Governance

Our balanced and widely skilled Board of Management has ten members. The Board has an integral role in shaping policy, future directions and methods of operation.

Jeff Zitron (Chair) - also chairs an NHS Primary Care Trust, another housing association and an internal audit company.  He is a director of an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO), and of two publishing and market research companies.  He has worked in housing for over 35 years, including as a housing association chief executive, in local government and in consultancy.  In his consultancy career, Jeff specialised in investment, regeneration and funding.  He has written or co-written fifteen books on housing and public policy.

Ebele Akojie - a qualified Accountant with an MBA, Ebele has significant board and senior management experience within the Housing sector. She has also  worked  as a  Lending Manager  for  Britannia Building Society and  THFC. Currently she is the Director of Planning & Risk at Moat. Key areas of interest include financial planning, treasury, risk management, corporate strategy and governance.  Ebele joined the Paragon Board in March 2009.

John Cudd - a quantity surveyor by profession and has been involved in the provision of providing homes of all tenure types all of his career. He was previously a Board member of a London based RSL for 12 years and has also been a Director of 3 major plc Construction/House Building companies. He now runs a building/development consultancy providing services to RSL's and developers. His particular areas of expertise are planning and development issues.  John joined the Board in March 2009.

Tracey Fletcher - is the Chairman of Richmond Churches and has been a Board member at Richmond since 2001.  She is a qualified accountant and for the last seven years has been the Finance Director of Octavia Housing and Care.  Tracey has worked in the sector since 1992 and is the Chair of the London Housing Federation Finance Committee.  Her areas of experience and expertise extend to business planning and governance inthe housing sector as well as finance.

Suzanne Joseph - is an experienced Human Resources professional, a trained business coach and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).  Suzanne has extensive experience in employee relations, reward and HR policy, gained in the car and finance sectors.  She now runs her own HR consultancy and joined the Board of Paragon in January 2007.

Martyn Kingsford TD
Martyn is a Chartered Surveyor and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.  He was for eighteen years Director of Housing at Kensington and Chelsea and Chief Executive of Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation.  He has over 40 years experience of working in the housing field.  Martyn has extensive RSL Board experience and has, since 1975, chaired three Housing Associations including being Chair of Richmond Churches HT.  He is Honorary Policy Adviser to TAROE, the national tenant organisation, is a member of several NHF and CLG working groups and is on the Board of Nottingham City Homes (an ALMO).

Christine Pockson – a solicitor and MBA with over 30 years corporate and commercial legal experience in industry.  Christine  was formerly Senior Legal Adviser to the BOC Group plc, a FTSE 100 company.   She also has property and construction law experience and currently acts as legal consultant to an insurance and services company. She joined the Board of Paragon in January 2007.

Vivienne Packer - an executive search consultant within the construction, real estate and sustainability industries. She was Managing Consultant of the London office of a major European executive search firm for a number of years Her early career  was in housing working for a pioneering housing association, the Church Commissioners and two central London local authorities. A graduate of Reading University, and member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, Viv is now a partner in a new executive resourcing firm  recruiting for the built environment field. Until 2007, she was Chairman of Moat Homes, and has extensive experience in governance, housing management and regeneration. Viv joined the Board in July 2009 and is Vice Chair.

Paul Richmond - is a qualified Accountant and Company Secretary with extensive business management experience.  He was Executive Director of Saab GB Ltd for 14 years, responsible for Finance, Personnel, Audit, Legal and IT functions.  Paul joined the Board of EHT in October 2004 and became Board Chair in July 2006.

Mark Whitehead - has over 15 years of corporate treasury experience. He is currently Group Treasurer of Home Group Limited, where he is also responsible for Insurance and Risk Management, a position he has held for almost 5 years.  Prior to Home Group, Mark spent 19 years with Northern Electric plc, 10 of those years were in a treasury capacity, his last position being Treasurer, where he managed £2 billion of debt. Mark is professionally qualified with the Association of Corporate Treasurers.   Mark joined the Board in March 2009

Peter Morton (Paragon Chief Executive) – Paragon has accepted the NHF good practice recommendation to have its Group Chief Executive as a Board Member.  Peter has substantial experience as both a housing professional, an RSL Chief Executive, and substantial RSL Board experience having served on the Boards of three LSVTs and two traditional housing associations.