New Chair of our Board Appointed
Posted on 18 October 2022
In September, we appointed Pauline Ford as Chair of our Board as we celebrate our 50th anniversary and embark on a refreshed five-year Business Strategy.
Pauline has worked with a range of housing organisations and charities for over 28 years, most recently as an Executive Director at Peabody in London and as an independent consultant. In addition to her with work with Southdown, she is a care and support committee member with both Riverside and One Housing Group; who following their recent merger are one of the largest national providers of care and support services.
Pauline joined Southdown in 2019 as a Board Member and was previously Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.
She says: “I have a passionate interest in housing, care and support services, and have seen the real difference that a safe environment and the right care and support can provide. Homelessness, poverty, lack of affordable housing, unemployment and the rise in people living with mental health illnesses are real issues affecting our local communities. More than ever, organisations like Southdown have a critical purpose to ensure everybody in our society has access to support to enable them to live their life well.
“Over the next five years, the Board will work closely with Southdown’s Executive team to create a modern Southdown – integrated, collaborative, efficient, insight-led, outcome-focused and simple to do business with. This will ensure we can competitively tender, spend more time with our clients and improve profitability, enabling us to reinvest in staffing, pay and benefits.”
Pauline added, “I’m really proud of Southdown’s commitment to its employees as well as clients of its services. We want Southdown to be the go-to place for people who want a career in supporting people and will continue to do what we can to be the best employer we can possibly be.”
Southdown’s Board is a diverse group of 12 members with a wide range of skills who work closely with the organisation’s Executive team to ensure it is financially secure, well run and delivers on all its responsibilities. In addition to appointing Pauline as Chair of its Board, Southdown also recently welcomed four new members to its Board: Jo Ellis, Michelle Baker, Simon Anderson and Tony Williams.
