Property people: AspinallVerdi; Manningham Housing Association; Northern Housing Consortium; and more

Property regeneration consultancy, AspinallVerdi, continues to grow with the appointment of Daniel Starkey as an associate director at its head office in Leeds serving public and private sector clients across Yorkshire and further afield.

Starkey joins the expanding consultancy following more than five years with planning, masterplanning and architecture consultants Spawforths where he became a senior associate, specialising in strategic planning services in the land promotion team.

He led on site finding, viability matters and advising on the acquisition and sale of development land.

Prior to that the chartered town planner and chartered surveyor was a strategic land manager with Barratt Developments, a planner at Harron Homes and a planning assistant with Craven District Council.

Led by chairman Atam Verdi and managing director Ben Aspinall, the AspinallVerdi team serving Yorkshire from 46 The Calls in Leeds, has a widening client base including North Yorkshire Council, Kirklees Council, Potter Space, Sky-House, Cheyne Capital and others.

Ben Aspinall said: “We have grown our client base both in Yorkshire and nationally in recent years and Daniel’s strategic appointment will further enhance our ability to provide our valued clients in the public and private sectors with comprehensive and high-quality property advice.”

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Saqib Saleem is joining Manningham Housing Association (MHA) as director of operations.

Among a broad range of responsibilities, he will lead on the delivery of customer facing services and drive MHA’s asset management strategy, including overseeing its property portfolio.

Saleem is currently director of strategy and regulation at Altair where he leads a team that advises organisations on housing regulation, risk management, supporting for-profit providers and helping organisations become Registered Providers with the Regulator of Social Housing.

He arrives at MHA with more than two decades of combined experience in the public and private sectors, including previous roles at Homes England, KPMG and The Guinness Partnership.

With expertise in audit, assurance, governance and risk within the housing sector, Saleem is a qualified Internal Auditor, Agile Project Management Practitioner and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Audit Management and Consultancy.

He said: “I am excited to join MHA as director of operations. Social housing has an important part to play in people’s lives and can be a stepping stone to a prosperous future for families and individuals.

“I understand the difficulties faced by many BME communities and deeply admire the work Manningham Housing Association does for such communities in Bradford and Keighley.

“It is an immense task to not only maintain but raise the high standards MHA has set for itself over many years, including numerous award wins, but I am up for the challenge.”

Lee Bloomfield, MHA chief executive, said: “The role of director of operations is hugely pivotal to MHA’s continued success as one of the country’s leading BME housing associations, and we set the bar particularly high when launching the recruitment process.

“We were seeking a candidate with a sharp focus on customer experience and satisfaction, and a passion for delivering services to BME communities. Saqib vividly demonstrated these qualities.

“We look forward to him becoming a key member of the Senior Management Team.”

Rupert Pometsey, MHA chair, added: “This is an ideal time to be joining the association as we seek to inject added momentum into our ambitious growth plans on behalf of the local communities in Bradford and Keighley, whose needs we are proud to serve.

“The Board was impressed by Saqib’s energy and drive, alongside his extensive experience of the sector. He is extremely welcome as the newest member of the MHA family.”

Saleem will take up post on 6 January 2025.

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From left, Tracy Harrison and Charlie Norman

A new chair and four new board members have been appointed by the Northern Housing Consortium. (NHC)

They will support the organisation’s mission to be the voice of the North and make sure everyone has access to good quality home they can afford.

Charlie Norman, chief executive of Mosscare St Vincent’s Housing Group (MSV) takes on the role of chair, replacing outgoing chair, Paul Fiddaman, chief executive of Karbon Homes.

Chair of Outward Housing and Newlon Housing board member, and former Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) civil servant Jane Everton will step up to be vice chair.

Rachael Dennis, chief executive of Incommunities; Tracy Gordon, lead officer for Housing partnerships at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority; Steve Hepworth, chief executive of Ongo Homes; and Noel Sharpe, group chief executive officer of Bolton at Home, all take on the role of board members.

