Our board

Wandle is overseen by a Board which meets regularly throughout the year.  The Board is responsible for setting our strategic direction, establishing policies and setting out the plans to achieve our key objectives. It provides sound systems of control and a framework of delegation to the Executive Directors and our employees.

The Board monitors how we deliver services to residents and reviews performance and policies. Members are responsible for ensuring that we are a well-run, efficient and properly governed organisation. Appointed through a formal procedure, they have wide-ranging expertise and come from diverse backgrounds.  

The Wandle Board currently consists of 12 members and meets formally at least six times a year. Members also serve on the Asset Investment, People, Audit and Risk, or Customer Experience Committees.

Wandle has adopted the National Housing Federation’s Code of Governance. A copy of the Code of Governance is available on request by writing to our Company Secretary.

Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick, MBE. Chair of the Board

Dr Vaughan-Dick MBE (PhD) has worked at a senior level in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Valerie is presently the Chief Executive Officer at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). RIBA is a global professional membership body, serving more than 57,000 members. Their aim is to create better buildings, stronger communities and a more sustainable environment for people to live in.

Valerie was previously the Chief Operating Officer (formerly titled Chief Executive Officer) of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The RCGP is the membership organisation for 54,000 GPs and works extensively to be the voice of General Practice and improve patient care in the UK and internationally. She led staff across the organisation in the UK and internationally and joined the RCGP in 2014 initially as the Executive Director of Planning and Resources.

Valerie started her career with the National Audit Office where she qualified as an accountant. She worked on value for money and financial audits of the Departments of Health & Social Security, Overseas Services, Local Government and Housing. Valerie has been an Executive Finance and Resources Director in central and local government, working on financial and strategic management issues and has extensive housing experience. She has been a Managing Director for a Housing Association, worked as a senior manager at the Housing Corporation and been involved in audits of Housing Associations whilst at the National Audit Office.

She was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours list in June 2022.

Member of People Committee

Andy McWilliams. Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of Customer Experience Committee

Andy is an experienced multi-channel retailer and has worked at director level for a number of major retailers including Ocado.com, House of Fraser and Home Retail Group. He provides senior board level consultancy and interim support for those organisations seeking to maximise their eCommerce and customer service operations and has recently led a digital transformation programme for The Royal Institute of Surveyors.

Member of People Committee and of Audit and Risk Committee

James Pennington. Chair of Asset and Investment Committee

James has worked in development for over 20 years for both Housing Associations as well as National House Builders in the private sector.

James is currently Director of Development for Radian Housing where he is responsible for managing their Development Programme, leading the development and sales teams, and leading the Help to Buy Agency for The Radian Group.

Paul Phillips, Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Paul is chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and has an extensive career in the housing sector. From 2004 to 2018, he was the Group Finance Director of Notting Hill Housing Group and, following its merger with Genesis Housing Association, he became the Chief Financial Officer of the new group until his retirement in July 2021.

Paul is also a Board member of the Salvation Army Housing Association. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Member of Treasury Committee

Zoë Shaw. Senior Independent Director, Chair of Treasury Committee

Zoë has over 30 years of experience in Investment Banking, Treasury and Fund Management. Her previous executive roles include Head of Fixed Income at Federated Hermes, Founder and Managing Partner of New Bond Street Asset Management LLP and the General Manager of a German Merchant Bank, Bankgesellschaft – Berlin. Most recently she was Head of Credit & Portfolio Management at ThinCats, a Fintech lender to SMEs, and is currently the Head of Credit for the Fintech company, All Sports Finance. Zoë has extensive experience in risk management having managed portfolios of £30 billion and been a member of the risk committees of major City institutions.

Member of Audit and Risk Committee

Moorad Choudhry.

Moorad is an independent non-executive director at Recognise Bank Limited in London, and a non-executive director at the Loughborough Building Society. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Kent Business School. He was latterly Treasurer, Corporate Banking Division at The Royal Bank of Scotland, Global Head of Treasury at KBC Financial Products, Vice President in EMEA structured finance at JPMorgan Chase and a gilt-edged market maker at ABN Amro Hoare Govett Ltd. Moorad is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, the London Institute of Banking and Finance, the Global Association of Risk Professionals, the Institute of Directors and a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of International Bankers.

Member of People Committee and of Treasury Committee

Jo Hills. Chair of Ravensbourne Ltd

Jo is a chartered Civil Engineer and fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, with extensive experience as an engineer and director in sustainability, construction and maintenance across the charitable, public and commercial sectors.

She is a member of the National Housing Foundation’s Quality of Existing Homes national group.

Jo is currently Director of Estate/Assets Sustainability at Deloitte.

Member of Asset Investment Committee and of Customer Experience Committee

Steve Dickinson. Chair of Delta Homes

Steve Dickinson is an experienced Quantity Surveyor with over 30 years in the residential property development sector specialising in Commercial Management. He started his own Property Development, Commercial Management & Supply Chain consultancy in 2020 having left his role as Commercial Director at one of the country’s largest and most respected property developers working within London and the South East. Steve is also a Trustee of Amicus Trust, a local homeless charity whose aim is to ensure everyone has a chance to achieve a life free from homelessness and a place in their community.

Member of Asset Investment Committee and of Customer Experience Committee

John Baldwin.

John has over 30 years’ experience of working in the Social Housing sector with 12 years in Executive roles including as CEO. 

John has led merger and transformation programs as well as establishing and running commercial and not for profit operations. John was an early adopter of Service Design into the sector and has developed operating models and strategy which focus on outcomes for the end user. 

John currently works as an independent consultant.

Member of Asset and Investment Committee, and of Audit and Risk Committee.

Julie Blair. Chair of People Committee

Julie is our Chair of the People Committee and joined Wandle’s Board in February 2023, with over 18 year’s experience in the housing sector, working for organisations including the Home Group, Affinity Sutton and the Circle Group.

Julie has 27 years’ experience in HR and transformation, including extensive experience across the private sector and also has a background in retail, logistics, oil and education. Within the Circle Group, Julie led business transformation and merger integration with Circle Housing and Clarion.

Julie is presently the Executive Director of Corporate Services at Look Ahead where she joined in 2016, previously as their Director of People. At Look Ahead she leads governance, people, communications, business transformation and IT. Julie initiated the Move Forward transformation programme, which is now starting its third phase.

Justin Gyphion.

Justin joined Wandle’s Board in March 2023 and is a qualified barrister, Called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn in 2003. He is a commercial and employment law specialist, who has worked for a number of the world’s elite law firms, most latterly Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May, as a senior leader in the talent acquisition space.

Justin is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion, and was a director of Llewod Consultancy Services Ltd., where he undertook private consultancy projects in HR and talent acquisition strategy and operations, employer branding, EVP, people-related governance, policy and procedure, pre-engagement screening, and employment terms and conditions.

Justin is also Chair of the Board of Trustees for a leading charity (the Mulwade Foundation) and works as a volunteer covid-19 vaccinator with St John Ambulance.