Andrea is a financial planning expert and over the last 10 years she has advised on a number of significant UK projects.

She has an original background in public finance and her wide range of skills include the strategic and financial planning of housing led regeneration initiatives - projects that involve bringing together public and private sector partners and a ‘cocktail’ of funding to regenerate failing housing areas. She has been a key advisor to many Local Authorities, RSLs, Development consortia and Central Government. Her experience spans the range of delivery arrangements including, LHCs, URCs, PFI and many others.

Steve has over 25 years of experience working in the social housing and regeneration, with a unique range of experience at senior management, executive and non-executive levels.

In consultancy, Steve has experience of asset management, business plan enhancement, development, options appraisals and supporting people reviews. His background includes being Executive Director for New Business at Home Group, overseeing one of the largest development, asset management and market renting businesses in the country, and previously senior roles in housing management, supported housing/care provision and development/new business, including Anchor Trust and Sanctuary Housing Group. Steve has been for many years a Non-Executive Director of Community Links, a leading supported housing agency in Yorkshire, including a lengthy stint as chair.

Bill is an expert financial planner and accountant who was responsible for group financial planning as Head of Finance at Accent Group over a period of growth from £15m turnover to £100m.

He oversaw a financial success of a wide range of development and regeneration projects, and developed Accent's capacity to tackle projects of all kinds including a number of commercial ventures to fund the affordable housing. He was a senior member of a finance team that supported the successful delivery of projects including a healthcare PFI programme, a very diverse range of development projects, and a joint venture property development company. His experience includes delivering £425m of refinancing packages, financial planning for mergers and group restructuring, and the development and implementation of new group finance and procurement systems. Bill is also a founder member of River Bain Hydro Ltd, an Industrial and Provident Society formed to build and operate a community-owned hydro-electric scheme, funded using bank debt, grants and a public share issue.

John has over 20 years achievement at the highest levels across the housing and regeneration field, including housing strategy, housing management, investment, and urban regeneration.

In consultancy, he has successfully tackled a wide range of challenges for councils, housing associations and government agencies. His past track record includes Director of Investment and Regeneration for Glasgow Housing Association, in its most exciting early years, and a long spell at the top in Sheffield City Council, playing a leading role in achieving Sheffield’s highly regarded approach to housing and regeneration. John is a housing association board member and, as a Non-Executive Director, played a key role in the creation of the Manor and Castle Development Trust in Sheffield as a substantial community regeneration business with a national reputation.

Bill has over 20 years experience of senior local authority management experience as Head of Housing for North East Derbyshire District Council, where his achievements included developing the first housing PFI.

Unusually, he also has 10 years recent experience of senior management within the private sector. Here he led multi-disciplinary teams on major housing and regeneration projects for major building contractors and capital investment consortiums. Since his move into consultancy he has delivered a wide range of work including service development, asset management and strategic and commercial advice and bid support for major projects and service contracts.

Carol is an FCCA accountant with over 20 years of experience within social housing finance.

Her key areas of expertise are in financial accounting and systems implementation. Carol was responsible for the management and production of statutory accounts for Accent Group which at the time had 25+ organisations, and direct liaison with the external auditors. Carol was also responsible for the management of the purchase ledger and payroll functions. She also has experience in implementing finance and procurement systems through process re-engineering and process mapping to ensure standardisation of financial data across the group. Carol has a wealth of experience in financial accounting, both in developing processes and systems and preparing financial information to meet statutory disclosure requirements.

Neil is an FCCA accountant with 32 years post qualification experience. He has Finance Director level management experience and has undertaken a wide variety of projects in the public, not for profit and private sectors, including housing association financial planning support.

These include the design and build of complex Excel based financial models for use in business planning, forecasting, funding, and asset management, the implementation and subsequent trouble shooting of accounting systems, the investigation and identification of business under-performance and the implementation of corrective action, and Interim Management. Neil is the technical lead for i.s.4’s advanced financial planning tools.

Phil is a CIPFA qualified accountant with over 32 years experience in the local government sector, including nearly 20 years at the senior strategic management and corporate level. Phil has worked primarily in metropolitan councils, and has also been Chief Financial Officer in a district council.

A Corporate Director at Wakefield MDC since 2009, Phil previously worked for ten years at Director level for Sheffield City Council. He has also worked for South Northants Council as Chief Financial Officer, Calderdale MBC and Kirklees MBC. He has extensive strategic housing finance experience, including nine years as a Local Government Association housing finance adviser.

Whilst at Sheffield Phil led the team of six local authorities participating in the CLG’s self financing HRA pilot study that led ultimately to the new national strategy. This followed on from a substantial amount of innovative, strategic service and financial analytical work over a number of years in Sheffield around the “Future of Council Housing” agenda. Sheffield was one of the very first authorities that the then ODPM talked to about “HRA Business Planning” and its Neighbourhood Commissions approach to option appraisal was ground breaking in its diversity, community and tenant involvement and quality of analysis. Phil has spoken on business planning and self financing at numerous national conferences over the years, including both CIH and the Northern Housing Consortium.

Phil has a strong track record around partnership working. He was the Wakefield lead on collaborative working and shared services across West Yorkshire, and at Sheffield was corporate lead for two flagship partnerships - Sheffield Homes, a (twice) three star ALMO and the Beacon Award winning building maintenance partnership with Kier Sheffield LLP, chairing both the senior partnership groups for both these.

Danny Bradley has wide experience at senior level of asset management, capital investment planning and delivery, procurement strategy, regeneration and housing management – including the successful development and delivery of a £620m investment plan as Assistant Director of Investment & Regeneration at Glasgow Housing Association.

The focus of his experience has been on strategy and policy development in addition to practical delivery of complex programmes.

Richard is an expert in involvement, scrutiny, governance and regulation.

As a former Head of Regulation for the Housing Corporation he was responsible for the regulation of all associations within the North West and West Midlands. As Tenant Services Coordinator at the TSA he was responsible for helping to set up the Tenant Services Directorate and played a major role in the first phase of the National Conversation. Since leaving the TSA in 2009, Richard has worked with local authorities and housing associations on developing their involvement and scrutiny structures and their approach to local communities as part of their business development offer. He has a strong emphasis on governance, customer care, resident scrutiny and self regulation but with a commercial focus gained in the private sector.

Shruti is a versatile management consultant with a strong analytical approach, complemented by a strategic outlook and excellent leadership, facilitation and soft skills.

Her wide range of achievements include a central role in Sheffield Homes’ successful path to 3 stars, and a long track record of designing and managing complex service review projects for Sheffield City Council, the Audit Commission and in the private sector.

Steve has a long record of achievement in developing and implementing modern approaches to housing maintenance and investment, including his central role as Director of Investment in Sheffield Homes’ successful path to three stars.

His recent consultancy experience has focused on helping ALMOs and housing associations with a range of strategic technical client issues, including preparation for inspection.

Richard is an experienced, well-organised and adaptable housing service and project manager; with demonstrable achievements at a senior level within the social housing sector; balancing strategic awareness with attention to detail in order to develop and deliver services, strategies, plans and service improvements.