifelong friends, wants to live together in the local community with access to a wide range of work, volunteering, sports and social activities. To deliver this, Andy has forged new partnerships with a national care provider, an investor and the local authority. The project has necessitated new, innovative ways of working with the local authority and investors in order to deliver appropriate housing solutions which can become ‘forever’ homes for the group. The project has drawn on Andy’s business skills, drive and tenacity to achieve great housing outcomes for the group.

Andy is also a Special Educational Needs Governor at a local secondary school, and works as part of a governing board to help create an environment within which pupils can achieve their potential. 

Andy is married with two children and lives in South Gloucestershire.

I have been working as a self employed Housing representative for Ling Trust and Lets for Life Housing Association providing housing support and management to people with learning disabilities and autism who are in their own specialist, supported housing. Everyone in this accommodation has their own home and I see people having a great life and fantastic care and support. So different to what happens to people when they are taken away for long times to Institutions and Assessment units!

I have been asked to be involved on the first house for someone who wishes to be a tenant with Rightful Housing and I am so excited to be able to see this through from start to finish. I am really keen to be on the Board and learn as much as I can and effective as a Board Member. Some the people I have have met in my specialist supported housing role have had tough lives and now have so much more in their daily lives helped hugely by their housing and housing support. I believe that housing is the basis of getting a good life in the community and far too over looked. I want to be part of making that different.

I recently set up a Baby Bank following a programme on TV about how people were struggling for baby clothes and  items, and my idea was based on the food bank service but for families by re gifting pre loved and used items. I like to see action and I am someone that gets on with things. I don’t believe in sitting back and waiting for it all to happen. The Bank started in November 2018. I provide a hub service to the Tendring area including Walton, Clacton, Jaywick and Harwich offering equipment, clothing, and toiletries to those who need additional support due to need such as domestic violence, benefits, job losses,disability, illness foster carer and single parents. We have had over 100 referrals so far! I have also been involved with setting up a new community group ‘ North East Support team’ which provides practical items for housing by sourcing furniture/ beds/ bedding/ and any items needed to start a home for anyone that may be in a situation that may need us.

My other volunteer work involves working as part of the local community by providing assistance to  a dance school ‘Smooth Grooves’, My main duties include supporting with events, promotions, marketing, and finances.

My current Job role working with 82 tenants onsite includes varies roles such as Repairs management and improvements to individual flats and in communal areas, welfare checks, health and safety checks, property viewings and inspections, Lettings management, which looks at waiting lists, allocations and sign ups on to the scheme, Budget management in line with service charge and Income maximisation, tenant activities, tenant meetings, relationship management with contractors including maintenance, gardeners and cleaners and any support needs tenants may have on a day to day basis.

I have also worked as a hands on carer and that has given me a great insight and relationships with people, as well as professionals and families of those who are receiving care and support. I loved every minute of this work and what I can bring into a situation working alongside people who need some support to help with their daily lives.

My job as a carer role included supporting people to live independently in their own homes by providing Companionship, Home help, Medication support, accessing the community and a Personal Care service as well as assessing for equipment and adaptations in the homes. I also conducted assessment visits, introductions for carers, and was the point of call for evenings and weekends in emergency and cover situations.

I am an enthusiastic, hard working and committed person to support people who need someone to stand alongside them. I am determined to make a change with Rightful Housing and welcome the opportunity that I have been given with both my professional head but equally my heart.