Greatwell Homes have welcomed three new board members and appointed a new vice chair from September 2024.
Gurmeet Virdi, who has been on our board since 2021, is now vice chair and will lead our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as board champion.
Gurmeet Virdi said: “I’m looking forward to taking on these new roles at Greatwell Homes to further support the board in steering the organisation to providing great communities where people live well. I’m committed to keeping EDI high on the agenda and holding the board and executive team to account in relation to equality and diversity within the organisation.”
Maana Ruia, Andrew Dale and Nabeel Irshad were also welcomed as the newest members of our board at our September meeting. We were successful in attracting more than 100 applications for the board positions.
Maana Ruia is a finance professional with 25 years’ experience in capital markets and investments. She specialises in environmental sustainability and has extensive experience working in regulated sectors.
Andrew Dale has 12 years’ experience in the housing sector, specifically in IT management and data. He is currently the deputy director of digital, data and change at Newport City Homes.
Nabeel Irshad has extensive experience within the banking industry and currently works at Mastercard where he leads its government and public sector business.
Mr Virdi added: “I want to welcome Maana, Andrew and Nabeel to the board where I’m sure they will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to help support Greatwell Homes in achieving our remaining Live Greatwell corporate plan (2022 – 2025) objectives and into the next phase beyond 2025. It was pleasing to have such a high interest in the recruitment process and to see many different experiences and diversities being represented among applicants. As a board we aspire to have a balance amongst our membership that is representative of the communities where we work.”
Findings published by the National Housing Federation’s 2023 EDI Data Tool found that only 18 per cent of board members were from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, compared to 40 per cent at Greatwell Homes.
Jo Savage, chief executive at Greatwell Homes, said: “As part of our Live Happy strategy, we aim to be an inclusive place to work that promotes diversity. For me, it’s important that this starts with our board and leadership team.
“In addition to our ethnic diversity, 46 per cent of our board members and executive team are female, compared to 49 per cent of our employees and 54 per cent of our customers. This degree of diversity at a high level will help to steer our commitment to improve inclusivity, diversity and equal opportunity for customers and staff across the organisation.
“Whilst diversity in ethnicity, background and gender is extremely important when recruiting to our board, we’ve also considered diversity in skill sets, experience and expertise. This diverse combination will ensure members shape and inform the valuable decision-making and discussions that take place at board level. I’m delighted that our board is now more representative of the communities that we serve. This is something that we really value at Greatwell Homes and are committed to improving through the next stage of our corporate plan. I also want to take this opportunity to officially welcome Maana, Andrew and Nabeel to Greatwell Homes.”
Independent members, Simon Brooksbank and Martin Lord alongside tenant, Cheryl Armatrading, all stepped down from our board in September after serving their six-year term.
We are currently in the process of launching a new customer assurance committee. The committee will play an important role in providing the board with assurance that its customer voice is heard, understood and influences decisions about services to customers. The committee will consist of six members with four positions designated specifically for Greatwell Homes’ customers. The committee is due to launch early 2025.