Voting open for the next CIH vice president

To my fellow members of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH),

I’ve spent the last ten years as a proud CIH member and the last five of those dreaming of writing this statement to be considered for the next vice president. 

I was raised on a Scottish council estate; my mum and dad still live there today. As a kid, my family was decanted while major investment was carried out, transforming our home with double glazing and central heating for the first time. 

I don’t remember much of the housing professionals who made this happen, but they had a significant impact on my life. This story is fundamental to my passion and desire to improving housing and solving the housing emergency in Scotland and beyond.

Joining CIH was a turning point in my career, giving me a platform and community. I started volunteering and advocating for members on the CIH Scotland board, governing board, committees, and as a founding member and former chair of CIH Futures. I worked on various campaigns to attract and retain members, including the under-30s concessional rate with CIH Futures colleagues in 2017. The work I led with CIH Futures around equality and diversity, building a board of outstanding young professionals’ representative of the sector in terms of gender and ethnicity, was a standout moment that I’m still immensely proud of. 

My work and contributions have been recognised through various awards and accolades, including the Malcolm Smith award for academic achievement in housing policy and notable sector Women in Housing and 40 under 40 lists. I’ve also completed both masters and postgraduate housing CIH-accredited programmes. 

Outside of work, I was a founder and former chair of Midsteeple Quarter in Dumfries set up to ‘buy back the high street’, securing multiple buildings into community ownership for community-led housing (CLH) provision in the heart of my hometown. I also chair SOSCH, a leading CLH enabler in Scotland. 

I’m ambitious for the sector and make no apologies for this – I aspire to work in a society where street homelessness is a thing of the past and where children aren’t going to sleep cold, hungry or in temporary accommodation, and have the security of a place for their family to call home.

If elected, I’d dedicate my campaign to collaborating on new solutions to increase the supply of homes. This could include developing a sector toolkit to showcase solutions to repurpose existing buildings, funding mechanisms and case studies to share alternative tenures and how to make them happen. 

Critically, this would also be to fundraise for Shelter, Shelter Scotland, Shelter Cymru and Housing Rights in Northern Ireland. Their work to lobby for desperately needed social homes and provision of free and impartial advice across tenures is needed now more than ever. 

I believe I can inspire other housing professionals and hope this statement gives you some insight, my LinkedIn is here. For me, achievements mean nothing without operational experience and contribution to back them up. Thank you for considering me, it would be my honour if successful.

As we enter the coming years, the housing sector faces many challenges whether it is socioeconomic inequality, diversity and inclusion, funding constraints, regulatory compliance, or increased governance. To name just a few! 

I am passionate about ensuring the challenges we face are recognised as key fundamentals in the housing sector. 

I feel I have the knowledge, experience, and understanding to represent the importance of diverse needs at all levels within housing organisations and I’m passionate about educating those around us on why this is the case. 

I have over 10 years of experience in the housing sector listening to tenant voices, representing tenant voices, scrutinising policies and procedures, adapting and changing the way housing associations do things to include tenant perspective and understanding of how to deal with issues effectively. 

I also have my own experiences with life which provide me with a greater understanding of the importance of home which I can, and do, share with housing professionals and organisations.

As the parent of two disabled sons I know the difference a thoughtfully designed home makes, understanding, for example, the impact door widths can have on how you live. It is just one example, but it demonstrates that I know, understand, and advocate for what needs to be changed for disabled tenants in homes or care facilities, using my lived experience to create positive change.  

Life can be challenging but I’ve discovered I can use experiences I wouldn’t have ever wished for – such as anti-social behaviour or domestic abuse – to help others. I’m happy to share my knowledge and insight with housing professionals and organisations to ensure there is a greater understanding, empathy and help to make sure the systems in place are better for the next person. Because if you don’t communicate what it’s like, nothing can change.

My lived experiences and my desire to gain new experience has provided me, as a single mum with dyslexia, with a sense of future, of aspiration and a drive to help the sector adapt to the future needs of housing.  Working alongside board members and different steering groups has given me an underpinning knowledge of the ethos and beliefs of different housing sectors and an understanding of what areas they need to be focussed on. 

Lastly, I have the wealth of over 14 years in the public sector, gaining education around emergencies, poverty, and barriers, and I aim to remove these.

Thank you for reading my statement, please vote for me to be your next CIH vice president.

I am writing to ask for your support in my aspiration to become vice president of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) in 2025. I approach this in a spirit of humility, offering my service to the sector that I love, and in which I have worked for three decades. 

My vision and offer to you

My vision for the role is ambitious. I will work closely with CIH members and the dedicated staff team, media, and other stakeholders to ensure that the CIH successfully continues to influence the national agenda and beyond. Through my work and my subsequent presidential campaign, I aim to seek to:

• Raise the national profile of social housing to ensure it plays a central role in delivering the government's 1.5 million homes target
• Influence policy to make high-quality new and existing social housing a well-funded priority nationally and locally
• Increase the diversity in board and senior leadership positions, including by serving as a role model for other black and ethnic minority colleagues in the sector
• Promote housing as a desirable career for young people
• Raise the profile of CIH to increase the uptake of membership and promote the Professional Standards
• Actively support and encourage the amazing CIH staff team in its vital work. 

