Our Board

Natalie Wilkinson, Chair of The Board

Natalie is passionate about regenerating communities, improving homes and the environment and supporting residents to live happily and independently in places they are proud of. She is experienced in leadership, strategy development and project delivery having worked for multiple local authorities, most recently Middlesbrough Council, for many years.

Natalie brings to the Board knowledge and experience of the housing sector, development, regeneration, and corporate services. In her most recent role as Head of Development, she worked on a range of transformational projects to grow high-quality housing supply and in doing so formed successful partnerships with Registered Providers, Homes England, housebuilders, and central government.

With a strong social purpose, Natalie is dedicated to supporting youth and community groups, volunteering in her spare time to help raise funding and use her knowledge to help local groups to continue to offer vital opportunities to local people. She is a member of the People and Governance Committee and Housing and Communities Committee.

Ryan Appleby, Board Member

With 20 years of experience working in a social housing in previous roles to his current role as Director of Strategic Asset Management at Platform Housing Group, Ryan has a wealth of specialist knowledge in construction, building and engineering, asset management and a clear understanding of financial acquisitions and investment, working within local and national housing providers.

Ryan is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Building, Association of Building Engineers and Institute of Engineering and Technology, and is keen to make a difference to the local area, support the provision of vital services that meet the diverse needs of communities and to help support tenants and prospective tenants to access warm, affordable and safe homes.

Ryan is our Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Finance and Investments Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

 

Adele Barnett, Board Member

Adele has over 20 years’ experience across social housing, local government and the voluntary and community sector, bringing specialist knowledge and experience in governance, health and social care, and community engagement. In her current role of Family Support Manager at Safe Families, Adele works closely with partners and volunteers to support local families facing challenging circumstances.

She is committed to helping people overcome barriers, supporting inclusive services and enabling communities to thrive, with a focus on increasing residents’ choice, independence and opportunity.

Adele has senior Board-level experience and is currently a Trustee of Citizens Advice County Durham. She is a Co-opted Board Member and Chair of InsightXchange.

Andy Palmer, Board Member

Andy brings over 20 years of leadership experience in local government and housing, with a strong track record in shaping policy, driving regeneration, and improving economic outcomes for communities. His career reflects a deep commitment to creating better places and supporting organisations to deliver high‑quality homes and services.

Holding an MA in Urban Policy and Development, Andy was Head of Corporate and Regeneration Policy at Durham County Council before retiring in 2023. Previously the Chair of Chapter Homes, he has continued to influence strategic housing development across the region throughout his career. Earlier in his career, he had a key role as Assistant Chief Executive at Sedgefield Borough Council, supporting the large‑scale voluntary transfer that established Sedgefield Borough Homes in 2009, which later became Livin.

Driven by a strong social purpose, Andy is dedicated to ensuring that homes and communities enable people to thrive. He is a member of the Housing and Communities and Finance and Investment Committees.

Elaine Middleton, Board Member

With a career dedicated to the social housing sector, and with over 19 years of experience working with landlords, Elaine brings to the Board knowledge and experience of supporting organisations with business projects including regeneration proposals.

Elaine has knowledge of customer insight and data analysis, technology and people development, marketing strategies, and project management. having worked as an internal consultant driving continuous improvement.

She is passionate about making a difference through community investment and supporting local people and businesses. She is a member of the Housing and Communities and People and Governance Committees.

In line with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, in September 2025, Elaine was appointed as our Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC) and is responsible for making sure our Board receives regular information on complaints, that provide insight on our complaint handling performance.

Jenny Davidson, Board Member

With over 20 years’ experience spanning the public, private, and education sectors, Jenny has led major sustainability strategies and programmes at London Heathrow and Oxford City Council. She later transitioned into academia, lecturing in sustainability at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Northumbria University. At Newcastle University, she directed the MBA Programme and held the position of Climate Change Fellow.

Jenny now serves as a strategic consultant and continues her affiliation with Newcastle as a Visiting Fellow. Jenny holds a MA in Environmental Management and a PhD in business administration and is a specialist in responsible business practices, governance and systems thinking. She is a non-executive director of FIRST.

Jenny is passionate about empowering the current and future leaders of organisations to deliver effective policy and place-based regeneration in ways that align local priorities with global frameworks including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

Jenny is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and Finance and Investment Committee.

