Menu Home / About us / Who we are / Meet the board Meet the board The board members have diverse backgrounds in industry and public life. The board currently comprises the Group Chairman, seven other non-executive directors and five executive directors. Executive Directors David Cowans Group Chief Executive David has extensive experience of housing, urban regeneration, mixed-tenure and mixed use development, property management, marketing and financial management, and leading strategic change in large and small organisations. David Cowans Andy Winstanley Group Finance Director Andy was appointed Group Finance Director in August 2017, having previously operated as the Group’s Financial Controller since joining Places for People in 2010. Andy qualified as an Accountant at Ernst and Young where he spent nine years in its North-West assurance practice. Andy Winstanley Debi Marriott-Lavery Group Executive Director - Affordable Housing Debi has been in her role as Group Executive Director of Affordable Housing at Places for People since July 2019 and has been with Places for People since 2015. Prior to housing, Debi spent a decade in health and social care as a qualified healthcare professional. Debi Marriott-Lavery Tim Weightman Group Executive Director, Assets and Investments Tim joined Places for People in 1997 and has over 20 years’ experience of development and investment in relation to the residential asset classes, including PRS, retirement rentals and student housing, and is responsible for the Group’s other investment properties, and its approach to asset performance and strategic asset management. Tim Weightman Scott Black Group Executive Director - Development Scott is a Chartered Architect with 25 years’ experience in the development industry and with a passion for design and the creation of sustainable new communities which are inclusive for all. He has performed several roles in his career leading up to a group position as Director of New Business at Crest Nicholson PLC. Scott Black Group Company Secretary Chris Martin Group Company Secretary and Legal Services Director Chris is a solicitor with over 30 years’ experience of legal practice and joined Places for People in 2008. Previously, he worked in private practice for 10 years, in a City law firm and as a partner in a US legal practice, and then in general counsel roles in UK and international businesses in a number of different industry sectors. Chris Martin Non-executive directors The non-executive directors act independently of management which ensures the highest standards of accountability and transparency are upheld throughout the organisation. Richard Gregory OBE Group Chairman Richard has held the roles of chair, senior independent director and non-executive director across a range of private and public sectors. Currently Richard is also Chair of the specialist lender Together Personal Finance Ltd. Former roles include Senior Advisor to Virgin Money PLC, Senior Independent Director and Risk Committee Chair of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group (CYBG PLC) and Chair of the Yorkshire Bank Pension Trust. Richard Gregory OBE Graham Kitchen Most recently, Graham was Global Head of Equities at Janus Henderson Investors. Prior to joining Janus Henderson in 2005 as Head of UK Equities, Graham was with Threadneedle Investments, and he spent 13 years at INVESCO Asset Management as a UK Fund Manager and Co-Head of Investment. Graham Kitchen Nigel Hopkins Nigel is a non-executive director of MHS Homes Limited and Chairman of Instructus, a skills charity. He is also an associate with Concerto Consulting providing advisory services to registered providers of social housing. Previously, he had a wide-ranging international career, living and working in the UK, Europe and the USA. Nigel Hopkins Graham Waddell Senior Independent Director Graham’s executive career was with Nationwide Building Society, during which he held a number of Senior Executive positions. He was also the Managing Director of a Nationwide subsidiary company, which was a large private landlord and property owning vehicle. He was Chair of Council of Mortgage Lenders in Scotland and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. Graham Waddell Regina Finn Regina is Chair of the Low Carbon Contracts Company and the Electricity Settlement Company, which play a critical role in the delivery of the UK’s clean, sustainable, affordable energy goals. She is also a Director of Lucerna Partners, a consultancy specialising in public policy, economic regulation and competition and consumer policy and a non-executive Director of Motor Fuel Group, the largest independent forecourt operator in the UK. Regina Finn Angela Daniel Angela currently works for a global insurance company and heads up the Firm’s Finance team within the Europe Asset Management division. Prior to joining, she worked as the EMEA Controller for Custody & Securities Lending (WSS) in JP Morgan Chase and before that worked as a Client Financial Management Specialist (Oil & Gas sector) in Accenture. Angela Daniel Richard Cartwright Richard is presently a Non-executive Director at Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust and a Governor at Motability. Having trained as an auditor with KPMG, he continues in that field as an Independent External member of the Audit, Risk & Assurance Committee of the National Audit Office, whilst also working as a Principal Enterprise Fellow at Southampton Business School. Richard Cartwright Helen Fridell Helen has extensive management experience and is a seasoned transformation leader. She is presently Transformation Director at Cisco Systems (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Helen has actively contributed to several advisory panels for national charitable and public sector organisations including The Big Issue and Marie Curie. Helen Fridell Places work when they work for everyone. 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