The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) is responsible for the day-to-day operational management and development of the organisation. They have corporate responsibility for the overall formulation and implementation of our policies and procedures.
ELT also work closely with the Board, which is made up of independent, council and resident members who formulate, implement and put into practice strategic policy initiatives, which meet our aims and objectives.
Our Executive Leadership Team comprises:
Matthew Applegate - Chief Executive
Izabela Falinska - Executive Director of Finance and Resources
Dean Gill - Executive Director of Operations
Julie Porter - Executive Director of Development
Matthew Applegate - Chief Executive
Matthew Applegate has been Chief Executive since the organisation formed in 2006.
He has worked within the housing sector for 27 years and previously held a variety of senior executive roles including Chief Executive, Finance Director and Company Secretary. He has also held non-Executive Board Member and Committee Chair roles at other Housing Associations.
Matthew is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and has taken part in various panels and forums within the sector that has influenced policy development and its implementation. He is a qualified accountant, having trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers, after graduating from University.
Dean Gill - Executive Director of Operations
Dean has over 30 years of experience working with Housing Associations, Local Authorities, ALMOs and a number of related private sector businesses.
He joined the organisation in July 2010 to lead a number of teams including repairs, maintenance, asset management and development. He now leads the tenancy services, independent living, homeownership and facilities teams.
Dean began his career as an apprentice carpenter and joiner before progressing into surveying, then management roles, where he led on a variety of disciplines including repairs, maintenance, project management and new build development.
Julie Porter - Executive Director of Development
Julie joined the organisation in January 2020 to lead our programme of developing new homes.
She has worked in housing development in a number of roles for over 20 years; she started her career as a graduate trainee with a private housebuilder before going on to work for a number of regional and national housing associations.
Julie has led a wide range of teams including new business, asset management, planned maintenance, leasehold, sales and marketing as well as development delivery.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has a degree in Land Management.
Izabela Falinska - Executive Director of Finance and Resource
Izabela Falinska joined the organisation in May 2021 and her responsibilities include finance, IT and governance. Her focus is to ensure that we maintain strong governance and strong financial metrics, with ample potential for growth. Previously Izabela held the position of Director of Finance Services at Stonewater Limited where she was responsible for amalgamation of finance functions and financial systems following the merger of three organisations.
