WISH North East: Empower Her: Women in Social Housing Data Summit

WISH North East: Empower Her: Women in Social Housing Data Summit

Date: Tuesday 30^thJuly 2024

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Venue: One Strawberry Lane

The world of social housing is becoming encompassed in the discussions about customer data and how we use it. From Consumer Standards, Professionalisation, Housing Ombudsman Spotlight reports and the tragedies of the past few years such as Grenfell and Awaab Issak, our regulators are asking more of us and rightly so.

But how do we balance the needs of basic customer service delivery, delivering customer service in the right way and demonstrating how we’re doing it?

We want to explore how establishing data driven cultures becomes everyone’s business and how a diverse range of skills are needed to develop our strategies and delivery models.

This event is for everyone in social housing who wants to learn more about data in social housing; for our female supporters and our male allies we want to bring together diverse thinking that can inform the future of social housing. 

Our Speakers

Jayne Lawson, Chair of WISH NE, Director of Housing Services (North) at Anchor.

Jayne has spent her career working in social housing from working as a generic housing officer, to anti-social behaviour, through to setting up bespoke housing services for customers that need a little more support to live independently. Her passions from a work perspective are developing new services, developing people and providing great customer experiences.

Siobhan Weightman
Board Member of WISH NE (and Data Event Lead), Director of Business Intelligence and Change at WDH

Siobhan has over 20 years’ leadership and management experience of driving forward improvement in local government, policing and social housing. She loves to join up the dots through collaborative problem solving, data sharing and exploiting evolving technologies such as AI to achieve better outcomes for customers and businesses.

Fun Fact: Siobhan loves problem solving! She once had dinner with Fabio Capello. Not knowing who he was and with very limited info to go on, she guessed he was a football scout!!  

Ian Dixon, Senior Financial Analysis Manager, Regulator of Social Housing

Ian is a Qualified Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and has worked in the social housing sector for the past 17 years. Prior to his current role at the Regulator of Social Housing, he was the Head of Business Assurance at Home Group. Other roles include audit and risk management consultancy for organisations such as KPMG, EY and Deloitte.

Fun Fact: Ian has never forgotten his first experience of living in his ‘own’ home as a tenant of a large social housing provider based in Leeds. The landlord was good, but he did have a complaint, can you guess which one from the three below?

1. The time taken to repair my front door.
2. Whether my flat had traces of damp and mould or was just ‘condensation’.

The communal washing machines ‘ate’ my clothes.

Caroline Saul, Social Housing and Community Safety Advisor

With over two decades of experience in social housing, Caroline brings extensive expertise in managing high risk tendencies and responsibilities essential to community welfare and development. Her career spans across supported accommodation, managing vulnerable tenants and handling legal matters to prevent eviction through safeguarding measures. Caroline is recognised nationally for leadership in the housing sector. Her current focus includes studying critical criminology with an emphasis on violence against women and girls reflecting a commitment to advancing prevention and inclusive community interventions.

Simon Parker, Director of IS, Homegroup

Simon is an energetic IT & change director with over 20 years’ experience in senior roles across multiple sectors, working in the UK and internationally. Home Group is his foray into social housing.

Fun Fact: Given the choice, he’d rather be dancing.

Hannah Howard-Jones, Director of Asset Management at Home Group.

Hannah was previously Director of Property for Gresham House, a fund manager, where she was responsible for their residential portfolio including shared ownership assets held in two for-profit RPs, ReSI Housing and ReSI Homes, their BTR and retirement PRS portfolios, as well as temporary accommodation.

Hannah also worked for Croydon Council’s wholly owned development company, Brick By Brick, where she oversaw acquisitions/ disposals, open market sales, the management of their completed developments and stakeholder/ community engagement.

Hannah has also held senior positions working for FTS250 private family office with PRS and long leasehold investments, as well as in private practice on behalf of a variety of clients including Resident Management Companies, private freeholders and HNWIs.

Fun Fact: Hannah ran the London Marathon in April this year. She is also quite good at propagating mint, spider plants, cheese plants and rosemary!

Dominika Phillips-Blackburn, Head of Product, Mobysoft

Dominika joined Mobysoft in early 2022. With a wealth of experience in Software Delivery, Product Management, and Business Analysis in media, financial services, and social housing industries, Dominika is well-versed when it comes to delivering digital transformation projects. At Mobysoft, Dominika has focused on integrating Artificial Intelligence technology, using Mobysoft’s extensive dataset, into the company’s rent arrears platform offering (RentSense).

Fun Fact: Dominika loves being in difficult positions. In her spare time, she is a Yoga teacher!  

Carly Harling, Implementation Specialist, Voicescape

Carly joined Voicescape, having spent the previous 16 years in the Local Authority and Housing sector. During this time, Carly has worked intensively within Income Management, Tenancy Sustainability and managed the rollout of Universal Credit within a Housing setting, ensuring income loss to the organisation was mitigated which in turn allowed tenants have the best chances of sustaining and succeeding within their tenancies.

Fun Fact: Outside of work, Carly loves spending time with her Children, Sport, Yoga and about to start Barre!

Jude Comber, Saleforce

Jude joined Salesforce at the end of 2021, focusing on helping housing providers deliver exceptional resident experiences using cutting-edge technology.

Jude is deeply passionate about social housing and committed to supporting the communities it serves.

Prior to joining Salesforce, Jude spent a decade at what is now the Abri Group, working in Customer Services and IT, and later providing housing technology solutions across the UK and Ireland.

Katherine Corfield

Katherine is Housing Strategy Manager at Sunderland City Council and lead on the delivery of the strategic housing function for the Council and manage Empty Homes and Private Rented Sector teams.

She is inspired by WISH and the great work that has already been done to provide a much-needed network to women in social housing.

Outside of work I am a mam to Sofia and enjoy weekends away exploring with her and my partner Craig.