Our Trustees
We are privileged to have trustees with expertise in social housing, charities, changemaking and more. Thanks to their experience, guidance and leadership, Longleigh continues to go from strength to strength.
Fiona brings significant experience to her role as Chair. She was an independent member of Longleigh’s Finance & Investment Committee, supporting the team to utilise the investment from our corporate partner. Fiona is also a Director of the Unite Foundation, which delivers a unique university accommodation scholarship for care leavers and estranged students.
Her career has focused mainly on the youth and charitable sectors. Prior to joining the Unite Foundation Fiona was Director of Partnerships and Operations for Step up To Serve, the organisation that ran the #iwill campaign. Her time at Step up To Serve also included a secondment at the National Lottery Community Fund where she led the development of a £70million fund to support youth social action.
Fiona believes that charitable funding has the potential to transform communities, if delivered in a way that ensures communities can be part of that change and that working with communities in social housing opens up a range of opportunities.
Heather is an experienced Executive and Non-executive Director, having worked in social housing and the third sector for over 35 years. Most recently, she was the Chief Operating Officer of one of the largest housing associations and currently has Non-executive roles with three social-value driven organisations.
Heather is the Stonewater Nominee to the Longleigh Trustee Board. As a Trustee, Heather is proud of the very real difference the support from Longleigh Foundation makes for individuals, families, and communities.
With a robust background in both public service and the third sector, Fiona brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to social justice to her role as a charity trustee. Currently serving as the Head of Performance and Analytics at Merseyside Police, Fiona leads a team that uses data-driven insights to enhance operational efficiency and public safety.
Prior to this role Fiona dedicated a decade to Crisis, the national homelessness charity, where she held various senior leadership positions. During her time there, she played a pivotal role in shaping strategic initiatives and driving impactful programs aimed at ending homelessness. Fiona’s career also includes significant contributions to the National Probation Service and several third sector organisations, where she focused on supporting individuals transitioning from custody to community life.
Her extensive experience in these areas highlights her dedication to improving lives and building resilient communities. As a trustee, Fiona is passionate about using her expertise to support Longleigh’s mission and drive positive change.
Louise joined World Habitat in July 2016 and is the Deputy Chief Executive, with over 20 years’ experience in the community and enterprise sector. World Habitat is a UK based foundation that works with communities around the world to find, share and grow housing solutions. Louise leads the organisation’s three programmes – the World Habitat Awards, the European Campaign to End Homelessness and the Global Community Led Housing Programme. Every year they run the World Habitat Awards, in partnership with Un-Habitat to recognise and highlight innovative, outstanding and sometimes revolutionary housing ideas, projects and programmes from across the world.
She has held a number of national roles which has enabled her to combine successful national policy-making with community-based work, including Policy Manager for Locality (a membership organisation of community enterprises) and Director of a national campaign to change the UK benefit system and create community-based jobs for people who are long-term unemployed. As a Credit Union Development Manager, she established a community credit union which now has nearly 8,000 members and has lent over £33 million to local people.
James brings over 15 years of legal expertise, specialising in property dispute resolution. He has a wealth of experience in the landlord and tenant sector, including residential property. As a solicitor in the private sector, James offers the board a unique perspective, particularly on the challenges faced by tenants in the projects and cases in which he has acted.
As a trustee, James is enthusiastic about Longleigh’s mission of improving the lives and prospects of people living in social housing. He strongly believes in Longleigh’s ability to provide opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach, helping to uphold the dignity and potential of social housing residents.
Supporting our Board of Trustees
Working alongside and supporting our Board of Trustees, we are fortunate to have the skills, insights and experience of our Company Secretary, Annie Harling.
Annie has over 20 years’ experience as a company secretary. She has a Masters in Corporate Governance and Leadership and an Associate of the Chartered Governance Institute. During her career she has worked for a number of charities and non-governmental organisations, including within the social housing sector.
As Company Secretary, Annie is focused on supporting Longleigh to adopt the highest governance standards and comply with all regulatory responsibilities. In her spare time, Anne is actively involved in her local church and community.
