Meet our Group Operations Committee

Sharon brings many years’ experience across a wide range of housing and related areas within Local Authorities and Combined Authorities. This includes 15 years at Head of Service level in two Greater Manchester LAs with responsibility for Strategic Housing, Private Sector Housing, Housing-led Regeneration, Housing Growth and a range of other services and areas. Sharon’s experience at CAs (both Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region) – involving several areas such as Private Sector Housing, Housing Growth and Housing Retrofit - has added further experience as well as different perspectives. Strong partnerships and collaboration with Housing Providers has featured highly in her career and is a considerable strength.

Sharon is highly passionate and committed to making a difference to places and the lives of residents and communities; with her Board and Committee roles presenting significant opportunity in these respects.

Mike, who joined our Board in 2018, has over 25 years experience in social housing sector, working for both local authorities and housing associations.  Mike has been responsible to a wide range of frontline customer services including repairs, housing management, customer involvement, income collection, welfare benefits and customer contact centres.  Mike is passionate about ensuring services deliver outstanding value for customers and is determined that housing providers do not lose their sense of social purpose.

Retiring from Yorkshire Housing a the end of March 2017, most of Gillian’s  housing sector experience has been in community development and resident involvement. Building strong communities, where people choose to live and bring up their families, is the key to developing successful neighbourhoods. Gillian’s most recent work involved her  supporting tenants and their families into employment, training and self-employment.  Gillian says “I feel my experience of working directly with tenants in the face of welfare reform has given me valuable insight and empathy. This will be a useful skill to bring to your committee in the face of competing priorities and budget cuts. I can bring my business head and my social heart to the table”.

Hamza is a Compliance Advisor at the University of Manchester, and supports the wider community as a school governor and through charity work. He wants us to deliver outstanding services for customers that also positively impact local communities.  

Hamza will contribute to these outcomes by monitoring our performance, asking questions and challenging us as appropriate.

With a specialism in estate and tenant management, community development, and leading on organisational change, Laura is a highly motivated housing management professional with fifteen years experience successfully ensuring consistency in all areas of service delivery across a varied remit at both strategic and operational levels. Laura has worked for a number of registered providers over the course of her career, and has a passion for community development and tenant empowerment. 

Melanie has been a shared owner for more than 10 years and has over 20 years’ experience of frontline service delivery in local government. Melanie is passionate about helping people and making a positive contribution to local communities. In this role, Melanie will combine her professional and lived experience to make a real difference to others.

Nichola currently works for OLC Europe, a private Higher Education College in Bolton. Nichola has a keen interest in helping and supporting the local community to improve the local and wider area within which she lives and helping individuals to realize and reach their potential.  Nichola has lived in Bolton for over 15 years and has previously been a governor within a local primary school.  

Paul, born and bred in Bolton, has a lifetime of experience in community development, with his professional life spent mostly in the rail industry where he has pioneered innovative approaches to community engagement. He is a visiting professor at the universities of Bolton and Huddersfield and chairs the South-East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership, based in Bolton. He writes regular features on local history for The Bolton News and is a published writer. He was awarded an MBE in 2007 'for services to the railway industry'.

Teresa has been a tenant for over 30 years and, as a volunteer, has mentored teenagers to help them with issues.

After developing disabilities and being restricted to her home throughout the pandemic, Teresa was motivated to get back out into society, meet new people, take-up fresh opportunities and support others.

Teresa will offer her experience and perspective to benefit other tenants.