Committee Members

The committee oversees our strategic assurance framework. It ensures proper conduct, standards, ethics and integrity policies. Plus, health and safety arrangements and performance.

It examines self-assessments against regulatory and legal requirements.

Bob Cuffe - Chair 

A Teessider by birth, Bob spent over 30 years in local media. He was previously managing director of Trinity Mirror North East, publishers of the Gazette in Middlesbrough and the Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun in Newcastle.

Bob works with several organisations as Chair, Vice Chair and non-executive director.

Miriam Harte

Miriam is an experienced executive and non-executive. She has worked with her clients in both interim roles and as a consultant. She specialises in project development, fundraising, business planning, strategic reviews and operational improvement. 

Miriam is an experienced professional and chartered accountant. She has extensive non- executive experience in the housing sector, the heritage and charitable sector and the NHS. She was Chair of a large Mental Health Trust until 2022.

Winsome Small

Winsome is a social housing professional with over 20 years of experience. She is passionate about delivering services which make a difference to people's quality of life.

Winsome has experience in supported housing, care, retirement living, private sector leasing and general needs housing, and extensive tenancy management knowledge.

She is driven by challenges and exceeding expectations for organisations and stakeholder services.

Lee Ali

Lee is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and CFO with over 20 years’ international financial and business leadership experience gained through public, privately owned and private equity backed businesses within the region.

In the wider community, Lee is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and chairs the Finance and Audit Committee at Dementia Matters. He is also Treasurer of his local scout group.

The Remuneration Committee oversees our people strategies and policies. It reviews employment and pension strategies for board, committee members and colleagues.

Rob Goward - Chair

Rob has worked in HR for over 30 years. He was vice president of HR for the Seagram Spirits and Wine Group for 15 years, Global HRD of Smith and Nephew plc and Group HRD of Maxxium Worldwide BV.

He is currently a partner within the Mercer Consulting Group. Rob has an MSc in Politics from London University, an MBA from IMC, and Chartered membership of the CIPD.

Caroline Moore

Caroline is the director of people, culture and communication at Shepherds Bush Housing Group. She has worked in many senior human resource roles across the UK and globally.

Caroline is interested in colleague engagement, leadership development and equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Salma Yasmeen

Salma has lots of experience in the health and care systems and leading organisational innovation and change and developing partnerships across different sectors and services.

Salma is passionate about public services. She is interested in how they address inequalities and enable everyone to live a safe, connected, meaningful and healthy life.

Gustavo Imhof

Gustavo came to the UK for his studies and has been in the country since 2014. He is recognised as one of 30 rising stars in customer experience under the age of 30 and is co-author of an international best-selling book. Now working in Product Management, he has coached over 300 inspiring professionals, helping them into their dream careers.

The Finance Committee oversees and reviews the Group's treasury strategy and policy. It also works with the Development & Investment Committee to review the investment strategy and policy.

Andrew Wilson - Chair

Andrew has a background in consulting and mergers & acquisitions. He owns and manages a number of his business interests and investments.

He previously worked for the publisher Penguin Random House as finance & commercial director for their distribution business and spent over ten years at Sage Group PLC.

Andrew holds an MEng in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University.

Nick Taylor

Nick has over 25 years of banking experience in the UK and the Middle East.

He is currently on the investor relations team at Atrato Partners. Plus, he is the manager of UK REIT SUPR, a specialist investor in UK Supermarket Assets. He is also a skills coach to apprentices in the financial services sector.

Vishnu Reddy

Vishnu is a qualified lawyer with strong international legal, commercial and finance experience. He combines financial and legal expertise to advise, review and structure optimal financing for projects. He also has considerable experience in financing corporates, associations and entities of their real estate assets and portfolios in Europe. 

Having worked in house and in advisory roles, he understands operational and commercial risks that these entities encounter in real estate asset developments, management including in acquisitions and disposals of these assets.

Laura Donelly

Laura is a qualified accountant who has worked in a senior finance roles in several different organisations and industry sectors throughout her career, including listed PLCs and private equity-owned companies. 

She served for six years on the Finance and Audit Committee for the Glasshouse International Centre for Music, and is currently vice chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee for Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums. 