About me

I am a seasoned housing professional, with a good range of executive, non-executive and consultancy experience. In the role, I would aim to serve as an inspiration for people such as myself, who have come from humble or disadvantaged backgrounds, so that they too can find success and fulfilment in our amazing sector. 

I came to the UK in 1993 from a village in India, with limited English. With resilience and focus I am proud to have risen from the front-line up to being a managing director and chair. I thank all those who believed in me and have supported my personal development along the way; now is the time for me to repay their confidence in me. 

My reputation is built on optimism and determination. Rather than avoiding challenges, I confront them with leadership, initiative and energy. As a consultant, mentor, and coach, I have dedicated myself to helping organisations and individuals overcome difficulties. I serve as chair of Eldon Housing Association and of Women in Social Housing (WISH) London.

I've had the privilege of speaking on many conference platforms and have been working with universities to promote awareness of career opportunities in housing. This includes London Metropolitan University, where I studied my MBA. I am committed to continuous learning and professionalism; I am a Chartered Member of CIH and currently preparing for my Fellowship application. I am also an active member of the CIH’s SE & London regional team.  

I have been shortlisted for four Women in Housing & Housing Heroes Awards (2025).

My ask of you

Please vote for me to raise the profile of the social housing sector, and to show that with determination, hard work, and authenticity, anything is possible. 

Nearly half of all social housing tenants live with a disability or long-term health condition. That is not a specialist group. It is an everyday reality for millions of people in our homes.

But too often, the way we design and manage housing does not reflect that. Homes are built around assumptions, then patched up when people struggle. Support arrives late. The process takes too long and the people we are here to help get stuck in a system that feels unhelpful, unclear or even unfair.

That is why I am standing to be your next vice president. And why my campaign would be called: Homes That Work.

I am not just talking about adaptations. I am talking about the basics. Making sure the bathroom is safe before someone falls. Fitting the right heating controls before winter hits. Designing homes that make life easier, not harder, for the people living in them.

I have worked in housing, health and care for more than 30 years. That includes experience in district, county and unitary councils. I have commissioned services, managed private sector housing, led two award-winning home improvement agencies, and helped write national guidance on Disabled Facilities Grants. I now lead Foundations, which supports local authorities across England. In the past, I have also sat on the boards of two housing associations.

I have seen housing from every side: policy and practice, local and national, social and private. But what drives me is something simpler: helping people stay safe, independent and at home, and helping housing professionals feel confident and supported in doing just that.

That means working with residents, not against them. Not leaving them chasing answers or stuck in a loop. Not making people feel like problems to be managed.

In all my work, I try to create space for honest conversations. I believe change happens when we listen to the people doing the job, and when we back the ones who are already getting it right.

I tend to lead quietly. I listen first. I take care with my words, and I trust people to do their best when they’re given the space and tools they need.

I am naturally curious, often reflective, and always focused on making progress — even if it’s one small step at a time.

What matters most to me is making things work better for the people we serve, and the people doing the work.

If elected, I will focus on sharing what works, learning from what does not, and helping make the case for small changes that make a big difference.

When housing works well, people live with more confidence. Families feel more secure. Professionals spend less time firefighting and more time doing work that matters.

That is the kind of change I want to support. If that matters to you too, I would be honoured to have your vote.

I, like most housing professionals, did not always have a housing career in mind as I left education, but I feel blessed to have 'fallen' into this wonderful sector. Progressing from a frontline role to a head of service position whilst working for one of the largest HAs in the north of England and then returning to my hometown to wrestle with a new challenge working for a stock-retaining local authority, my breadth of experience means I can understand the unique challenges faced by housing professionals working in both types of organisations. 

I take great pride in having become the lead of the regional group for the Chartered Institute of Housing in the North East, working with other like-minded housing professionals to improve the offer to CIH members in the region along with representing the sector at careers fayres, speaking at CIH events and on podcasts and representing CIH in party political meetings to ensure housing is front and centre of discussions. It is this energy and passion for housing which I want to take into the presidential roles and why I am asking for your vote. 

I have always valued the qualifications and professional accreditation delivered by CIH, securing my level 4 and chartership with the support of the GEM programme and having nearly completed my level 5 diploma. I have also tutored graduates towards their level 4 qualifications and taught a social housing qualification to sixth form students. As CIH VP, I would aim to continue the emphasis of the current president on the need for people to “choose housing”, a campaign that, I believe, the institute needs to maintain in perpetuity to ensure the sector is an obvious career path for the brightest and best, whom we surely need to create a fully developed professional development pipeline that delivers the housing leaders of the future. 

The CIH ten-point plan continues to be relevant and I would use my presidency to help promote CIH’s asks which are designed to improve the lives of people across the UK. As CIH VP, I would want to focus on the good work of housing providers and how we can ensure best practice is shared.   

I am a volunteer mentor for a children’s charity in the northeast and a trustee of the North East Child Poverty Trust. Through these experiences and my leadership role in housing management for a big metropolitan borough, I am very cognisant of the proliferation of children in care. My campaign would likely focus on how housing providers can support care experienced young people both during and after their time in care. 

I would be honoured to be elected as the CIH vice president and would give my all to represent fellow housing professionals.