Who we are

We’re a locally governed and managed housing association with ambitious plans.

CHP Ltd is registered as a Community Benefit Society, under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. Registration number: 8112. We're registered with the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH): L4331.

Company structure

We’ve established three wholly owned subsidiary companies to support our growth. You can find out more information on each subsidiary company below.

 

Meet the group

Our subsidiary companies

Myriad Capital PLC

This is the Group’s financing vehicle that was formed for the purpose of securing funding to deliver on our housing development objectives. It was established in 2013 with the issue of a £200m bond to CHP.

Myriad Housing Ltd

Myriad Housing lets and manages housing development contracts on behalf of CHP for social and affordable rent, submarket rent, and a small number of homes for market sale.

Myriad Homes Ltd

Myriad Homes was established to progress profit-making commercial opportunities for re-investment into CHP's core activities. This is achieved by working with a variety of land agents, architects, contractors, consultants and investors to secure appropriate house building opportunities. These include:

  • utilising CHP land bank opportunities for infill or redevelopment;
  • acquiring market sites with or without planning permission;
  • progressing joint ventures with CHP to deliver mixed tenure housing schemes. 

Myriad Homes aims to deliver cost effective construction solutions through efficient procurement as well as optimise sales through high-quality design and marketing.

Board members

Our Board members have overall responsibility for setting our strategic corporate objectives and monitoring performance against them. They’re also responsible for overseeing the management of our finances and resources and how we deliver our services. We have a Board and committee member ‘Declaration of Interests register’, which is reported to the board annually and is available upon request from the Head of Governance and Assurance via email governance@chp.org.uk.

 

Meet the board

Our current Board Directors are:

Nicola Sawford - Chair

Nicola SawfordChair

Nicola is a portfolio non-executive director with over 30 years of business experience. She is a qualified chartered accountant, and her senior executive experience covers all operational areas and a wide variety of organisational structures and sectors. These include professional services, telecommunications, retail, media, financial services, regulation and charities.

Nicola is Chair at Milton Keynes Development Partnership, a trustee of The Access to Justice Foundation charity, and a member of the Managing Partners Forum advisory board.

In her executive career, she spent 12 years as Chief Executive at Serle Court, a leading barristers’ chambers driving significant growth. Prior to this, having completed her training at Price Waterhouse, she worked in a variety of financial, commercial, and analytical roles at BhS, the BBC, The Stock Exchange, BrokerTec, Vesta and Affinity Internet Holdings.

Nicola was appointed to the Group Board in October 2017 and has been Chair since 2018.

Stephen Bennett DL

Stephen Bennett DL

Chair of Governance, Remuneration and Nominations Committee

Stephen is a Fellow and former UK President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and has experience of working in both commercial and academic organisations.

In his role as Secretary and Clerk at Anglia Ruskin University, where he worked for 23 years, he delivered more than £200m of new development in Cambridge, Harlow, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Colchester.

He was Chair of the Bridge Academy Trust based in Chelmsford and Ongar, is chair of the finance committee at Chelmsford Cathedral and sits on Writtle University College’s audit committee.

Formerly he was a member of the Law Society Governance Review Group, Secretary of the Association of Universities in the East of England and a director of Essex Business Link. He was also a member of the Essex County Council Education Committee and a local government remuneration adviser.

Stephen has had a varied career across management and academic posts in education, utilities and development.

As a member of the executive team at Anglia Ruskin his personal responsibilities encompassed governance and legal, estates and facilities management, security, including anti-terrorism, risk management and business recovery planning.

In 1995 Stephen was made a Freeman of the City of London and in 2017 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Essex.

Stephen was appointed to the Group Board in October 2017.

Fred Goymour

Fred Goymour

Chair of the Treasury and Investment Committee

Fred has had a long and successful career in the banking sector, where he specialised in social housing finance. Since his retirement, he has continued to develop his knowledge of the housing sector.

In addition to his extensive experience in banking, Fred has also worked with a major land and property company, a charitable housing and social enterprise group. He is currently an associate consultant with a partnership working across housing, charity and education, where he provides specialist editorial and strategic input on social housing finance and treasury-related issues.

