Meet our board
So you think boards are boring? Think again!
Our board members come from all different walks of life, not just from social housing. That’s what we love about them. They help us see the bigger picture and look at things from a different point of view.
They set our corporate strategy, form policy, oversee our activities, and make sure we’re complying with all our legal and regulatory obligations. They challenge us to go onwards and upwards and be the best we can be for our customers, our colleagues and our communities.
In a nutshell, it’s their job to make sure we’re working to the highest standards of governance, accountability and integrity.
Find out more about how we’re governed and how we’re performing.
Ingrid Fife
Chair
Ingrid has loads of experience as a board member and chairperson. She’s got a strong commercial background and has been a non-executive on boards in the housing and health sectors. She was part of the board at Riverside Housing that oversaw the merger with One Housing Group until May 2024. Before this she was chair for Halton Housing and vice chair for Regenda Homes.
Ingrid’s also a member of our Governance and People committee.
She lived in Leeds during the nineties & some of her family are long term Leeds residents.
Ingrid Fife
Chair
If you could choose anyone in the world, who would you want as a dinner guest and why?
I’d invite the actor Stephen Fry. He’s clever, funny and would be full of interesting conversation.
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be smart – don’t fight every battle. Pick the key ones.
What’s your most treasured memory?
Skiing all the way down a Mont Blanc glacier with my family.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
KFC – but only the drumsticks.
Lisa Bradley
Lisa has over 30 years’ experience in finance in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. She was chief financial officer at Look Ahead Care, Support and Housing. She’s also an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
She’s chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee at Arches Housing and treasurer of Inspire North, a Yorkshire-based supported housing provider.
Lisa's a member of the Audit and Risk committee and the Yorkshire Housing Finance Plc Board. She's also our Board Complaint Lead.
Leann Hearne
Leann’s background is in growing, developing and leading businesses. She started her career in engineering sales and went on to become managing director of an international manufacturing business in 2000. She’s held a few non-executive roles in the housing sector, and is now chief executive of Livv Housing Group.
Supporting ambition, nurturing aspirations and creating opportunities are the focus of the work she does with businesses and communities. She’s a board member at Northern Housing Consortium, where she’s chair of the commercial committee.
Leann’s also vice chair and chair of our Homes and Places committee.
Leann Hearne
If you could choose anyone in the world, who would you want as a dinner guest and why?
Jonny Wilkinson. I’m a huge rugby union fan and his approach to sport, leadership and overcoming adversity is something really special that I’d like to hear more about. I’d also want to thank him for his awesome drop goal that won England the Rugby World Cup in 2003!
What was your first job?
I was a cloakroom attendant at a posh hotel that hosted dinner dances. I earned more in tips than the waitresses did in wages. I think I was on to a good thing!
What’s your guilty pleasure?
I’m a baker. And I bake very early in the morning, always making extra cake mixture. I rarely eat the cake, but I always eat the extra cake mixture!
What’s your most treasured memory?
My husband proposing in the bar of a posh hotel a week after our first date. We went on to get married and that was almost 30 years ago!
Matt Blake
Matt’s a Chartered Management Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in a variety of treasury, accounting, and analytical roles primarily in the UK’s non-bank mortgage market.
He’s the chair of Yorkshire Housing's Residential Board and is a member of the Growth and Investment Committee, too. Outside of Yorkshire Housing, he’s currently a non-executive board member of MS Lending Group and a member of the Riverside Treasury Committee. He also provides treasury advice services to non-bank financial institutions and is the interim Chief Treasury Officer at Foundation Home Loans.
Before this Matt’s roles included Group Treasurer at Pepper Money and Director of Treasury at Together Financial Services where he secured circa £4bn and £6bn of funding respectively.
Matt Blake
What job would you be doing now if you'd followed your childhood dreams?
I'd be a professional cricketer; many hours were spent trying to perfect leg-spin bowling i.e. fetching the ball from the boundary.
What's your most treasured memory?
I have two beautiful daughters and each day they do something to melt my heart.
What was your first job?
Working for my dad during the summer holidays, he's a painter/ decorator - I was on limited duties as I didn't show much potential!
What's the best bit of advice you've been given?
Do the basics exceptionally well.
Jacqueline Esimaje-Heath
Jacqui is an architecturally-trained real estate director who’s worked in the private and public sectors. She’s currently a growth director at the charitable housing association L & Q. During her career she’s been responsible for residential property development, housing and management consultancy, regeneration, private sector renewal and residential sales and marketing.
She’s an experienced non-exec director, with over 20 years’ experience in providing strategic leadership in the not-for-profit sector. She’s also mentored people at both non-exec and operational levels.
Jacqui is also chair of the Growth and Investment Committee.
Jacqueline Esimaje-Heath
What job would you be doing now if you'd followed your childhood dreams?
An airline pilot.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Liquorice Jelly Bellies!
If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or into the future?
To the future as I am interested in what’s possible not what’s passed.
Tea or coffee?
Lady Grey Tea.
Russell Galley
Russell had a 40 year career in Financial Services culminating in a role as CEO of Retail Banking for Lloyds Bank, Halifax Bank and Bank of Scotland, leading a team of 45,000 colleagues and serving 22 million customers.
He's got a depth of knowledge around regulation, leveraging digital technology to drive customer experience and of course strong commercial judgement. He's also a board member of the West Brom Building Society, a thriving mutual.
