Meet the team

Directors

Kate Smith

Chief Executive

Kate has a wealth of experience gained from 15 years at executive level in the social housing sector, with organisations of scale, complexity and ambition. Before joining Connexus Kate worked for national housing and care provider Anchor, where she was group executive director of business services for five years.

Kate has held executive leadership positions at Southern Housing and bpha, as well as a number of non-executive positions.

Matt Pitt

People Director

An experienced senior leader, Matt’s last role was with maintenance business Novus Property Solutions, where he spent four years as people director.

Before this, he worked for six years at the global environmental solutions business Veolia in a variety of senior HR roles, including head of people development. He also has experience within the housing sector, as well as manufacturing and financial services.

Sara Woodall

Director of Customer Experience

Sara is a highly-motivated, dedicated and experienced customer service, repairs & maintenance, housing, asset management and community engagement professional with a track record of delivering excellent services. Sara has worked in the housing and social care sector for more than 30 years with almost 22 years skills, knowledge and experience at director level including more than four years at CEO level within a complex Group structure.

She has managed and motivated teams in all disciplines: across housing management, customer care, customer engagement, asset management, DLO’s & repairs, community development, care & support services and health & well-being.

As director of customer experience, Sara is responsible for ensuring Connexus is compliant with the consumer standards.

Fleur Whittingham

Director of Property

Fleur is passionate about social housing, with a particular focus on ensuring customers are safe and feel safe in their homes. In a career spanning 20 years in housing, she is proud to have worked with colleagues and organisations across the sector, to collectively drive-up safety standards. Fleur has been instrumental in driving up safety standards across the industry.

Fleur is leading the transformation of services through innovation and the integration of new technologies, Fleur is committed to enhancing the customer journey and ensuring that individuals feel safe and supported in their homes.

Bobby Mulheir

Int Director of Transformation

Robert Wharton

Interim Finance Director

Rob is passionate about social housing and the people within the sector having worked for local councils, ALMOs, LSVTs and traditional HAs over a period of 40 years. As a professional interim now for 6 years, he has over 20 years experience at executive level as FD with various organisations. Rob brings a wealth of experience on the issues facing the sector, which are not dissimilar regardless of size, but crucially on the different ways of working to resolve these issues to improve the lives of social housing customers.

Our Non-Executive Directors

Michele Ibbs

Chair of the Board

Michele has a track record of delivering growth and change in private, public and not-for-profit organisations and in diverse sectors - food and drink, luxury consumer goods and higher education. As a leader with professional background in marketing, she is focused on customers being at the heart of a successful business.

She is an experienced non-executive director having been Senior Independent Director and Chair of Nominations and Remuneration Board Committees at The Marsden Building Society; Non-Executive Director and Chair of Finance and Performance Committee with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and Non-Executive Director of The Ombudsman Service Limited (now Trust Alliance Group). She is currently a Non-Executive Director and Shareholder Representative on the Board of the Cambridge and Counties Bank Limited.

As Chair, Michele is responsible for the leadership of the board and committees, ensuring oversight of corporate governance and assurance. She supports the Chief Executive and the Executive Management Team to determine the organisation's strategic direction and delivery of agreed corporate priorities.

Nicola de Iongh

Senior Independent Director

Chair of People, Remuneration and Culture Committee

Nicola is passionate about social transformation, and in particular the systemic relationship between education, health and housing.

As Chair of Council at the University of Gloucestershire, she is an advocate for education as a means of transforming people’s lives so that they can make the world a better place, and for the civic role the University plays in its community. She is a champion for the University’s pioneering approach to Sustainability. She is currently Vice Chair of the UK’s University Chairs representative body, the CUC, becoming Chair in June 2024.

Nicola sits on the Board of the Gloucestershire Health and Care Foundation Trust.

In the private sector, Nicola chairs the Reference Committee for the Premier Miton UK Responsible Investment Fund, with a remit to advise on the fund’s investment policy and scrutinise investment decisions from the perspective of sustainability and ethics.

Previously, Nicola worked in the financial services sector as a global change lead. She also spent several years working as a freelance management consultant majoring in complex, strategic change across different sectors, both in the UK and internationally.

Andrew Battrum

Non-Executive Director

Andrew was the Finance Director of Bromford Housing Group, for 17 years retiring in 2016. His experience at Bromford provides him with a good insight into the social housing sector and equips him with an understanding of the locality.

In addition to his financial management and treasury expertise, he brings strong analytical skills and an ability to move easily between the bigger picture and detailed thinking. He has experienced different ways of working at Bromford, which has broadened his thinking both in terms of organisational and Board operations.