Throughout his work with housing associations, Fred has been keenly aware that customers’ interests are paramount in any financing partnership, and these remain at the core of his current consultancy and board duties. Attending scheme openings (pre-pandemic) and being able to talk to customers, employees and others involved has given him first-hand experience of customer relationships, and wider non-financial issues, in the housing sector.

Outside of work, Fred is a keen musician and plays bass guitar in an Americana cover band. Reading, golf, fishing, and birdwatching take up the rest of his free time.

Fred was appointed to the Group Board in October 2018. He is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, and chair of the Group’s new Treasury and Investment Committee.

Sarah Jones

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Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Sarah qualified as an accountant in 1998 and has held a variety of senior finance roles in PLCs and private equity backed businesses before joining the housing association sector in 2014.

In her current role as CEO on the board of Anchor Hanover Group, an operator of social housing and care homes for older people, Sarah has experience of working in a complex organisation regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing and the Care Quality Commission. Sarah has also held the role of Company Secretary in a number of organisations.

With extensive experience of working with Boards and Committees in a financial capacity, Sarah brings a wealth of experience to CHP and the Group Board, including high standards of governance and financial viability, and development of corporate strategy and risk and assurance frameworks.

Rooted in Epping, Essex, with her partner and two sons, Sarah cites drama, music and gardening amongst her interests. Sarah is a Trustee of Arthritis Action and Vice Chair of Governors at Roding Valley High School.

Sarah was appointed to the Group Board in September 2021 and has been the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee since January 2022. She is also a member of the Governance, Remuneration and Nominations Committee.

Karen Mayhew

Karen Mayhew

Karen has worked in the housing sector all her career, starting as a graduate trainee with Greater London Council and rising through the ranks to become a housing association Chief Executive at an award-winning Suffolk housing association.

As Chief Executive she was accountable to a Board of Directors for the delivery of overall strategy, business plans, financial affairs and management of the business. She uses that experience and expertise to support CHP as a Board member.

Karen is currently Director of Homes for Cambridge and Peterborough, a strategic alliance of developing Housing Associations in the Eastern Region. She also represents housing associations on the Cambridge and Peterborough Housing Board providing a contact point between statutory authorities and housing associations. This role has been particularly significant in view of the holistic response required to meet the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Karen chaired the Funding Working Group tasked to ensure CHP could continue to finance its ambitious new homes strategy into the future.

Karen was appointed to the Group Board in October 2018. She is also a member of the Customer Experience Committee focusing on the delivery of responsive quality services to our customers. Karen is also a member of the Treasury and Investment Committee.

Karen lives in West Suffolk with her husband and has held a range of voluntary sector roles from school governor, parochial church council member, church warden and board director.

Hetal Trivedi

Hetal Trivedi Hetal is a chartered accountant and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA). He has extensive financial and commercial experience across various industries and is currently responsible for all aspects of finance, risk, procurement, and legal as the CFO of Frasers Hospitality Group - EMEA.

Hetal’s previous experience includes being the CFO for a senior living developer and operator, and working at The Crown Estate as the Head of Commercial Finance. In this role, Hetal was primarily responsible for optimising profitability and financial strategic planning in its West End, regional shopping centres, and offshore wind portfolios. Prior to that, he held multiple senior roles at J Sainsbury plc over nine years and has also worked at other retail and telecoms businesses.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Hetal brings diverse experience, working extensively in sectors undergoing disruption and high growth. He was appointed to the Group Board in September 2022 and is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Karen Bird

Karen Bird Karen is currently Chief People Officer at Post Office Ltd. Prior to her new role, Karen was Interim CEO at McColl’s Retail Group Ltd between March 2022 and August 2023. Her previous Director roles at McColl’s included Chief Operating Officer, and Colleague and Operations Director.

From 2004 to 2016 Karen held senior roles at Tesco Plc, including UK People Director, People Director for UK large format stores, and Operations Director for tesco.com.

Karen has been an Independent Member of the Group Customer Experience Committee since September 2022 and was appointed as a co-optee of the Group Board in April 2023. Karen has served as a member of the Group’s Treasury and Investment Committee since July 2023.

Karen’s professional qualifications include a BSc (Hons) in Psychology. She is also a mentor for the Girl Guiding Association.

