Meet the Board and Committee.

Emma Killick – Board Chair

During a thirty-year career working in the care sector, Emma developed a particular interest in support for adults with learning disabilities who had, or were at risk of developing, dementia.

While Operations Director with the MacIntyre charity, Emma set up their award-winning Dementia Project and partnered with Dementia UK to appoint the first learning disability specialist Admiral Nurse.

Emma is also a Trustee for Towcester Foodbank and campaigns as part of the Trussell Trust Network for an end to the need for Foodbanks in the UK.

Emma is the Chair of the Amplius Board and also sits on the Integration Committee.

See Emma’s declarations of interest here.

Damien Régent – Vice Chair and Chair of the Audit Risk Committee

Having worked as a financial analyst specialising in credit markets and financial institutions, Damien now serves on the boards of multiple organisations.

In housing, he is a Non-Executive Director at Anchor and at Southern Housing  he currently chairs the audit and risk committee.

He also chairs the Board of PBE (formerly Pro Bono Economics), a charitable think tank, as well as the Audit and Risk Committees for two NHS Foundation Trusts in London.

He was previously on the board of two small high-growth internet businesses, having spent five years supporting internet start-ups.

In addition to chairing the Audit & Risk Committee, Damien sits on the Integration Committee.

See Damien’s declarations of interest here.

Ashleigh Webber – Board Member

Ashleigh is an Amplius customer and also works as a Temporary Accommodations Officer at North Northamptonshire Council.

She’s also a volunteer member of the Government’s Social Housing Quality Resident Panel, a role which enables her to contribute ideas on how she feels improvements can be made to the wider sector.

Ashleigh is the member responsible for complaints, providing oversight and challenge to Amplius’ complaint handling and scrutinising our performance against the Housing Ombudsman’s Code.

She also sits on the People and Governance Committee and the Customer Experience Committee.

See Ashleigh’s declarations of interest here.

Brendan Whitworth – Chair of Finance and Treasury Committee, Grand Union Group Funding plc, Libra (Longhurst Group) Treasury plc and Libra (Longhurst Group) Treasury No2 plc

Brendan retired in 2024 after a 45-year career in financial services. For the last 20 years, he’s been a lender to a wide range of housing associations.

Prior to this, his roles included General Manager of a UK-registered bank and Senior Credit Officer in Singapore.

His voluntary activities include four years as the Loans Officer at the St Albans Credit Union, and ex-board member and chair of the Treasury Committee at Golden Lane Housing, which provides housing to people with learning disabilities.

Brendan is chair of the Finance & Treasury Committee and sits on the Development & Asset Investment Committee.

See Brendan’s declarations of interest here.

Craig Thornton – Chair of Keystone Developments (LG) Ltd, Grand Union Homes Ltd and GUHG Development Company Ltd

Craig has been in the social housing sector since joining Sovereign (now Sovereign Network Group) as its Risk and Assurance Director in 2020.

Prior to that, he spent most of his career in the telecoms sector.

He’s specialised in internal control disciplines for the past 10 years, with senior roles at Vodafone and as an independent consultant.

Craig’s a chartered accountant with a broad range of experience in finance, operations and programme management.

He was attracted to social housing by his strong sense of social justice and sees the sector playing a fundamental role in eradicating inequality.

Craig sits on the Audit & Risk Committee.

See Craig’s declarations of interest here.

Elaine Barnes – Chair of Customer Experience Committee

Elaine is an experienced business leader and non-executive director in both housing and commercial environments.

Her expertise is in customer experience, customer service, strategy development, strategy execution and organisation development.

Following a career living and working on three continents, Elaine is culturally aware and is passionate about supporting people and organisations to achieve their goals.

She is now focusing on her housing roles in both non-executive and consultant capacities, as well as coaching.

Elaine is the chair of Customer Experience Committee and sits on the People & Governance Committee.

See Elaine’s declarations of interest here.

Julie Doyle – Chief Executive Officer (Executive Director)

Julie has over 30 years of experience in the housing sector, currently working as Chief Executive of Amplius.

Previously in charge of Longhurst Group, Julie fostered a strong platform for future success by reshaping the organisation, achieving considerable value for money savings and delivering substantial growth.

Having overseen the merger to create Amplius, Julie remains committed in her current role as Chief Executive to ensuring the organisation continues to realise its ambition of being a leading developer that improves people’s lives by providing quality housing and care and support services.

See Julie’s declarations of interest here.

Laila Court – Board Member

Laila has worked in a variety of industries, including aviation, energy and social housing.

She specialises in digital and organisational transformation and has led large‑scale programmes at British Airways and Shell as well as complex change initiatives where she always placed customers at the centre of delivery.

As a Non‑Executive Director at Saxon Weald, Laila provides strategic guidance over a major digital transformation programme, strengthening governance and customer experience.

