Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis in Ireland

Speaker information coming soon.

Jo Whittall is Deputy Chief Operations Officer at Clúid Housing, one of the largest approved housing bodies in Ireland with a portfolio of assets approaching €2.0 billion. Clúid owns or manages over 10,000 homes across the country. With over 30 years’ experience of the sector, he is responsible for the day to day running of its front line services. . Jo is the former Chair of the Housing Alliance Property Services and Asset Management Working Group. He is a director of EnergyCloud, a not-for-profit organisation working to divert surplus wind energy to the homes of those living in fuel poverty. He is also Vice Chair of Direct Works, a UK based organisation, with 120 social housing members responsible for more than 2.2 million homes, committed to reshaping the future of housing maintenance. Jo has a BSc (Hons) in Building Technology from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, an MBA from Cranfield University, and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Neil is the Head of Housing at Respond, one of Ireland’s largest providers of social housing and services, including homeless services, day care and child care services. He has over twenty-five years’ strategic and operational experience in social housing, gained in both the UK and Ireland. He has worked at Executive level in both jurisdictions. Previously, Neil was an Operations Director and Property Director with Clúid Housing; in the UK, he was a Customer Services (Property) Director for a SCHT, a large Bath based Housing Association. He also worked in a senior housing role for Bristol City Council. He was a Board member for the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) and was also an independent consultant, primarily working with social housing organisations, and is a practicing Business and Executive Coach. He is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Grainia Long was previously the Commissioner for Resilience for the city of Belfast and co-Chaired the Belfast Climate Commission. She spent nearly four years as Chief Executive of the National Child Protection Charity in Ireland, ISPCC Childline. This position followed several years working in housing, including as Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), and previously National Director of the CIH in Northern Ireland. She served two terms as a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, and has extensive experience as a Non-Executive Director, having spent six years as Senior Independent Director on the Group Board of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.

Dr Tricia Keilthy is Head of Social Justice and Policy with the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP). She coordinates the policy and advocacy work of SVP which focuses on poverty issues related to social protection, education, housing, employment and energy policy. She has worked in a variety of research roles in organisations such as the Combat Poverty Agency, One Family, the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, TCD and UCD. Tricia holds a PhD in Social Policy from UCD.

Jo Whittall is Deputy Chief Operations Officer at Clúid Housing, one of the largest approved housing bodies in Ireland with a portfolio of assets approaching €2.0 billion. Clúid owns or manages over 10,000 homes across the country. With over 30 years’ experience of the sector, he is responsible for the day to day running of its front line services. . Jo is the former Chair of the Housing Alliance Property Services and Asset Management Working Group. He is a director of EnergyCloud, a not-for-profit organisation working to divert surplus wind energy to the homes of those living in fuel poverty. He is also Vice Chair of Direct Works, a UK based organisation, with 120 social housing members responsible for more than 2.2 million homes, committed to reshaping the future of housing maintenance. Jo has a BSc (Hons) in Building Technology from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, an MBA from Cranfield University, and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Neil is the Head of Housing at Respond, one of Ireland’s largest providers of social housing and services, including homeless services, day care and child care services. He has over twenty-five years’ strategic and operational experience in social housing, gained in both the UK and Ireland. He has worked at Executive level in both jurisdictions. Previously, Neil was an Operations Director and Property Director with Clúid Housing; in the UK, he was a Customer Services (Property) Director for a SCHT, a large Bath based Housing Association. He also worked in a senior housing role for Bristol City Council. He was a Board member for the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) and was also an independent consultant, primarily working with social housing organisations, and is a practicing Business and Executive Coach. He is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Grainia Long was previously the Commissioner for Resilience for the city of Belfast and co-Chaired the Belfast Climate Commission. She spent nearly four years as Chief Executive of the National Child Protection Charity in Ireland, ISPCC Childline. This position followed several years working in housing, including as Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), and previously National Director of the CIH in Northern Ireland. She served two terms as a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, and has extensive experience as a Non-Executive Director, having spent six years as Senior Independent Director on the Group Board of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.

Dr Tricia Keilthy is Head of Social Justice and Policy with the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP). She coordinates the policy and advocacy work of SVP which focuses on poverty issues related to social protection, education, housing, employment and energy policy. She has worked in a variety of research roles in organisations such as the Combat Poverty Agency, One Family, the Institute of Public Health in Ireland, TCD and UCD. Tricia holds a PhD in Social Policy from UCD.

Speaker information coming soon.