Paul Stephenson
NFA Board Chair & Board Chair at Homes in Somerset
Paul has 37 years’ experience working in community housing, the last 15 at Cheltenham Borough Homes, with the last eight as CEO.His passion is about investing in people and communities. He volunteers as Chair of the Gloucestershire Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Panel, working with representatives from multiple agencies to address one of the objectives of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
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Dave Wilkinson
NFA Board Vice-Chair & Board Chair at St Leger Homes of Doncaster
Dave has over 20 years’ experience of senior management within the Local Authority sector, working for Doncaster Council. He also holds 30 years’ experience as a school governor and previously chaired the governing bodies of a large primary school and small junior school in his hometown of Mexborough. He is committed to working to ensure St Leger and the NFAhas a highly effective, supportive and professional board.
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Carmel Chambers
NFA Board Director & CEO at Stockport Homes Group
Carmel is an experienced social housing leader with over 20 years in the sector. A chartered accountant, she progressed from Director of Finance, where she established the Group structure for what is now Stockport Homes Group (SHG), to Chief Executive. As CEO, Carmel leads SHG who continue to work hard to deliver excellent services for customers, and its remit includes its subsidiary development, commercial and charitable companies. Carmel sits on various Boards within Stockport, ensuring housing is strategically integrated into decision making of local health, police and children’s services.
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Esme Cole
NFA Board Director & Board Chair at Colchester Borough Homes
Esme is Chair of Colchester Borough Homes, where she supports strong governance, assurance and service improvement. She is passionate about public value, resident insight and helping organisations listen, learn and improve to deliver better outcomes.
Mike Gatrell
NFA Board Director & CEO at South Essex Homes
Mike has led South Essex Homes as Chief Executive since its 2005 launch. With an extensive career in social housing, he takes pride in his team’s impact on residents’ homes and their lives in Southend. He is especially pleased with the increased tenant involvement in shaping housing priorities. Having grown up in a Council flat and been a Council tenant himself, he understands the vital role ALMOs play in improving lives.
Mark Pearson
NFA Board Director & CEO at Solihull Community Housing
Mark is an experienced social housing senior leader with nearly 30 years’ experience within the sector. He has been the CEO at Solihull Community Housing since August 2026. Prior to that, Mark served as the CEO at Leeds and Yorkshire Housing Association until it merged with York Housing Association in 2022, when he became the Managing Director of the newly created 54North Homes, which was a subsidiary of Karbon Group. A Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Mark is passionate about colleague and customer engagement and the delivery of excellent services for people living in social housing.
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