Simon Ewins

Non-Executive Director

Chair of Customer Experience Committee

Simon is the Managing Director of Whitbread Plc Hotels and Restaurants, overseeing the day to day running of 1,300 operations and a team of 35,000 people, delivering in excess of £2.5bn annual turnover.

His strengths centre on leading complex and scale operations, transformational change, and rapid organisational growth. This through a lens of sustainable 21st century leadership.

His life experiences, combined with family ties to Shropshire and Herefordshire, have given Simon a real passion for the Connexus journey.

Imran Patel

Non-Executive Director

Chair of Transformation Oversight Committee

Imran is an experienced director in the telecoms sector with extensive experience driving results in large scale leadership roles, with a track record improving customer experience, transforming operations, and increasing employee engagement. He has experience in collaborating with executives to successfully lead strategic change initiatives and new business ventures. Imran recently moved into an executive role as Group Director of Customer Experience at Yorkshire Water.

He joined Connexus as a Co-optee to the Customer Services and Enterprise and Development Committees in November 2020 before the Board in November 2021.

Anne Turner

Non-Executive Director

Chair of Finance and Investment Committee

A qualified accountant, Anne spent 25 years in executive positions in three large housing association groups in the Midlands which has given her an excellent knowledge and understanding of the sector and the issues it faces. Over the years she has highlighted the importance of sound finances, excellent treasury and cash management as well as the need for surpluses to invest in new and improved homes and services.

Since retiring from her role as chief operating officer at Orbit Group in March 2016, she has concentrated on non-executive positions, primarily in housing associations. This has included group board roles in three large and varied registered social landlords, including chairing treasury and audit committees.

Having previously served on numerous CIPFA and NHF committees and working groups on housing related issues, Anne was a regular speaker at housing and finance conferences. In 2023 she was appointed as treasurer trustee of the Stratford upon Avon Foodbank, as she was keen to use her skills to support local projects and initiatives.

Julian Bill

Non-Executive Director

Chair of Audit and Risk

Julian has board experience within both financial services and social housing. He is a chartered accountant and in a 30-year career within financial services has held executive roles in finance, risk and internal audit.  His most recent role is chief risk officer at Monmouthshire Building Society. He has served for 10 years as a non-executive director at Pobl Housing Group in South Wales, where he chaired the audit and risk committee.  

Abigail Reilly

Non-Executive Director

Abigail comes from a military background and has fifteen years’ experience at senior management level within Social Housing. This includes three years as Executive Director responsible for a wide portfolio including Organisational Development, HR, Governance, ICT, Communications, Project Management, Facilities, Fleet Management and Corporate Strategy, Performance and Planning.

Abigail is a Business Psychologist and Fellow of the CIPD and has a particular interest in organisational culture. She is currently the Director of Organisational Effectiveness and Development at Oxford Brookes University.

Helen Southwell

Non-Executive Director

Helen has over 30 years’ professional experience as a senior leader in the health sector, primarily in the NHS. Her roles extend across general management, transformation and organisational change, strategic planning, and commissioning both at local system and regional level in the Midlands.

She is an experienced non-executive director across several Midlands-based housing associations as well as holding trustee roles in special education. Helen recently retired from the board of Platform Hosing Group, where she was chair of their people and governance committee and board member responsible for complaints 

Helen is a passionate advocate for listening to customers, and through strong partnerships and governance, delivering positive impact to people and local communities

Helen lives in rural Worcestershire with her family.

James Savage

Non-Executive Director

James served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) for more than 35 years. His career encompassed senior roles leading HR strategy for both the RAF and all three UK Armed Forces; and in infrastructure, with responsibility for major portfolios of military bases in the UK and overseas.

He rose to lead the RAF’s infrastructure profession and, in his final role, led the provision of housing to circa 40,000 families of all three Armed Forces in the UK and across 16 countries in Europe. For his work leading Defence housing through an exceptionally challenging period while setting the conditions for a major programme of improvements, he was made a CBE in the 2025 New Year's Honours List.

He has experienced housing services as both a customer and the provider of military housing and is passionate about the importance of delivering high-quality housing and related services. He also brings extensive experience developing strategy for very large organisations, and leading large, dispersed teams through major change.

Simon Gibbs

Non-Executive Director

Simon has Board experience of both public and private companies across sectors including Property, Retail, and Media. He has executive experience over 25 years as a CEO/MD. He is a Chartered Accountant with investment banking experience and has specialist knowledge in both Treasury Management and Property Development, most recently through his role at Curo as Executive Director – Finance and Strategy.

Simon has commercial expertise to drive growth within a housing building context. He has experience, understanding and an appreciation of the social housing sector bringing something different given his blended professional profile.