Any organisation, large or small, can only be as good as its people. Abbeyfield's well-earned reputation for providing excellent housing and care services is mainly thanks to our exceptional people - management, staff and volunteers - who have joined our cause.
Our Chief Executive Officer
Paul is a senior housing professional and has worked as a Chief Executive for over 20 years. He has led a number of large and community based housing organisations. He has been a Board member and Chair of several organisations and charities inside and outside of the housing sector. He is a Fellow of the CIH and was President in 2013/14, and received an OBE for services to housing in 2016. Most recently he was the CEO of the Law Society for England & Wales leading a major transformation programme. He has always taken an innovative commercial approach and is an experienced transformational leader, providing vision, ambition and direction with a track record of achieving culture change, inspiring and engaging people.
Our Senior Management Team
Gail joined Abbeyfield as HR Director in October 2018. Her career in HR has incorporated leadership roles in a variety of sectors including welfare to work, heath and utilities. Gail ran her own HR consultancy business prior to joining Abbeyfield. She is passionate about ensuring Abbeyfield is a great place to work.
Tom is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience working within the Social Housing Sector. He joined Abbeyfield in 2024 and has responsibility for Finance, ICT, Business Assurance, Risk Planning and Growth and Development.
Having began his career in the financial services sector, he later spent several years working for a FTSE listed landlord before working with a global manufacturer.
Since joining the Social Housing Sector in 2005, Tom has held various senior leadership roles with both Regional and National Registered Providers of Social Housing. His roles have involved leading teams through periods of stabilisation, transformation, change and significant growth.
Tom has held various Non-Executive and Trustee positions, including Treasurer, Chair of Audit and Investment Committee and Deputy Chair of the Board. Tom is a Fellow of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds an MBA in Global Finance.
Claire is an experienced executive leader with more than 25 years’ experience across housing, health, social care and community services. She has led large, multidisciplinary teams and complex operations, with responsibility for thousands of homes, services supporting diverse customer needs and budgets of up to £70 million.
Claire brings a strong track record of improving service performance, customer experience and organisational culture. Her previous work includes developing customer and supported housing strategies, transforming operational models, strengthening complaints and case-management processes, and helping organisations respond effectively to regulatory and legislative change.
Claire is known for combining strategic thinking with a practical, visible leadership style. She is passionate about listening to customers, supporting colleagues to succeed and creating services that are responsive, inclusive and focused on better outcomes for people and communities.
Our Trustees
Our Board of Trustees is made up of volunteer members, each selected for their expertise and experience in sectors including housing, care and finance.
Mike became Chair of the Board in September 2023, having been a Trustee since September 2021.
Mike has held senior leadership roles within the infrastructure, commercial, social housing and retirement living sectors. He has particular specialisms in strategic planning, asset management, procurement and operational delivery within regulated markets. He is an Executive Director of Cardo Group, one of the UK’s largest property services companies.
Mike is also an Executive Director of the National Housing Maintenance Forum (NHMF) and a Board Member of Orbit Housing Association. He is a member of a number of industry bodies including the Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO) group, the Association of Residential Managing Agents and the Chartered Institute of Housing. He was also an author of The Housing Forum’s ‘An Independent Future in Retirement Living’ report. Mike is a graduate of Cardiff University, a Chartered Engineer and has an MBA from the University of Bath School of Management.
George is an Economics graduate of Aberystwyth University, and holds a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from Middlesex University. A member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, he acquired his professional qualifications in 1979-1980. For more than half of a 40 year career in the financial services sector, he has worked at board level. Until recently, he was the senior independent member of the Board of Aberystwyth University.
George is the Chair of Abbeyfield St Albans Society and joined the Board of The Abbeyfield Society in September 2021. He sits on the Finance and Investment Committee.
Roger is a chartered accountant, with over 30 years’ experience in the real estate and financial services sectors.
Roger began at Price Waterhouse and then spent over 20 years as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the real estate investment management divisions of Schroders, Aviva Investors and Principal Financial Group. He retired in 2021 to manage his consultancy business. Roger has broad experience of managing risk and governance in a regulated setting and has been an FCA approved director since 2001.
