Meet the Board

Rupert Tyson is a Dalston resident who previously worked in housing for local Government as well as the Caribbean diplomatic service. He has lived in the borough for 23 years.

“I want to contribute to the decision-making of Hackney Homes to deliver a first class housing service.”

Rupert is Chair of the Hackney Homes Board.

Alice Burke is a trained auxiliary nurse and has lived in Hackney for more than 30 years. She is a resident of Hackney Downs.

“I joined the Board to help Hackney residents get a fair deal. Every tenant should feel that they are getting the best value for where they live.

Alice is a Vice Chair on the Hackney Homes Board.

Audrey Villas is a Shoreditch resident and his lived in Hackney for 43 years. An active tenant’s advocate, her interests include book keeping and computers and she is committed to working as part of a team to make a difference on Hackney’s Estates.

“We have to work together as a team and as a community if we are going to make the real difference that Hackney needs to see.”

Audrey is Vice Chair of the Hackney Homes Board.

David Larkin has lived in Hackney for 14 years. He set up North and South Defoe Residents Association when he was only 20 years old and worked with the local community to achieve much-needed improvements. He loves travelling and hiking in the mountains and desert.

“It is exciting to be involved at the heart of re-shaping Hackney’s housing for a better future.”

Brian Marsh is a life time trade unionist and has been a resident of Shoreditch for 46 years. He has seen many changes in the area in that time.

”It is important to make our environment a friendlier place to live and a safer place. I want to see more community cohesion and to bridge the divide between the old and young.”

Terry Edwards has lived in Hackney his entire life and has been involved with Council housing for more than 30 years. He is currently the Chair of the Homerton Neighbourhood Panel MESH and Frampton Park Tenants and Resident’s Association.

“Services for Hackney Council residents have improved in the last four or five years, but there is scope to do much more, and that was why I wanted to be on the Hackney Homes Board.”

Asim Bhattacharyya has a strong legal and financial background in planning, management in the private, public and community sector and has fond memories of living in Stamford Hill as a student. He brings to the board strong team-working skills and is working with local people to help build on the improvements already implemented by the council.

“I am working with residents to address housing challenges and issues and to make sure we make the most of opportunities in our area.”

Danny Sutcliffe joined the Hackney Homes Board in October 2007 as an independent representative, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the housing industry. After starting out at the Housing Corporation, Danny is now a partner at a local housing and regeneration consultancy in Shoreditch so is familiar with Hackney and housing issues within the borough.

“Resident involvement and participation is key to the success of Hackney Homes. We need to be getting it right for residents but we need their help to do this.”

Karen Dodds joined the Hackney Homes Board in March 2008 and currently works as the Head of Crawley Homes in West Sussex. Karen has vast experience in the housing industry, having worked in housing since 1984.

“I am interested in Hackney and in the work that Hackney Homes has been doing to improve housing services. I have worked on setting up culture change projects in the past so I’m very much interested in seeing change happen to benefit both the ALMO and of course the residents."

There is currently a vacancy for an independent Board Member on the Hackney Homes Board.

Could you be who we are looking for to help us drive our housing service to excellent standards? If you would like more information about this vacancy, please contact the Governance team on 020 8356 3432.

Marie Photiou has lived in Hackney for 20 years and her family have been in the area since the 1950’s. She works as a Senior Assessment Manager for the Healthcare Commission and has extensive experience of working in partnership with residents, voluntary organisations and local authorities.

”We want everyone in our community to have decent homes. Our role as a Board is to make sure we have the funding and community empowerment to make this happen.”

Jonathan McShane has lived in Hackney for over ten years and is a ward councillor for Haggerston. He works for a communications consultancy specialising in advising public sector clients and is also studying at University College of London.

“I am pleased to be on board as I believe that Hackney Homes can make a real difference to the lives of the diverse communities in Hackney”

Afolasade Bright is a councillor for Haggerston ward and has a background in human resources. She has lived in Hackney for 13 years and has three children. She has served on a number of housing and regeneration partnership boards.

“Hackney Homes is an innovative organisation that will really change the way that housing is delivered in Hackney.”

Linda Kelly has seen much of the world through her work as a travel agent. She has lived in the borough for more than 40 years and also works as an advocate for adults who have learning difficulties.

”I am helping to develop strategies that ensure Hackney Homes operates efficiently. Our organisation is committed to the safety of our residents and tackling anti-social behaviour.”

Samantha Lloyd has lived in Hackney since 1984. She lives in Hackney Central ward and has a breadth of experience working in the community and is community representative on the Hackney Wick Single Regeneration Budget Board. She works as a business analyst and has been a councillor since 1999.

“We are working with the community to build on the progress made by the council for housing. It is a crucial time for the future of homes in Hackney and I know we can work together to implement many improvements.”

Feryat Demirci has lived in Hackney for the past 18 years and was appointed as a local councillor in the Brownswood ward in May 2006. Feryat has a particular involvement and interest in regeneration in the borough, with both the Woodberry Down and Kings Crescent projects happening in the Brownswood ward.

“Having lived and gone to school in Hackney, I have witnessed some incredible changes – for the better. But there’s still more work to be done.”