Graeme Stanley
Graeme Stanley, chair of board
Graeme is a former housing association Chief Executive, currently working in consultancy. He has acted in a number of non-executive director roles and is currently a board member of a farming business MB Crocker Ltd. Graeme holds an MSc in Strategic Management and Housing and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Iain Bacon
Iain Bacon, chair of the audit committee
Iain is a chartered accountant with senior finance experience gained across a number of sectors. He has worked as Finance Director and in senior management roles for One Housing, Viridian, The Guinness Partnership, Centrex and Capita Group. He brings a good insight into strategic issues for the social housing sector and risk management expertise.
Valerie Knott
Valerie Knott, board member
Valerie is a chartered accountant and has an MBA. She trained with Price Waterhouse and has worked as a Chief Financial Officer/Finance Director for a number of domestic and international media and technology businesses including Ticketmaster, UKTV and Sage Pay Europe.
Karen Morris-Lanz
Karen Morris-Lanz, board member
Karen is founder of Waponi HR a global consultancy partner who deliver skills, people and technology change to align business, people and digital strategies. She has led HR, IT and L&D teams delivering substantial change across a number of high profile organisations across a diverse range of business sectors. She brings experience of introducing a number of digital initiatives to increase efficiency.
Maggie Porteous
Maggie Porteous, board member
Maggie has worked her entire career with John Lewis Partnership. She recently retired after 31 years with the company. Her entire career has been focused on customer service and delivery. She also has exposure to strategic asset and property management through her career. Maggie is currently the chair of the John Lewis Foundation.
Steve Skuse
Steve Skuse, board member
The majority of Steve’s career to date has been spent with Wilmott Dixon and Bovis Homes, in commercial residential development. This involved significant work with housing associations. In 2017, Steve joined Catalyst Housing as director of development delivery and he is now their director of land and partnerships for London.
Candace Valiunas
Candace Valiunas, board member
Candace has had a successful and broad-based career in private equity real estate transactions and asset management. Most recently, she was the Head of European Real Estate for fund manager Cambridge Place Investment Management. She is an experienced Director and advisor to boards in the UK and continental Europe. Candace is a member of eight investor advisory boards of funds sponsored by M7 Real Estate.
Amanda Williams
Amanda Williams, board member
Amanda is Group Development Director at Aster Group and has over 25 years’ experience in development, marketing and asset management for housing associations. Before that, she was Director of Business Development at Synergy and drove the strategic direction of new-build development activity, including becoming an independent preferred investment partner. She has also been Head of development for Sanctuary Housing Group and an Associate Director of Adams Integra (a consultancy specialising in housing development and planning) and Director of Development for Apex Housing.
Alan Ward
Alan Ward, Chief Executive
Alan was appointed as Silva's chief executive in April 2018. He set up his own successful consultancy business in 2007, working for over a decade mostly with housing sector clients but also some in the education and health sectors. Prior to that, he was group chief executive of Curo Group in Bath for 10 years. He worked closely with the association on a number of consultancy assignments from 2016 to 2018 including the development of its growth strategy and new strategic plan.
John Andrew
John Andrew, Executive Director (Finance and Procurement)
John has recently worked at Tai Tarian, a stock transfer housing association in South Wales. Prior to that John held a number of senior roles for commercial companies including Walter Energy Inc, Reliance Security Group, BAE Systems, Anglian Water, and KPMG.
Dasos Christou
Dasos Christou, Executive Director (Customer Relations)
Before joining Silva, Dasos worked as the Head of Customer Service at Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP) for just under seven years. Prior to that, he spent 11 years employed by John Lewis and Partners, working in a variety of different managing roles including branch management, Head Office and part of the leadership team successfully launching John Lewis Financial Services.
Laura Johnson
Laura Johnson, Executive Director (Assets and Growth)
Laura has worked in Housing for over 20 years at a number of organisations. She has been the Director of Housing at two London boroughs. Most recently she has been working as a consultant with Peabody housing association on development and change following their recent merger.
Rob Smyth
Rob Smyth, Executive Director (People, Digital and Change)
Rob most recently worked for Dacorum Council as Assistant Director leading the organisation on transformation, digital innovation and business intelligence, as well as overseeing performance and project management, ICT, HR and OD, communications and marketing, and customer services. Prior to that, Rob also worked at Stonewater Housing Association, Look Ahead Housing and Care, Transport for London and Milton Keynes Council.