Beyond her board work, Laila volunteers and fundraises for Save the Children, as well as acting as an interview and CV coach for Smart Works, an organisation that supports marginalised women to return to work.

See Laila’s declarations of interest here.

Dr Mary-Kathryn Adams – Board Member

Mary-Kathryn is an experienced leader with expertise within and beyond housing, both in the UK and around the world.

She’s currently Chief Executive of Simetrica-Jacobs, specialists in impact measurement, wellbeing and social value, where she works with organisations across sectors and geographies to embed evidence-based approaches to measuring and delivering impact.

Previously, Mary-Kathryn was Deputy Chief Executive at HACT, leading major projects and partnerships across housing, research and data, while playing a key role in developing HACT’s social value work and establishing the UK Housing Data Standards.

She’s also a Non-Executive Director of Abri Group, where she chairs the Integration Committee and serves on the Audit and Risk Committee.

See Mary-Kathryn’s declarations of interest here.

Peter Hay CBE – Chair of People and Governance Committee

Peter is a proven executive leader and non-executive director in the social care and public sectors.

Having spent 20 years working as a director in social care across a range of local authorities, Peter stepped away from his executive career in 2017.

Peter was awarded a CBE for his services to social and health care in 2012, and is the Chair of Turning Point – a national social enterprise that supports over 105,000 people with learning disabilities, mental health needs, or addiction recovery.

He also chairs the Board of Trustees for the Social Worker of the Year Awards.

Peter chairs the People & Governance Committee and sits on the Customer Experience Committee.

See Peter’s declarations of interest here.

Tony Oakley – Chair of Integration Committee

Tony has over 20 years’ experience working directly with housing associations through his more than 30-year banking career, including a spell as Head of the Lloyds Bank Social Housing finance team.

An Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB), Tony also has a strong track record of holding senior management positions in several private companies, including Woodgate Fulfilment Limited and Leadfinder.

Tony has brought his vast array of skills and experience to his role on the Amplius Board to help drive the organisation’s strategic direction and continue to deliver for our customers.

Tony chairs the Integration Committee and sits on the Finance & Treasury Committee.

See Tony’s declarations of interest here.

Stephen Lodge – Chair of Development and Asset Investment Committee

Having originally trained as building surveyor, Stephen has more than 30 years’ experience working in the housing sector.

He’s Chief Executive of Westward Housing Gorup, delivering services to customers across Devon and Cornwall.

Stephen started out working in temporary accommodation for the homeless and then housing management. Since then, much of his career has been focused on development and the construction of new homes through partnerships and collaboration.

Stephen has worked in regional and national housing associations and is particularly passionate about tackling inequality.

Together with his work in housing, Stephen is a listening and outreach volunteer with Bristol Samaritans.

Stephen chairs the Development & Asset Investment Committee.

See Stephen’s declarations of interest here.

Chris Tyson – Finance and Treasury Committee and Audit and Risk Committee (Independent)

Chris is a fully qualified corporate treasurer and has worked in senior leadership roles at several large multinational companies in his career spanning more than 30 years.

Most recently, he was Group Treasury, Tax and Procurement Director of FirstGroup plc, then a £8bn revenue public transport business in the UK and North America.

Prior to that, he held senior positions in travel, engineering, telecoms and healthcare industries.

During his career, he’s arranged and managed complex financing transactions for businesses undergoing significant financial and strategic change.

He currently holds Non-Executive and Trustee positions with Rother District Council Housing Company, Aster Group and FirstGroup Pension Scheme.

See Chris’ declarations of interest here.

Fiona Odonnell – Audit and Risk Committee Member (Independent)

Fiona is an experienced finance and risk professional with a career spanning more than 30 years.

She’s currently Group Head of Enterprise Risk Management at International Airlines Group, where she works with the Group Board, Audit and Compliance Committee and senior management across the Group’s businesses on risk appetite governance, assurance and long-term strategic risk.

Previously, Fiona held senior finance, risk, internal audit and transformation roles at Tesco, Britvic, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Dixons Retail.

Fiona has extensive experience working with boards and senior stakeholders on risk management, financial governance, transformation and organisational change. She has also served as a co-opted member of the Audit and Compliance Committee at Royal Holloway, University of London.

A Chartered Management Accountant with an MBA from Warwick Business School, Fiona is passionate about strong governance, effective financial management and achieving value for money.

See Fiona’s declarations of interest here.

Lucy Grimwood – People and Governance Committee Member (Independent)

Lucy is an experienced senior leader with over 14 years’ legal and sector experience, culminating in leading the Social Housing Finance team at Winckworth Sherwood LLP.

Her extensive experience includes regularly advising social housing providers, as well as other charitable and statutory entities, on the finance and governance aspects of complex transactions. This has given her a sound understanding of the regulatory and economic environment in which Amplius operates.  