Joanne Race, Board Member

Joanne has recently retired from her role at Durham University, where she was a strategic Human Resources Director with over 30 years of experience across multiple sectors, primarily in Higher Education. She provided strategic leadership for HR and organisational development, ensuring compliance with best practice and legal standards.

Throughout her career, Joanne has led change management initiatives, championed diversity and inclusion, and overseen significant capital projects. She was also an ex-officio member of Durham University's People Committee, Remuneration Committee, and Nominations Committee, and has influenced the national HR agenda through her work with a number of high-level bodies.

Joanne is passionate about improving prospects and life chances for people in the North East, where she has lived most of her life. She believes in the transformative power of education and skills training. She is the Chair of People and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Paul Stephens, Board Member

Widely respected across the sector, Paul has more than 30 years’ experience in social housing and has held a number of senior leadership positions, notably serving as Director of Housing and Communities at Cestria Community Housing Association and as Acting Chief Executive prior to the formation of Karbon Homes.

Paul currently serves as Customer Experience Manager at Esh Group and is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Housing. He brings a wealth of experience in housing management, community engagement and development, along with a strong track record in delivering large scale capital investment programmes. He also has extensive Board and committee experience. As a lifelong resident of the communities he serves, Paul is deeply committed to improving the lives of people living in our homes and across the wider area.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Trimdon Grange Community Association and is also an elected member of Trimdon Parish Council, where he continues to advocate for local needs and community wellbeing. 

Paul is the Chair of Housing and Communities Committee. He is also a member the People and Governance Committee.

Stephen Watson, Board Member

Stephen joined the Board in May 2023 bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in audit and risk from his 30-year career working with organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, Home Office, DEFRA (RPA), Baker Tilly, RSM, Northumberland County Council, and Durham University. 

He is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CFIIA), holds an MSc in Audit and Consulting, and has Platinum accreditation as a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Stephen is dedicated to using his personal experience to add value to the work local organisations deliver. He believes strong leadership and governance are vital to building safer, more cohesive communities. He is the chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Finance and Investment Committee.

Alan Boddy, Chief Executive and Board Member

Alan has a track record of delivering transformational change since joining us when we were established in 2009.  He is a housing, performance and human resources professional with a people centric approach and an advocate of excellent customer service.

He holds postgraduate diplomas in Housing and Human Resources , a Masters Degree in Strategic Human Resource Management and is a member of both the Chartered Institute of Housing and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Having grown up in one of our communities he is aware of the social and economic challenges that many face. He is committed to making life changing improvements for people and their communities, and has dedicated 30 years to delivering a range of housing, property and support services.

Sean Brodie, Executive Director and Board Member

With over 19 years of direct housing experience Sean’s career has spanned both industry and the charitable sector, joining us as an Executive Director in July 2015.

Sean has a wealth of expertise and leads the Finance, Property Services and Development teams. He also has Executive responsibility for managing the Construction Related Services Contract with Mears plc. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and is also a qualified Corporate Treasurer.

Committees

Housing and Communities Committee

The Housing and Communities Committee oversees customer voice and complaints; equality, diversity, inclusion and vulnerability; tenure, tenancy sustainment and allocations; and neighbourhoods and communities. The Committee provides assurance to the Board and escalates matters where required. Current members of the Committee are Paul Stephens (Chair), Elaine Middleton, Andy Palmer and Natalie Wilkinson.

Audit and Risk Committee

The Audit and Risk Committee oversees annual financial reporting, including external audit; risk and assurance; internal control and internal audit; fraud awareness; health and safety; and information governance. The Committee provides assurance to the Board and escalates matters where required. Current members of the Committee are Stephen Watson (Chair), Ryan Appleby, Jenny Davidson and Joanne Race. 

Finance and Investment Committee

The Finance and Investment Committee oversees development and asset strategy; the development programme; regeneration; property-related services; and financial control and treasury management. The Committee provides assurance to the Board and escalates matters where required. Current members of the Committee are Ryan Appleby (Chair), Jenny Davidson, Stephen Watson and Andy Palmer. 

People and Governance Committee

The People and Governance Committee oversees Board remuneration, recruitment, appraisal and development; the terms and conditions of Executives; work force strategy; and governance. he Committee provides assurance to the Board and escalates matters where required. Current members of the Committee are Joanne Race (Chair), Elaine Middleton, Paul Stephens and Natalie Wilkinson. 

Board Member's declaration of Interests

Board Declaration Of Interest