Roger joined the Board in 2021 and is the chair of the Finance and Investment Committee.
Angie is an experienced leader in risk, compliance, clinical and quality governance having worked in these areas of the NHS for nearly twenty years, and is currently the Quality Director for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. Angie has previous experience as a Trustee for a charity supporting people with learning disabilities, mental health challenges and older people and is passionate about hearing the client’s voice and supporting people to live well. She was also a school governor for eight years in two different primary schools.
Marc is a data privacy and governance specialist with an MSc in Management, Organisations and Governance from the London School of Economics (LSE), and a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Tufts University.
He is currently a Senior Data Protection Consultant at Securys, and previously a Director of Data Privacy for Standard Chartered Bank. With diverse exposure and experience across investment banking, crisis communications, utilities and impact investing, he helps advise firms as they grow in evolving regulatory environments.
Marc joined the Audit Committee in the Autumn of 2021 and became a Board member in September 2022.
A Cambridge graduate and qualified chartered accountant, David was Group Chief Accountant at Kingfisher plc and subsequently led the AOL UK broadband business as it expanded from 5000 customers to 1.5m. He has established and run several businesses and was a founder and CFO / COO of Accelerated Digital Ventures, a venture firm investing in early stage companies and funds. He now acts as an advisor and part time CFO to various small companies and venture funds.
He has been involved with care of older people since 1988 through various homes in Sheffield and also owns two mobility stores.
David was elected as a member of the Board in September 2023 and is a member of the Audit Committee.
Christine has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 40 years in a range of senior leadership and non-executive roles. She was a member of the board of the CQC (Care Quality Commission) from 2023-2025, and was the CEO of Warwickshire based not for profit residential care provider WCS Care from 2012-2020, leading a programme of transformation and innovation. Experience prior to that included working on assistive technology innovation, autism/learning disability, health, disability and older people's services. Christine is passionate about improving the quality and availability of innovative social care solutions for people who use services, regardless of their financial means.
Terri is a coach, facilitator, and HR consultant with over 20 years’ experience in senior HR roles, organisational and leadership development.
As Head of HR she has experience of leading demanding change projects in professional services, utilities, and various UK and global/commercial businesses including: significant business restructuring; developing and embedding effective performance management cultures; driving inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity.
Learning and development experience has seen her lecturing at post-grad level in business strategy and HR. She has delivered training to executive boards in multinational and global businesses.
Her HR and L&D experience enables Terri to focus on collaborating with colleagues, customers, and a network of associates to initiate and embed people focused business change. Putting people at the heart of business change, creating psychologically safe environments where people thrive.
CIPD qualified, a member of the British Psychological Society with an MSc & BSc in Occupational Psychology and an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach.
Terri joined the Board of Trustees in September 2023 and is Chair of the People Committee.
Sally is the Assistant Director of Operations at Riverside and brings 30 years of experience in care and supported housing. She has led a wide range of services, working with diverse communities and developing specialist expertise in extra care housing for older people and intergenerational neighbourhoods.
Sally has significant experience in managing large scale and strategic contracts, including Department of Health PFI arrangements, as well as overseeing a national portfolio of managed agent teams. As Riverside’s nominated individual for the Care Quality Commission, she is committed to ensuring services are safe, compliant, and delivered to the highest standards. Her ethos centres on creating warm, modern, vibrant homes shaped through meaningful co production with customers.
With a strong passion for building sustainable communities, Sally is dedicated to ensuring that services and environments enable people to live independently, confidently, and thrive within their local areas.
Nabila has a background in research, resident engagement and sustainability with an MSc in Built Environment: Sustainable Heritage from University College London (UCL).
In her role as the Research Analyst to the Chief Executive of Peabody, she helps ensure resident voices are carried through in decision making, while supporting with political engagement and communications.
Nabila is dedicated to bringing underrepresented voices to decision-making at the leadership level and leveraging technology to benefit housing services.
Nabila joined the Board in April 2026 as a trainee Board member.
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