Graham Burgess
Chair, Torus Housing Group Common Purpose Board

Graham Burgess has spent his career in local government, most recently leading Wirral Council through a period of change and stabilisation as Chief Executive. In that role, he was an active member of the Liverpool City Region Chief Executives Group with particular responsibility for developing and encouraging links with bordering authorities and the development of the Northern devolution agenda with other combined authorities. Prior to joining Wirral Council, Graham was joint Chief Executive of Blackburn and Darwen Council and Primary Care Trust, which twice achieved the Council of the Year award under his leadership. He has also held a series of senior leadership roles at Liverpool City Council in the social services division.

Sinéad Butters CBE
Group Chief Executive, Aspire Housing

Chair of PlaceShapers

Sinéad Butters has been Chief Executive of Staffordshire-based Aspire Housing since 2006. With a strong combination of new build housing, regeneration, training and employment services, Aspire Housing aims to maximise its input in local communities and improve people's life chances. Sinéad is also Chair of PlaceShapers, a national network of over 100 community-based housing associations with the collective goal of achieving real and lasting improvements in the communities they serve. Sinéad was awarded an MBE for her services to housing in the 2016 New Year Honours list.

Helen Lennon
Chief Executive, Connect Housing

Helen Lennon has worked for Connect for over 20 years in a number of housing management, asset management and supported housing roles. She was appointed CEO in August 2016 and since then has been leading a process of business transformation to ensure Connect continues to deliver its social purpose in an ever-changing operating environment. Previously a tenant of Connect, Helen is passionate about social housing and the key role it must play in solving the ongoing housing crisis.

Helen holds an MBA, is a board member for Ongo Homes, and has helped establish Neighbourly Places, a new community interest company in Dewsbury.

Angela Lockwood
Chief Executive, North Star Housing Group

Angela Lockwood has been Group Chief Executive since 2009 and has extensive experience gained from a career in housing spanning nearly 30 years. She began her career at Sunderland Council and then worked for Home Housing for many years. Angela joined Endeavour Housing Association as Housing Director, and moved to Managing Director when the North Star Housing Group was formed. Angela holds an MBA and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing, a Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust board member, Vice Chair of PlaceShapers and a school governor.

Mary Parsons
Group Director, Placemaking and Regeneration, Places for People

Mary Parsons has more than 25 years of experience in the development, construction and regeneration industry, across the private, registered provider and consultancy sectors. She has been involved in some of the largest housing-led regeneration schemes in the UK. Mary previously worked in consultancy, specialising in public-private partnerships and housing market renewal, and also worked in the private sector on large-scale, mixed-tenure developments. Mary is Chair and Trustee of the Town and Country Planning Association, and Trustee of MOBIE, an educational charity. She joined Places for People in 2004, and became part of the Group Board in 2010.

Dave Procter
Chair, Together Housing Group

Dave Procter joined the Together Housing Group board in 2016 and became chair in January 2017. He has worked in housing for over 49 years, retiring as Chief Executive of Pennine Housing in 2005. Since then, Dave has worked as an independent consultation with a wide range of housing and third sector organisations within governance, executive mentoring and organisational change. He recently ended his term as Chair of the Bradford-based landlord Incommunities, and is a board member at Impact Housing Association in Cumbria.

Kevin Rodgers
Chief Executive, WM Housing

Kevin Rodgers was appointed Chief Executive of WM Housing Group in May 2015. Prior to that he was the group’s Deputy Chief Executive and Group Finance Director. He previously worked as a consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Kevin was elected Chair of the West Midlands Housing Association Partnership in September 2016, which was set up to provide a single voice for housing associations to engage with the West Midlands Combined Authority. He is a board member for North Solihull Partnership and Coventry Local Public Services Board and is actively involved in the work of the local enterprise partnerships in Greater Birmingham and Solihull and in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Sonia Thompson
Board Member, Tuntum Housing Association

Sonia Thompson is an international organisational development consultant, coach and Theory U practitioner. She established her own company following a successful career in higher education as a senior lecturer and external examiner. A former programme director in the area of regeneration, she has been a non-executive director in a primary care trust and was the Derbyshire Chair and Regional Vice Chair of Women in Management as well as a member of the national board. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Tuntum in Nottingham, a BME East Midlands-based housing association

Ian Wardle
Chief Executive, Thirteen Group

Ian Wardle joined Thirteen as Chief Executive in 2016. Over the course of his career, Ian has worked as Project Director for the Sunniside Regeneration Project in Sunderland, and as Director of Regeneration Services as Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. Prior to joining Thirteen, Ian was Managing Director as Reading Borough Council. He takes over as Secretary for Homes for the North, an alliance of almost 20 large housing associations who want to deliver more homes across the North of England, in April 2018.

Dr David Walker
Bishop of Manchester and Chair, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group

The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Revd David Walker joined the Wythenshawe Community Housing Group board in April 2014, and is now chair. He has been a housing association board member since 1988, and his passion for social housing, urban regeneration and the wellbeing of tenants has involved being a Federation board member and Chair of HACT. He has held the position of Bishop of Manchester since 2013, prior to which he was Bishop of Dudley. He has also been Chair of the Church Commissioners since January 2017.

Steve Coffey
Chief Executive Officer, Torus

Steve is a passionate advocate for high-quality and affordable housing, and is responsible for Torus’ overall strategic direction, performance and development. Prior to joining Torus, he led Liverpool Mutual Homes for 10 years as Chief Executive. Steve’s career began in civil engineering prior to moving into the housing sector. He also worked for several local authorities prior to taking up a senior housing role in the west midlands at the start of the new millennium before returning to the Liverpool City Region some years later. Steve has considerable experience operating at boardroom level, in both executive and non-executive roles, and is an active member of bodies including the CBI North West Regional Council and the National Housing Federation. In 2022, he was appointed as Chair of Homes for the North. His work experience has also nurtured a keen personal interest in health matters, environmental issues and the low carbon agenda. Addressing green skills, employment, the retrofit challenge and volatile energy costs as an integrated issue is a key element of Steve’s vision.