Northern Housing Consortium’s chief executive, Tracy Harrison, said: “We feel incredibly lucky to be able to appoint such an experienced and knowledgeable group of people, who bring with them many years of expertise from the housing, environmental sustainability and public sectors.

“They begin their new roles at an exciting time, as our new government continues to prioritise housing.

“Every board member’s expertise is valuable, as we support our member organisations to work in partnership with government to deliver real change for communities across the North.

“They will also play a key role in supporting our new corporate plan which will launch in spring 2025.

“I’ve worked with Charlie for several years now and know she will bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm to the role of chair.

“I’d also like to thank Paul Fiddaman for his leadership and support over the past four years.  I know we will continue to work with him closely.”

Norman, who previously held the position of vice chair and a member of the Board for five years, has worked in the housing sector for over 30 years, both across the North West of England and in Vancouver, Canada.

She has a background in community and co-operative development, neighbourhood management, supported housing and regeneration, and is chair of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers Partnership.

She said: “The NHC is a unique organisation bringing together housing associations, local authorities and combined authorities from across the North.

“It’s a fantastic vehicle for sharing different perspectives, collaborating and learning from each other – that feels more important than ever.

“I’m honoured to become chair at such a crucial time, working with a fantastic Board and the wonderful team at NHC.

“The NHC has been right to prioritise regeneration and green homes and jobs in the North, and there is an opportunity to increase our influence with the new government.”

Everton, joined the NHC Board in 2022. She had a long career as a senior civil servant in Whitehall including leading MHCLG’s social housing division, as well as working on areas such as the private rented sector and planning.

Dennis, has been chief executive at Incommunities since February 2021 and has more than 20 years of senior experience in housing. She has a background in strategic leadership, delivering change and business improvement, strategic finance and governance.

Gordon brings almost 30 years’ experience in the public sector, covering both environmental sustainability and housing.

She joined Liverpool City Region Combined Authority in 2019 and has established several new build and retrofit housing programmes, overseeing the housing element of the Net Zero Carbon plan and leading the North West Net Zero Hub.

Hepworth, has more than 30 years of experience in social housing and has worked at Ongo since 2007, taking on the role of chief executive in 2018.

While working for North Lincolnshire Council, he led the team responsible for consultation with tenants that resulted in the formation of North Lincolnshire Homes and the transfer of 10,000 homes from the council.

Sharpe has been working in social housing in the North West at an executive level for over 20 years, working in London for 10 years before that.

She has a keen interest in the relationship between health, wellbeing and good quality homes, and is also currently vice chair of the Greater Manchester Housing Partnership.

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Office group WorkWell has appointed a new centre manager for its Copthall Bridge office redevelopment in Harrogate town centre.

Experienced manager Jo Little will head operations at the fully refurbished three-floor building at Station Bridge.

She joins from Harefield Hall in Pateley Bridge, where she was the operations and events manager.

She has over 13 years of experience in operations and events management in the hospitality and leisure sector.

The newly developed site at Copthall Bridge will support 360 jobs in the town and create five roles directly.

Copthall Bridge is designed to offer a premium office environment for established SMEs and owner-operated businesses looking for one to 40 desks. It will also feature meeting rooms available for hourly rental and co-working spaces.

Oliver Corrigan, managing director of WorkWell, said: “It was vital that we appointed a driven, experienced centre manager to match the aspirations of Copthall Bridge. Jo fits the bill perfectly, with over a decade of proven success in previous roles.

“Designed to meet diverse business needs across various sectors, Copthall Bridge aims to enhance productivity and promote employee well-being while raising the bar for premium office space in Harrogate.”

Little added: “This is a very exciting opportunity for me, and I’m thrilled to be joining WorkWell.

“The whole space offers cutting-edge design and world-class amenities. WorkWell’s significant investment reflects its commitment to supporting the growth of businesses in the local area by providing them with top-tier facilities and a vibrant, thriving work community.”