Our Associates

We have a number of associate's with whom we work with so that we can offer the best service possible to our customers. Below are some short biographies of our current associates.

Simon Alford

Simon Alford

Simon Alford is a CIPFA qualified accountant. His experience includes acting as a Financial Controller, Company Secretary, and Accountant with experience of general ledger implementation and systems administration. As an accountant his experience includes Management, Financial, Committee and Group accounting. He has:

• Experience of Budget and Final Accounts processes in large organisations
• Internal and external audit experience, including systems and regularity audits
• Experience of design and implementation of charts of accounts, coding structures and reports
• Experience of Leaseholder Service Charges accounting , in particular actuals Statements and Signing off the same

Steve Harriott

Steve Harriott

After graduating from Oxford University with an Honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Steve trained as a teacher and taught economics and politics. In 1985 he joined CDS Co-operative Housing Services in London as a Housing Manager. He then worked at Hartlepool Borough Council as Assistant Borough Housing Officer, Middlesbrough Borough Council as Assistant Chief Housing Officer (with responsibility for the management of 17,000 homes). A short spell lecturing at Northumbria University in Housing Studies was followed by appointments as Operations Director at Phoenix Housing Association and Director of Housing and New Initiatives at Tees Valley HA.

He then moved back down south to become Managing Director of English Churches Housing Group. He joined St Pancras & Humanist HA in 2000 as Chief Executive and created the Origin Housing Group with Griffin HA and became its first Group Chief Executive. He moved to Amicus Group in 2004 as Group Chief Executive and became the first Group Chief Executive of the merged AmicusHorizon Group. He left AmicusHorizon in 2007 for a new career in training and consultancy.

He has a Masters degree in Strategy and Resource Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing, a member of the direct final entry selection panel for the CIH and a former Chair of the CIH Northern Counties Branch. He was a non-executive Director at Heritage Care; chaired the Swale Local Strategic Partnership, chaired the North Kent Advisory Committee for Common Purpose and has served on a Housing Association Board. He has co-written two books “Social Housing; an Introduction” published by Longmans and “An introduction to Social Housing” published by the CIH. He also co- wrote the UNISON distance learning materials for their Housing courses. He is an external examiner in housing at the University of Greenwich.

David Jackson

David Jackson

David Jackson is an experienced management consultant and trainer – he holds a BSc in Business Operations and Control and a Master’s Degree in Management Science and Operational Research. He holds technical qualifications in Quality Management, Finance and predominantly Project Management, in which field he is a Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner (and an examiner with the main examining body, APMG). His career includes:

• Senior roles in management consultancy and policy research, mainly dealing with public sector clients including the Audit Commission, the European Commission and the TUC
• Senior roles in management consultancy and policy research, mainly dealing with public sector clients including the Audit Commission, the European Commission and the TUC
• Senior roles in management education (Award Director on post-graduate university management courses) and training (programme director with a community safety organisation)
• Chief Executive of a national membership organisation
• CEO and Chief Finance Officer of an employee-owned co-operative
• Trustee and Board member of a voluntary organisation

Paul Lusk

Paul Lusk

Paul Lusk MA MPhil has over thirty years’ experience of tenant involvement and community empowerment. After studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, Paul worked on development and education for the United Nations and the Sudan Government before joining a housing association developing housing co-operatives, social enterprise and community based regeneration initiatives on Merseyside. He then established himself as a consultant specialising in achieving community and neighbourhood control of housing and other local services. Paul has a research degree in housing.

He advises on all aspects of tenant empowerment, local deals and strategy for accountability to residents. He is a trainer for the National Communities Resource Centre on committee skills, governance and community engagement. He is a member of a TSA advisory group on the new standards framework.

In his spare time Paul chairs a parish council and a youth charity.

Richard Myers

Richard Myers

Richard Myers recently graduated from the University of Warwick where he achieved 1st Class Honours in Computer Systems and recieved a number of awards for both his Software Development, Project Life Cycle and Project Management skills. While there he was also involved in a number of research projects resulting in the publication of several research papers.

Richard specalises on the development of bespoke web and software solutions to meet client requirments with the final product being focused on meeting the real needs of its users. His abilities include

• Requirment Acquisition and Writing of Clear and Detailed Project Specifications
• Project Design and Planning using establised standards and tools
• Customer Focused Development and Testing ensuring users are involved throughout the process.
• Creation of Clear and Easy to follow user and technical documentation where appropriate
• Providing clear and focused training on the user of software where required

Kate Smyth

Kate Smyth

Kate Smyth specialises in providing advice on regeneration, economic development, housing and disabilities issues. From 1992 until 1999 she was a Board Member and the Chair of the Lancashire and Cumbria Regional Committee of Northern Counties Housing Association. She is currently a Board member of Calico Housing (formerly Burnley and Padiham Community Housing). Prior to November 1992, she held a number of senior posts in Local Government including Head of Economic Development and Marketing at Knowsley Borough Council. She graduated from Lanchester Polytechnic with a degree in Urban and Regional Planning (Second Class - Upper Division) in 1977. She is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Institute of Economic Development, and the Association of Disabled Professionals.

Peter Sutcliffe

Peter Sutcliffe

Peter Sutcliffe is a commercially orientated financial accountant who can provide practical support in terms of management consultancy, coaching, training and mentoring. Peter’s prime focus is on the impact of change across the organisation- from the strategic planning implications through to the financial aspects, leadership and motivational skills including conflict management and coaching.

Peter has held senior management positions in industry and in recent years has been helping to ‘transfer knowledge’ and implement best practice within the third market sector for local government, voluntary sector, non-profit charitable organisation, housing, leisure, mental health, ex-prisoners and drug users.

Peter facilitates training (either based on standard modules or tailor made), consultancy and mentoring – from large groups to “One to One’s” –both in the public and private sectors and is a regular lecturer and mentor for Liverpool Universities and the Liverpool Centre for Leadership Development, and is North East Chairman for the Academy for Chief Executives.

Danny Swan

Danny Swan

Danny Swan has worked in Social Security and in local authority Social Services finance Departments for much of his working life. He has a unique understanding of the administration of these different areas, the impact they have on the lives of so many people, how they overlap each other and of the restraints and sensitivities involved. Danny offers specialist expertise in all Social Security Benefits, the administration involved with local authority Residential and Home Care charging policies, and training in the action/procedures needed in dealing with Receivership and Appointeeship. He is, in his own right, a Panel Receiver appointed by the Court of Protection.

Hilary Vaughan

Hillary Vaughan

Hilary is a highly experienced Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants accountant who has an in depth knowledge of Housing finance built up from working within the sector for over fifteen years. After a grounding in the private sector and then in Local Government, Hilary spent over ten years in the Housing service of Manchester City Council, followed by working as a Director creating, then working in, Salix Homes Arms Length Management Organisation before commencing her career as a management consultant. She has comprehensive knowledge and extensive experience in the financial management of all aspects of Housing, which includes formulating Housing PFI contracts, delivering partial stock transfers, Arms Length Management Organisation start up, and operation as well as business planning and housing subsidy.

Recent assignments have included the development of value for money strategies and procedures, assisting organisations improve in preparation for inspection, assisting on year end accounts and review of Service Level Agreements and evaluation of business options for Supporting People strategic authorities. She writes briefings and publications and undertakes training on housing finance issues. She recently sat on one of the Communities & Local Government housing finance review working parties.

She is North West regional President of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and sits on the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s Housing Panel and their Technical Information Systems editorial panel for housing.