The Development and Investment Committee is responsible for reviewing and agreeing on new business, commercial growth, development and regeneration projects for recommendation to the board. It oversees the asset management strategy, development strategy and programmes for affordable homes, homes for investment, delivery and sales.

Anthony Riley - Chair

Anthony has worked in housing for 35 years for several local authorities and housing associations.

He's held executive positions leading both development and operational teams.

Laura Mack

Laura co-founded Change & Transformation and worked across all of the organisation's products and services. She started her career at Procter & Gamble on the marketing graduate scheme, which led to a transfer to Geneva, and on moving back to the UK, she headed up several key commercial teams for Procter & Gamble in London. Laura also spent time with other well-known consumer goods experts, including Cadbury and Heinz. Since moving to the North East, Laura has delivered consultancy projects for regional clients.

Nick Taylor

Nick has over 25 years of banking experience in the UK and the Middle East.

He is currently on the investor relations team at Atrato Partners. Plus, he is the manager of UK REIT SUPR, a specialist investor in UK Supermarket Assets. He is also a skills coach to apprentices in the financial services sector.

Martha Shields

Martha is head of development at South Lakes Housing and leads their development and sales programme in the north west.

A registered architect with a background in development, she has a wealth of experience in designing and delivering creative, complex housing, regeneration and community-led projects in the private and social housing sectors. Martha is a passionate advocate for social housing and creating high quality, sustainable homes for customers and communities.

Barry Cummins

Barry is a development professional with a career spanning four decades. He has extensive experience at senior executive level roles in both the public and private sectors. He has a degree in Town Planning and started his career working in Middlesbrough. He is passionate about housing delivery and creating better places.

Five Thirteen customers have joined some of our board members as part of the newly formed Customer Committee. The committee will help improve, shape and influence our services.

Katy Wilburn - Chair

Katy is employed by First Choice Homes as their head of transformation and is a researcher and analyst. For the past eight years, her career has focused on research in the social housing sector, working directly with more than 60 registered social housing providers across the UK, supporting them to continually improve and enhance the services offered to tenants and residents. Having been born, raised, and lives there now with her family, in Norton, Katy is a proud advocate of the local area and its heritage and is ambitious for its future

Val Scollen

Val is our current chair of the Thirteen Customer Involvement Framework. Val has spent 22 years in a voluntary role to challenge and hold Thirteen to account for the services it delivers to customers. Val is also joined on the Customer Committee by existing Thirteen board member, Katy Wilburn and Winsome Small, member of Thirteen’s audit and risk committee. Katy is the overall chair of the committee, and is responsible for reporting the committee’s feedback to the Thirteen Board.

Ryan Davis

Ryan, has lived most of his life in Teesside and lives with his dog, Toby. Ryan was successful in applying for a scholarship from Thirteen for the last two years of his studies at Teesside University, which he was very proud of. Joining our customer committee is a way for Ryan to give back. Ryan works as a Civil Servant for the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology. Ryan’s personal experience allows him to understand the challenges faced by young people in Teesside. He wants to make a difference by helping people who are in a similar position as he was as a young person.

Russell Jameson

Russell lives in the Whinney Banks area of Middlesbrough, with his wife and three children. Russell is Teesside born and bred. He is a hardworking firefighter and has spent the last 22 years serving the people of the Tees Valley. Being a family man, Russell cares about the opportunities available to young people. He knows how challenging it can be for them to get a good break in life. He is keen to do what he can to help young people living in Thirteen properties. Naturally, Russell is interested in fire safety and keeping customers safe. Russell wants to help make a positive impact on local communities.

Dawn Keogh

Dawn is a mother of four daughters who is passionate about making a positive difference for the future generation. Dawn first got involved with Thirteen when she joined the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury, a customer group looking at ways to tackle climate change in homes and neighbourhoods. Climate change is still a big interest of Dawn’s, and she hopes to promote the benefits of making homes more sustainable. Dawn is a believer in equal opportunities for everyone, and as a customer committee member, she hopes to make sure that people know where to turn to for support when they need it.

Winsome Small

Winsome is a social housing professional with over 20 years of experience. She is passionate about delivering services which make a difference to people's quality of life. Winsome has experience in supported housing, care, retirement living, private sector leasing and general needs housing, and extensive tenancy management knowledge. She is driven by challenges and exceeding expectations for organisations and stakeholder services.