I have been on a four year journey into the heart of contemporary urban gay darkness, and have gained considerable insight into the mechanisms of self destruction, family betrayal and social withdrawal.

Advice & support to the development of the organisation's social investment strategies. Specific areas of focus include the review of key new business strategies, and development of a neighbourhood planning framework.

Advice and support to a London-based G15 Housing Association in the development of their Equality & Diversity Strategy- Design & delivery of research exercise- Data and document review- Staff and stakeholder interviews- Focus group facilitation - Report and recommendations to the Executive Board

Metropolitan Housing Trust manages 40,000 homes in London, East Midlands and East of England. It employs more than 2,000 staff providing housing, care and support, and community regeneration services to 80,000 customers. • Working with a new CEO and the Executive and Senior Management Teams, I created the two-year turnaround business plan for Metropolitan, approved by the Board for implementation from April 2013, and focused on improving performance and profitability, and building reputation with stakeholders and funders.• I also developed a stakeholder engagement strategy (across both housing, and care and support), and supported the CEO’s liaison with key stakeholders in central and local government, identifying strategic relationship management responsibilities at executive level, and setting a timeline for restoring reputation within the turnaround context.

Working within the Performance & Research team but reporting to the CEO, I undertook strategic research and a wide variety of business improvement projects in furtherance of Metropolitan’s objectives. I also took interim management responsibility for the team during a transitional period in 2012, managing a budget of £1.4 million and a multi-disciplinary staff of 18. Activities included:• Development of a Customer Insight Strategy to transform the organisation’s understanding of the profile, behaviours and aspirations of its diverse customer groups. • Business-critical research and analysis to quantify the impact of welfare reform (£10m pa), and development of strategic and operational recommendations responses to mitigate risk.• Development of Metropolitan’s Customer Care & Access Policy, defining strategic objectives as a baseline for redesign of the customer service delivery model.• Development and implementation of a Customer Feedback Strategy to provide timely, segmented data on the customer satisfaction with both the organisation and its key services, and embedding of feedback metrics in routine management and board reporting.• Working with two CEOs (across a change of leadership), the Board and other stakeholders, development of a three year Strategic Plan for the organisation (2012-15), defining the organisation’s offer and objectives within a rapidly changing external environment, critical success factors and high level PI’s.• Competitor and market analysis to inform Metropolitan’s positioning at a time of organisational vulnerability and identification of future growth opportunities.• As Chair of Metropolitan’s network group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) staff, led Metropolitan’s participation in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, which in 2012 saw its ranking rise to No 5 against leading public and private sector organisations.

Reporting to the Group Development Director, I set up and led the Housing Investment Policy team (of seven staff), which supported development teams in winning and managing significant programmes of grant funding (for a pro-gramme of up to £200m p.a.), as well as defining key development processes and accountabilities, and standardising and improving technical and environmental standards of the built product.Management of Capital Investment and Commercial Risk• Creation of development and bidding strategies to secure preferred partner status and programme funding, and deliver growth targets within defined financial parameters.• Creation of a Programme Support Team and procurement of a project appraisal and programme management system to manage large and complex programmes of capital investment.• Liaison with public funding agencies and local stakeholders to agree and monitor programme delivery targets, and support the delivery of national targets.• Framework for internal appraisal of proposed schemes, including economic assumptions, revenue impact, treasury capacity, operational liaison, and delegation of authorities.• Creation of internal teams and framework for assessing social and environmental sustainability of new business proposals, to inform investment decisions and promote innovation.

Reporting to the Group Development Director, I was responsible for the creation of financial business models for the planning and delivery of complex regeneration schemes involving the transfer and redevelopment of run-down local authority estates, including modelling of stock transfer and development options, commercial assumptions on valuation and sales, and sensitivity and risk analysis. I supported decision-making by senior management, board and external stakeholders, and also acted as client lead for a range of commercial and technical consultants, including treasury and lending, master planning, property, and technical specialisms.

I was responsible for creating and maintaining development policies and procedures, managing and reporting on scheme appraisals and cashflows, and servicing and advising the Development Appraisal Panel on scheme viability and programme delivery.