Mark Easton
Home Editor, BBC

Mark has been the BBC’s home editor since 2004. He is an award-winning broadcaster and writer who appears regularly on television, radio and online. His role is to provide expert analysis and broad perspective on the issues and stories affecting modern Britain, chronicling the impact of rapid demographic, technological, economic and global change. Before taking up his current post, Mr Easton was Home and Social Affairs Editor at Channel 4 and Political Editor at Channel 5. His first book ‘Britain etc.’ was published in 2012.

Peter Baker
Chief Inspector of Buildings, HSE

Peter joined HSE as a Factory Inspector in 1985 and has held a number of senior operational posts dealing with a wide range of industry sectors, including construction. For 6 years Peter led HSE’s regulation of the major hazard chemical and downstream oil industries with partner environment agencies and was appointed Chief Inspector of Construction in April 2015.

From 2017 Peter led HSE’s contribution to the Government’s Building Safety Programme following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. He is now at the forefront of the programme to establish the new Building Safety Regulator in HSE. Peter is also responsible for HSE’s regulation of workplace health and safety in the construction industry.

Torsten Bell
Chief Executive, Resolution Foundation

Torsten Bell is the Director of the Resolution Foundation, a think tank that combines analytical rigour with policy prescriptions to improve the living standards of those in Britain on low to middle incomes. With a background in economic policy, his focuses include inequality, the labour market, tax and benefits, housing and wealth. Prior to leading the Resolution Foundation, Torsten was Director of Policy for the Labour Party. He has also worked in HM Treasury, as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers during the financial crisis and as a civil servant.

Rachael Dennis
Group Chief Executive, Incommunities Group

Rachael has recently been appointed as the CEO of Incommunities, having previously been the Managing Director for FTSE 100 housebuilder Taylor Wimpey's, South East business where her role covered all aspects of the regional housebuilding business portfolio.

Prior to 2019, Rachael was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Finance at Catalyst Housing, a member of the G15 group of London’s largest housing associations. Having previously held Executive & Finance roles in a number of housing associations in London and the South West, Rachael’s broad portfolio of expertise ranges from strategic finance, governance and risk, to housing development, customer service and business change.

She is also a Non-Executive Director at Anchor Hanover Group, and has held a number of non-executive roles in housing, the NHS and arts charities.

Kate Dodsworth
Director of Consumer Regulation, Regulator of Social Housing

Steve Douglas
Chief Executive, St. Mungo's

Steve Douglas CBE joined St Mungo’s as Chief Executive on 1 July 2020 after most recently serving as Group Chief Executive Officer with Aquila Services, a consultancy group advising housing associations as well as central and local government. Prior to that he held Chief Executive and senior level positions in a number of housing related roles. He has been Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation, and corporate director of Neighbourhoods and Regeneration for the London Borough of Hackney. Steve has also held a wide range of non-executive roles. Most recently he has been Chair of One Housing Group and chair of Commonweal, the social justice housing charity.

He is also a member of the NHF Governance Code review advisory group.

Jane Everton CBE
Deputy Director of Social Housing, MHCLG

Jane is Deputy Director of Social Housing in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, responsible for national policy on the social housing, including development and implementation of the Social Housing White Paper. She has held previous senior roles in government on the private rented sector & leasehold, planning, community cohesion and faith, and in supported housing and homelessness. Outside the civil service, her professional and voluntary work has included roles in local government, housing associations , housing charities and being a school governor. She was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2015.

Peter Freeman CBE
Chair, Homes England

After qualifying as a lawyer, Peter formed the Argent Group of property companies with his brother in 1981. Argent is particularly known for major mixed-use projects like Brindleyplace in Birmingham, and King’s Cross and Brent Cross Town in London. Peter has also been a non-executive director on several other property companies and a trustee of a number of charities connected with education, combating intolerance, and public performance art. He was shortlisted for the Wolfson Economic Prize on delivering garden cities in 2014 and was until October 2020 Chair of Mayfield Market Towns Ltd. Peter was the principal author of the 2020 Housing Sprint Report and became Chair of Homes England in October 2020.

Kate Henderson
Chief Executive, National Housing Federation

Kate Henderson is Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, the voice of housing associations in England. Our members provide 2.7 million homes for nearly six million people and each year they invest in a diverse range of neighbourhood projects that help create strong, vibrant communities.

Prior to joining the Federation in October 2018 Kate was Chief Executive of the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). During her decade at the TCPA Kate raised the Association’s profile through a range of campaigns and policy initiatives, most notably around Garden Cities, local authority innovation, affordable housing, health, poverty and climate change.

