Alex Ashton
Chair of the Board
Alex was elected to the Board in 2016 and has also been a Member in the past. He is the pastor of a church in Bridgend, and has strong connections across the community and local government, having previously worked in a local authority benefits section for over ten years. Alex holds a Master of Business Administration, and has experience serving on various boards, as a charity trustee and as a school governor.
John McPeake
Chair of the Audit & Assurance Committee and Chair of the Pensions Committee
John was co-opted to the Board in 2014 and elected in 2015. He also holds board roles at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence and the Western Health and Social Care Trust. John was previously Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and he is an Honorary Professor of Planning at Queens’ University, Belfast.
Ian Anderson
Board Member
Ian was co-opted to the Board in 2020 and elected in 2021. He has a BSc in Housing Management, Finance and Policy. He has worked within housing benefits, a BAME Housing Association and at a senior level in housing management and special needs. Ian lives in Neath where he pastors a church. He also works in a voluntary capacity as deputy lead chaplain for South Wales Police Force and as chaplain for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Local Health Board.
Ian is a member of the Audit & Assurance Committee and Pension Committee.
Jemma Bere
Board Member
Jemma was co-opted to the Board in 2014 and elected in 2015. She is Policy & Research Manager
at Keep Wales Tidy, specialising in environmental sustainability and behaviour change. Jemma previously worked at CREW Regeneration Wales and Valleys Regional Park, and was a trustee with her local Women’s Aid Group and Refuge. Jemma is a resident of the Association in Brecon.
Ruth Eley
Board Member
Ruth was co-opted to the Board in 2015 and elected in 2016. Ruth has a social care background, with over 40 years’ experience in local government, the NHS and the Department of Health. She is a Trustee of Together in Dementia Everyday (TIDE) and a Director of the Life Story Network and of her own consultancy company, with recent work focusing on people with dementia and family carers. Ruth is a member of the Audit & Assurance Committee and Pension Committee.
Kevin Taylor
Board Member
Kevin was co-opted to the Board in 2016 and elected in 2017. Kevin is a qualified accountant with over 40 years’ extensive experience. Since retiring in 2014 he has been active in housing, volunteering with a Cardigan-based charity and social enterprise. He lives in Pembrokeshire.
Kevin is a member of the Audit & Assurance Committee and Pension Committee.
Sarah Porter
Board Member
Sarah joined the Probity & Audit Committee in 2014 and was elected to the Board in 2015. She is an experienced litigation solicitor, specialising in property litigation and tenancy disputes, working as Partner and Head of Litigation at RDP Law. In addition Sarah is an accredited mental health lawyer representing clients at tribunal hearings to contest their detention under section, and representing clients within the Court of Protection. Sarah is also an accredited mediator.
Joy Williams
Board Member
Joy initially filled a casual vacancy on the Board in 2018 and was appointed to the Board in 2020. She was previously a primary school teacher before working in a social services employability project. She has also run her own businesses. She has worked in the homelessness sector across Wales since 2012 and currently works for Carmarthenshire County Council. Her areas of expertise include homelessness policy and legislation, and public sector commissioning.
Peter Harding
Board Member
Peter filled a casual vacancy on the Board in 2019 and was elected to the Board in 2020. He was a manager in housing specialising in supported housing, regional management and policy development and then a Welsh Government civil servant. He has run his own business and is currently a director of the Cadenza Partnership. He has extensive experience in the third sector, is Chair of Cardiff Pedal Power and Treasurer of Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre. He has a Masters in Public Administration. Peter is a member of the Audit & Assurance Committee and Pension Committee.
Kathy Smart
Board Member
Kathy was elected to the Board in June 2017.She is very much involved in charity work and has an MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business. She lives in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Ivor Gittens
Board Member
Ivor was co-opted to the Board in 2019 and elected in 2021. After a full career in the RAF, he worked for the MOD as an Instructional Officer. He has extensive experience in volunteering, was a member of the South Glamorgan Probation Committee and a member of the South Wales Police Authority. Ivor also spent time as a member of the Independent Monitoring Board of Parc Prison in Bridgend and is a member of the governing body of two schools in Cardiff.
Christine Salter
Board Member
Christine was co-opted to the Board in 2019 and elected in 2020. A qualified accountant for 40 years, Christine spent her career in local government with responsibility for the whole range of support services for the largest council in Wales. She has extensive experience in corporate finance, strategic management, policy development and financial planning. Since her retirement in 2019 Christine has become involved in volunteering with both vulnerable children and adults and is a dementia friend. Christine is a member of the Audit & Assurance Committee and Pension Committee.
Aideen Hayden
Board Member
Aideen was co-opted to the Board in November 2023. Aideen was Chair of the Board of Threshold (2001-21) and was the organisation’s voice in campaigning for and achieving major legislative changes on regulation of the rented sector in Ireland. Aideen was appointed to the Irish Senate (2011-16) and was Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Finance Committee of the Irish Parliament. She currently holds board roles in the Housing Finance Agency and the Property Services Regulatory Authority. Aideen is also a qualified solicitor and practiced for a number of years in the area of corporate law.
Roger Lee
Board Member
Roger has significant experience in the Corporate and Commercial Banking sector, initially joining NatWest in 1990 and latterly Santander in 2001, before retiring in 2021. His work focused on the provision of finance for housing associations across the UK, with the final 10 years of his career as head of Santander’s social housing team, with responsibility for managing approximately 150 primary housing association relationships and one of the largest corporate loan portfolios in the sector. He also generated and developed relationships with a diverse range of sector specialists including lawyers, valuers, advisors, regulators and trade bodies. Roger also enjoys a non-executive director position at Flagship Group based in Norwich.
Board meetings
2024
Thursday 22 February 2024
12.30pm
Archway House
Thursday 11 April 2024
12.30pm
Virtual
Thursday 23 May 2024
12.30pm
North Wales
Thursday 4 – Friday 5 July 2024 (away day)
Aberystwyth
Thursday 12 September 2024
12.30pm
Virtual
Thursday 14 November 2024
12.30pm
Archway House
Thursday 19 December 2024
tbc
How to become a Board Member
The Board is elected from shareholders and therefore anyone considering applying to be a shareholder must have the skills, experience and be willing to stand as a Board Member. The Board approves the applications of prospective shareholders and seeks to attract people who represent the communities served by the Association.
To complete a Shareholder Application Form, please contact contactus@wwha.co.uk
Read our Shareholder policy >