She is adept at providing strategic advice, considering pragmatic steps to achieve the best outcomes for organisations within their charitable and organisational objectives. She has recently performed charity trustee roles, providing further insight into the landscape in which charities operate. Her leadership and partnership experience has also given her a sound understanding of how to build and nurture a resilient and thriving workforce.

Lucy feels passionately that good housing is fundamental to addressing inequality and is excited to contribute to the good that Amplius does in the communities it serves.

Lucy sits on the People & Governance Committee.

See Lucy’s declarations of interest here.

Michael Carr – Finance and Treasury Committee Member (Independent)

Michael has a rich background in structured asset and corporate finance advice, having previously been Managing Director of BNP Paribas (London) Structured Asset Finance.

Most recently, he was head of the UK Social Housing Finance division of National Australia Bank, where he was responsible for the development and execution of its Social Housing Finance Strategy.

He was also Executive Director of National Australia Bank’s UK Securitisation and UK Corporate Asset Finance divisions.

Michael is a chartered surveyor and has a Master’s degree in finance.

Michael brings strong financial and strategic skills to Amplius’ Finance and Treasury Committee, with knowledge of the social housing finance sector.

See Michael’s declarations of interest here.

Nannette Sakyi – Development and Asset Investment Committee (Independent)

Nannette is an experienced housing and property professional with over 20 years’ experience across the public sector and a Master’s degree in Housing Law and Inclusion.

A chartered surveyor, she’s held senior roles within local government where she’s led housing delivery programmes with a combined value exceeding £400 million. She currently works as a Senior Project Manager for a local authority.

She has a proven track record of delivering new build residential developments, securing new business and driving business change within complex public sector environments.

Her expertise spans programme and project management, operational leadership, strategy development, service improvement, and housing transformation.

See Nannette’s declarations of interest here.

Shivani Kaushike – Audit and Risk Committee Member (Independent)

Shiv has worked in risk, compliance, governance, strategy and EDI for more than 20 years and has a degree in International Economics from Manchester University, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP.

She now runs her own advisory business, providing c-suites and boards with independent strategic advice and guidance on her areas of expertise. As part of this, Shiv holds the FCA-approved senior management functions of SMF16 and 17 for an FCA-regulated not-for-profit advising on social investment, corporate finance and outcomes-based fund advisory.

Shiv has designed and developed many risk management, audit, compliance, governance and EDI frameworks for major banks and financial institutions, as well as other organisations in both the public and private sectors.

She also provides high-level advice on regulatory matters and complex and contentious issue management to firms.

Throughout her working career, Shiv has established and chaired Audit and Risk Committees and has been a Board Governor and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for Northampton University for five years.

She also sits on the Joint Audit Committee for the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board for the past two years, and has been a non-executive director to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club for six years.

See Shivani’s declarations of interest here.

Simon Mitchinson – Customer Experience Committee Member (Independent)

Simon has a varied professional background, bringing extensive governance expertise, independent judgement and community insight to his role as a member of Amplius’ Customer Experience Committee.

He also adds valuable lived experience to the role as a housing association resident.

Simon serves as a Magistrate and is Deputy Chair of the Berkshire Magistrates.

He’s a mentor for new Magistrates and also works as a Disability Qualified Tribunal Member.

In addition to his judicial roles, he was most recently a senior manager at Blue Yonder, overseeing project delivery, strategic initiatives, risk, governance and departmental operations.

Outside his professional roles, Simon has received several awards for innovation and community contribution.

See Simon’s declarations of interest here.

Ted Pearce – Development and Asset Investment Committee (Independent)

Ted is a chartered surveyor with more than 40 years’ experience in the property and construction industry.

He has held senior director positions as the leader of the property portfolio management activity at some of Europe’s biggest businesses.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as well as the Rating Surveyors’ Association (RSA), both organisations that hold thought leadership positions on ESG matters that align to his interests – especially the role of the built environment in the journey to net zero carbon and customer affordability issues.

See Ted’s declarations of interest here.

Tom Paul – Finance and Treasury Committee (Independent)

Tom is a corporate finance professional and former advisor to central government and infrastructure investors.

He’s worked in the social housing sector for more than a decade, first as a treasury advisor and now as Chief Finance Officer at Southern Housing, another housing association.

Tom is also on the Housing Committee of the Church of England Pensions Board, which owns and manages homes for retired clergy.

In addition to this, Tom is an Independent Specialist member of the Finance & Treasury Committee.

See Tom’s declarations of interest here.

William Cooper-Pearson – Development and Asset Investment Committee (Independent)

William is a real estate investment professional with a background in residential capital markets and development.

He’s worked across the social and private housing sectors, including transactions and joint ventures with institutional investors such as AXA IM and M&G.

He’s currently Head of UK Investments at IMMO Capital and supports Amplius on the Development Committee, where he brings a commercial and strategic rigour to land, development, and partnership activity.

See William’s declarations of interest here.