Kate has been involved in a number of government panels and independent commissions including the Lyons Housing Review. She is a visiting professor at the Bartlett School of Planning at University College London, a Board member of the International Federation of Housing & Planning, and has co-authored various books including ‘The Art of Building a Garden City’ published by RIBA Publishing and winner of the National Urban Design Book Award 2018.

Will Jeffwitz
Head of Policy, National Housing Federation

Will Jeffwitz is leads the National Housing Federation’s policy work on new supply. He has also worked on housing finance at the NHF, and previously had policy roles in the civil service and the charity sector.

Richard Lupo
Managing Director, SHIFT Environment

Richard is a Chartered Environmentalist and Full Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). He has had a life-long interest in sustainability issues and has been developing sustainability strategies for the social housing sector since 2008. He is Managing Director of SHIFT Environment which does:

• SHIFT environmental reporting

• SECR/ESG reporting

• Post-occupancy evaluation

• Sustainability strategy development

Richard qualified for wellbeing assessments as part of the Code for Sustainable Homes and Home Quality Mark schemes. He has developed metrics which connect environmental protection with social value.

Richard Moriarty
Chief Executive, Civil Aviation Authority

Richard joined the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2016 as Group Director of Consumers and Markets and Deputy Chief Executive, before taking over the role of Chief Executive in 2018. Prior to the CAA, Richard was the CEO of the Legal Services Board, which oversees the regulation of the legal profession in England and Wales. Richard has also held senior public and private sector roles in a number of regulated sectors including water, energy, aviation, postal communications and social housing. Richard was, until 2019, a non-executive Director of the Homes and Communities Agency Regulation Committee. Richard was non-executive Board Member and Deputy Chair of the Social Housing Regulator from 2012-2019.

Geeta Nanda OBE
Chief Executive, Metropolitan Thames Valley

Geeta is Chief Executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley. Across a career of nearly 30 years, she has held a variety of leadership roles in the housing sector. Most recently she was Chief Executive of Thames Valley Housing for nine years, and then Chief Executive of Metropolitan from October 2017, before the two organisations formed a partnership. Geeta established the highly successful market rent subsidiary, Fizzy Living in 2012. Geeta is a Non-Executive Director of McCarthy & Stone, a FTSE 250 retirement housebuilder, and has served on the boards of a number of other housing organisations. Geeta is a Board member of the National Housing Federation, and a Commissioner on the Affordable Housing Commission as well as an Ambassador for the charity World Child Cancer. In 2013, Geeta was awarded an OBE for achievements in social housing.

Catherine Ryder
Director of Policy and Research, National Housing Federation

Catherine currently leads the Federation’s work on the Social Housing Green Paper. Catherine has also worked as Advisor to the Chief Executive at the Federation and recently spent some time working on economic development and housing at Coast to Capital – a Local Enterprise Partnership in Surrey and Sussex. Before joining the Federation Catherine worked at the Audit Commission as a Strategy Manager, leading the development of assessment frameworks for local government.

Cllr Arooj Shah
Leader, Oldham Council

Chris Stark
Chief Executive, Committee on Climate Change

Chris Stark is the Chief Executive of the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), the independent authority on tackling climate change under the UK’s Climate Change Act. Chris leads a team of analysts and specialists, offering expert insight into the challenges of reducing UK emissions and adapting to the changing climate.

Chris led the CCC’s work to recommend a ‘Net Zero’ target for the UK – and has since directed detailed analysis and advice on the UK’s path to carbon neutrality. He speaks regularly on the transition to a zero carbon economy and the need to confront climate change with urgency.

Chris has wide experience in government. He has designed economic policy in Whitehall, including in HM Treasury and the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was previously Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government, leading the development of the Scottish energy and climate strategies.

Julia Unwin
Chair, Civil Society Futures Enquiry

Julia was the Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from 2007 until the end of 2016. She has been a Charity Commissioner, Chair of the Refugee Council and Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency. She has written extensively on issues relating to philanthropy, governance, the voluntary sector and its relationship with government. Her most recent publication, “Why Fight Poverty?” was published in November 2013.

She is currently a non-executive director of the Mears Group plc, of Yorkshire Water and of the Financial Reporting Council. She chaired the Independent Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society, has a Fellowship with Carnegie UK Trust, and is a trustee of the Dartington Hall Trust. In 2018 she was appointed to the Council of Economic Advisers by the First Minister of Scotland. In 2010 Julia was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award in the Charity Awards and has received honorary doctorates from three universities.

For more information about Julia please visit her website - www.juliaunwin.com