Katie Rogers

Katie Rogers

Katie joined Greencore Homes as Chief Financial Officer in 2023. Prior to this she held the positions of Chief Financial Officer from 2011 and Chief Financial and Operating Officer from 2020 at Telford Homes.  

Her early career was spent at PwC where she worked for five years in audit and assurance. 

Katie was appointed to the Board in September 2022 and is a member of the Treasury and Investment Committee.

Marc Noaro - Senior Independent Director

Marc Noaro

Senior Independent Director

Marc served as Chief Customer Officer with Eurostar until 2021, swiftly progressing through the ranks within the organisation, gaining several awards along the way for customer service and change management.

Marc held a number of senior roles, including customer service, people management, major change management with HR involvement, operations, security and motivational leadership.

Marc joined the Group Board in October 2017 and, in March 2022, his role was expanded to include that of Senior Independent Director. The new role, a requirement under Principle 3 of CHP’s adopted Code of Governance, provides for ensuring the effectiveness of the Board, with duties to include the appraisal of the Group Chair.

Marc is also the Chair of the board of Myriad Homes Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of CHP.

Toby D’Olier

Toby D'OlierToby was a board member for RHP, a 10,000-home provider across West London between 2013 and 2022, stepping down in July this year. He was also a RHP homeowner for 11 years.

Toby is a self-employed videographer and web consultant, producing corporate videos for a wide variety of clients including Wimbledon, The Post Office, The Times and American Express Global Business Travel.

Toby spent ten years working in radio for Global Radio, Europe’s largest radio group, as well as others as an executive producer and manager. Toby was appointed to the Board in September 2022 and is a member of the Customer Experience Committee. 

Paul Edwards, Chief Executive

Paul Edwards

Paul joined us in 2016 and became Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer in January 2019. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in January 2022.

With over 20 years in the housing sector, Paul has a wealth of experience. He spent six years as Director of Resources at Havebury Housing Partnership and nine years prior to that as Director of Treasury Services at Swan Housing Group. He has also previously served as a non-executive director at Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust and Circle 33 Housing and is currently a Board member at Local Space.

Paul is a member of the National Housing Federation’s Financial Policy Advisory Group (FPAG) and a member of the SORP working party, which is responsible for setting the accounting standards for the sector. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Paul has been instrumental in maintaining our ‘A-’ credit rating from S&P Global and G1 grading for governance from the Regulator of Social Housing. In 2021 he oversaw the issuing of a bond tap which raised £69m to support the delivery of affordable homes across the eastern region.

Neil Perrins, Chief Financial Officer

Neil Perrins Neil brings a wide range of experience from holding senior roles in the housing sector and beyond. He joined us from Barking Riverside Ltd, where he was Finance Director. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of Resources at Golding Homes. He also spent 15 years at Transport for London.

Neil is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and is currently continuing his learning by completing a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).

He is also a Board member at Croydon Churches Housing Association.

Neil is the lead Executive Officer for the Group’s Audit and Risk Committee, and the Group’s Treasury and Investment Committee. He also serves as a member on the Myriad Capital Plc Board and the Myriad Housing Ltd Board.

Executive Management Team

Our Executive Management Team are responsible for implementing the strategies and policies set by the Board and for the delivery of our business plan. They’re accountable to our Board members.

 

Meet the Executive Management Team

Our current executive team is:

Paul Edwards, Chief Executive

Paul Edwards

Paul joined us in 2016 and became Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer in January 2019. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in January 2022.

With over 20 years in the housing sector, Paul has a wealth of experience. He spent six years as Director of Resources at Havebury Housing Partnership and nine years prior to that as Director of Treasury Services at Swan Housing Group. He has also previously served as a non-executive director at Welwyn Hatfield Community Housing Trust and Circle 33 Housing and is currently a Board member at Local Space.

Paul is a member of the National Housing Federation’s Financial Policy Advisory Group (FPAG) and a member of the SORP working party, which is responsible for setting the accounting standards for the sector. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Paul has been instrumental in maintaining our ‘A-’ credit rating from S&P Global and G1 grading for governance from the Regulator of Social Housing. In 2021 he oversaw the issuing of a bond tap which raised £69m to support the delivery of affordable homes across the eastern region.