Russell has a real passion for social mobility and he's been a vocal advocate for retaining access to cash in communities and supporting a stronger UK framework for reducing financial fraud and scams that particularly affect the vulnerable.
Russell Galley
What job would you be doing now if you’d followed your childhood dreams?
I wanted to be a rally car driver. I almost got there when I finally bought a signal yellow mark 2 Ford Escort Mexico.
If you could choose anyone in the world, who would you want as a dinner guest and why?
I’d have to invite three people to my dinner party. The Queen (what an incredible leader), Elon Musk (what a radical), and Ed Sheeran (what a talent).
If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something overnight, what would it be?
Plumbing! Then I could get on with the job myself instead of having to call a plumber and sit around waiting for them to turn up!
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Don’t worry about or spend time on things you can’t control.
Ellie Stead
Ellie’s had a successful career in financial services, cards and payments. And she’s worked for lots of well-known names including Global Payments, GE Capital and Yorkshire Bank.
She has run Yorkshire Air Museum, a registered charity and key heritage attraction in Yorkshire followed by chief executive for St. Nicks, an environmental charity based on a 24 acre nature reserve working to link green spaces, habitats and promote sustainability and strong mental health through nature connectedness.
She is currently Chief Executive at Wilberforce Trust in York, a charity supporting those with visual and hearing impairments to lead full and independent lives.
Ellie is chair of our Governance and People committee and a member of our Audit and Risk committee.
Ellie Stead
What’s your guilty pleasure?
I’m slightly ashamed to admit this, but it’s spam. There’s always a tin in my cupboard. I can’t even say it was truly a childhood thing, although spam fritters are in my memory somewhere. Sorry to all my vegan and vegetarian friends, but well cooked with baked beans and some HP sauce, it’s just the naughtiest treat!
What was your first job?
My mum and dad bought a greengrocer’s shop in Pudsey when I was about 10, and I worked there every Saturday. As well as all the standard fruit and veg, we also sold wet fish so I learned how to skin a piece of haddock at a fairly young age!
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be yourself. You can’t really truly be anyone else, but nowadays it’s easy to wear a mask and not bring your authentic self to work (or life) every single day. When you finally do, it’s incredibly liberating.
Which Yorkshire born and bred person do you admire most and why?
The actor Sir Patrick Stewart. He manages to combine decades of acting with one of my favourite genres. Whether it’s Star Trek or X-Men, I’m a complete sci-fi addict!
Ian Costigan
Ian's chief airport and asset development officer at Manchester Airport, part of the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), with accountability for operational planning, asset management, investment planning and delivery, asset maintenance and facilities management. He leads the Manchester Airport Transformation programme too, integrating infrastructure, technology and people transformation programmes.
Before this, Ian has held the roles of chief operating officer, transformation director and group asset management director at MAG. And before that, he worked for the UK’s biggest listed water company, United Utilities, leading on major assets management and IT transformation programmes.
Ian’s also a member of our Homes and Places committee and our Growth and Investment committee.
Ian Costigan
What’s your most treasured memory?
When my wife and I took our three adopted children to the swimming pool for the first time. They’d never been swimming before, and we had so much fun with them playing in the water.
Which Yorkshire born and bred person do you admire most and why?
There’s so many to think about, but I’ve gone for the footballer Kevin Keegan. Apart from his obvious sporting talents, I admire his passion and personal integrity.
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
Whenever you’re facing a really big problem, always start by taking a deep breath and have a cup of tea.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
The simple things in life – Dairy Milk chocolate (other brands are also available!), jelly tot sweets, and 70s and 80s disco music!
Nicky Passmore
Nicky’s expertise is in improving customer experience and transforming service operations. After working in consumer goods and financial services, she moved into higher education working as director at the universities of Southampton and Melbourne. Part of her role in higher education involved running a student housing portfolio for over 6,000 students, which ignited her interest in housing. More recently she was chief executive of a member-led charity in the UK.
Nicky’s also a member of our Governance and People committee.
Sarah Atta-Nugent
Sarah has 19 years of experience in corporate affairs, specialising in property communications. She has led strategic stakeholder engagement for a major national grocery retailer, as well as for several prominent property developers.
Most recently, Sarah held a national role overseeing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) for over 100,000 colleagues in the retail and manufacturing sector. In this capacity, she also guided the business in its commitment to serving the diverse needs of its customer and supplier base. Sarah has now transitioned into a DE&I-focused role with IHG Hotels & Resorts.
As a Board Member and member of the Homes and Places Committee, Sarah applies a values-driven, people-centric approach to her role, with a prominent focus on the communities we’re part of.
Sarah Atta-Nugent
What job would you be doing now if you’d followed your childhood dreams?
A car mechanic. I’d either have my own garage or be working for a Formula 1 team. I’m fascinated by engines and how they work.
What was your first job?
A silver service waitress in a hotel restaurant in Bradford. Working in the service industry you learn a lot about people at their best and worst! It’s been good grounding for a career based on understanding people and customer service.
Tea or coffee?
Controversially peppermint tea with honey (is that allowed?)
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given?
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. It gives me the freedom to get on with it!
What’s your most treasured memory?
Not a memory but I absolutely treasure my Guinness World Record!
Other useful info
Check out the links to find out more about our executive team, how we’re governed and how we’re doing.