New Board appointments at CDHT strengthen team
Chester & District Housing Trust (CDHT) has appointed two board members, Jane Stephens and Michelle Hallmark. Jane has been co-opted to the Board for the past six months and now joins as an independent director and Michelle is newly co-opted to the board, in addition to her role as Regional Communications Manager at The Bridge Group in Greater Manchester.
CDHT has ten Board Directors; four independent Board Directors, three Board Directors nominated by Cheshire West and Chester Council and three Tenant Board Directors. Jane Stephens and Michelle Hallmark have been appointed for a year following the resignation of Paul Smith after five years on the Trust Board.
Michelle Hallmark, 29, is one of the youngest board members of any housing association in the UK. She has been North West based for the majority of her life, born in Macclesfield, living in Altrincham, studying in Preston and with family in Chester. She said:
“I’m delighted to be working with CDHT. It is a well-regarded organisation which remains true to its roots, isn’t afraid to take a calculated risk and believes that resident involvement shouldn’t be tokenistic. I look forward to working more closely with everyone and putting my housing and communications knowledge to use.”
Jane Stephens has extensive director level finance and commercial experience in a range of organisations. She has lived in the Chester area for the last 20 years and is passionate about the benefit that CDHT adds to the local community. She added:
“I’m so pleased to be part of the team here. The CDHT team has a great track record. In these challenging times, we need enthusiasm and commitment combined with professionalism and an ability to ‘think creatively’. I look forward to making an active contribution and further extending the excellent range of skills already available through the Board and staff.”
Chair of the Board, Cllr, Rob Thompson said:
“The Housing Trust has developed a resilient and robust platform on which the Board can build for future growth. We need to grow as an organisation, create more social housing and regenerate communities. This is an exciting time for the Trust and we have the opportunity to build stronger communities. We have to continue to develop partnerships with our stakeholders and take even further the ways in which we work alongside residents in the processes of the Trust. As a result, we are a stronger organisation. We welcome Jane and Michelle and look forward to working closely with them.”
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Michelle Hallmark: Biography
A former reporter with local, regional and national experience, Michelle holds a first-class honours degree in journalism and is NCTJ and CIPR diploma qualified.
Michelle has worked for housing-specialist The Bridge Group for seven years and has significant experience in managing projects to ensure that the finished product meets a client’s corporate guidelines and specific objectives. She is particularly talented at ensuring that an organisation’s commitment to its values and local residents is conveyed throughout its communications. Her experience includes working with local authorities and housing associations, and she is particularly skilled in challenging approaches to ensure that publications reach target audiences and achieve value for money. She is renowned for seeking sound accessibility and for carefully challenging engagement practices to ensure that messages and the presentation of materials reach the people being targeted.
Michelle has introduced and managed a number of resident-led editorial panels for printed materials, and ‘resident-approved’ standard schemes.
Jane Stephens: Biography
Jane offers a unique combination of very strong financial expertise with practical, senior level commercial and strategic management experience. She is a pragmatist with a proven ability to communicate with people at all levels.
She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has held Director level appointments in a range of different organisations, including Zeneca and AstraZeneca. Most recently, she was a founder director of a venture capital backed, high growth medical diagnostics business.
She has in depth knowledge and experience of the financial and commercial issues within organisations, at both the micro and macro levels, including direct experience of corporate governance and due diligence processes in both large and small enterprises.
She is skilled at organisational and team development, with experience of training and coaching in change management.
Notes to editors
Chester & District Housing Trust (CDHT) is a dynamic and enterprising organisation at the forefront of delivering positive impacts in the communities with which it works. The Trust’s homes span six communities – Blacon North; Blacon South; Chester City Area; The Rurals; Lache and Handbridge; Upton, Hoole, Newton and Plas Newton.
Committed to the best principles of social enterprise with over 14,000 local customers in 6,200 properties and 53% of its 275 colleagues living within its communities, the Trust adheres to key commitments and principles relating to people, places, partnerships and performance which underpin the Vision to ‘create opportunity’, through its mission, ‘by doing the right thing’.
The Trust is about being transparent and accountable in everything that is done and to this end is one of the first organisations nationally to have established a Residents’ Board, with full delegated powers from the Trust Board, to direct services which impact upon their lives.
The Trust has a comprehensive development programme delivering over 330 new homes including the £12million regeneration of the Treborth Road area of Chester providing new homes for rent, sale and shared ownership, as well as a village green and wildlife habitats.
CDHT also provides services on a partnership basis, to a number of other customers e.g. Telecare services, TrustWorks Maintenance Services, Housing Options advice, waiting list management and choice based lettings to neighbouring local authorities and registered social landlords.
The Trust is rated as two Star excellent by the Audit Commission, has the highest possible rating from Telecare Services Association and is also credited Investors in People and is the overall Employer of the Year For Cheshire West. It has been in the ‘Top 100 Sunday Times best companies to work for’ for the last 3 years, reaching its highest position of 47th this year.
For more details please visit www.cdht.org or request a copy of CDHT’s Corporate Plan 2009-2014.
CDHT Press Contacts: Phil Brotherhood
E: phil@marketingprojects.co.uk M: 07884 493370
Jane Harrad-Roberts
E: jane@marketingprojects.co.uk M: 07785 395705
W: www.marketingprojects.co.uk T: 01244 330000
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