Rachel Hadley, Deputy Chief Executive and People and Culture Director

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Rachel joined us in January 2020 as People and Communications Director. She became People and Culture Director in July 2021 and was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive in August 2022, alongside her existing role.

Rachel is responsible for the HR, Facilities, Business Support, Corporate Health and Safety, Governance, Policy, and Communications teams, and is our Leadership Champion for both Wellbeing, and Diversity and Inclusion.

With a career of over 24 years working across all HR disciplines, Rachel brings a wealth of commercial experience to her first role in the housing sector. Her previous HR roles have spanned sectors as varied as manufacturing and financial services. Rachel is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and acts as a CIPD mentor to support the development of HR professionals. She currently serves on the Pension Strategy Board of Essex Pension Fund as an employer representative.

Since joining us, Rachel has led her teams in responding to the significant HR, Facilities, and Health and Safety challenges that the pandemic presented. She continues to play a pivotal role in embedding our values and culture, to make CHP a Great Place to Work.

Michael Barber, Chief Information Officer

 alt="" Michael joined us in November 2019 as Digital Director responsible for maintaining and improving CHP’s IT systems. Michael subsequently became Digital and Transformation Director in February 2021 by taking on responsibility for business change activity, leading the ongoing operational and digital transformation of the business.

Michael has operated at IT Director level for over 25 years and brings with him a wealth of experience from multiple sectors. He is reasonably new to the housing sector but has worked for several years as the Director of IT at the Peabody Trust, as well as at CIO level in several housing related businesses (real estate, home improvements).

Since joining us, Michael has delivered new agile working methods for CHP alongside building solutions for our customers to self-serve where they would prefer to. Michael has also been fully engaged in transforming CHP into a new flexible operating model enabling our teams to get closer to our customers.

Thomas Kearney, Homes and Places Director

alt= Thomas joined us in August 2021 as our new Director of Homes and Places. He has over 11 years' experience working for housing associations in London and Essex.

Thomas started his career in the sector in housing management before moving to senior roles in asset management. He has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced from the development and day-to-day management of housing association homes, through to reactive and planned maintenance.

Over the last five years, Thomas has held senior management roles at Notting Hill Genesis and Peabody that have involved the delivery of planned maintenance, day-to-day repairs, heat networks, complex building resolution and cladding remediation projects.

Thomas is passionate about the sustainability agenda. A key focus area for Thomas is how we’ll deliver on our plans to improve the thermal and environmental performance of our customers’ homes over the next 30 years.

Neil Perrins, Chief Financial Officer

Neil Perrins Neil brings a wide range of experience from holding senior roles in the housing sector and beyond. He joined us from Barking Riverside Ltd, where he was Finance Director. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of Resources at Golding Homes. He also spent 15 years at Transport for London.

Neil is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and is currently continuing his learning by completing a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).

He is also a Board member at Croydon Churches Housing Association.

Neil is the lead Executive Officer for the Group’s Audit and Risk Committee, and the Group’s Treasury and Investment Committee. He also serves as a member on the Myriad Capital Plc Board and the Myriad Housing Ltd Board.

Tracey Spencer, Customer Services Director

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Tracey joined us in April 2022 as our Director of Customer Service. She has over 30 years’ experience in housing across a variety of roles from housing officer through to senior regional and national positions. She is responsible for our Neighbourhoods and Customer Resolution Centre Team.

Tracey joined from Hundred Houses Society, where she'd held the position of Executive Operations Director since 2017. Prior to that Tracey spent over 10 years at Sanctuary Housing Association.

Tracey is passionate about delivering consistently excellent customer service. This means treating customers as individuals, understanding their views and needs, and empowering them to shape the services we provide.

Fiona Hollingsworth, Growth and Partnerships Director

alt="" Fiona joined us in February 2023 and is responsible for the teams who develop new homes across the region. This includes everything from sourcing land to develop through to handover of the new homes. Fiona also has responsibility for selling new homes and non-social housing lettings through intermediate and market rent. Fiona also works with partners to optimise our income so we can re-invest in new and existing homes.

Before joining CHP Fiona was Head of Housing and Growth at Capital Letters, an organisation which works in partnership with London councils and private landlords to help homeless families find secure, settled homes. Prior to this, Fiona worked for both Camden and Lambeth councils managing housing needs and housing management services.