ForHousing bolsters board with addition of trio

Tony Bell, Claire Stone, and Ian Joynson have joined the Manchester-based housing association.

Bell arrives as chair designate of the audit and risk committee, to succeed Jim Barclay who is stepping down from that role in October.

Barclay will remain on the board until September next year, while Stone and Joynson join this month.

Bell brings more than 30 years of senior management and board-level experience a career spent in the NHS, further and higher education, and social housing sectors.

During this time, he has enjoyed stints at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group and Equity Housing Group.

On joining ForHousing, Bell said: “My 15 years of lived experience in social housing, and more than 20 years of non-executive director roles for social housing providers have allowed me to support organisations working to build communities, not just housing.

“ForHousing’s commitment to excellence and community impact aligns perfectly with my values, and I look forward to getting started.”

Stone brings more experience to the ForHousing board with an executive career followed by non-executive roles, gaining a track record for improving customer engagement and regulatory compliance within the social housing sector.

She has been a board member at Leeds Federated Housing Association. Stone chaired the customer experience committee during her time there, playing a key part in the organisation’s journey back to compliance.

Stone said: “My focus has always been on customer-focused delivery and ensuring robust governance and I am eager to bring my experience to the board and ensure we continue to drive forward the goals of the five-year strategy, especially the aims of the customer strategy.”

Joynson joins ForHousing as the current executive director of assets at The Guinness Partnership, bringing a wealth of expertise in social housing.

He has more than 25 years of experience in the sector as an executive, non-executive, advisor, and regulator.

Joynson, a fully qualified chartered accountant, has significant strategic asset management experience and broader operational leadership.

He said: “I am excited to be joining the board at ForHousing and bringing my experience of strategic asset management to make a meaningful impact on tenants and their homes.”

Paul Kennedy, chair of the board at ForHousing said: “We are thrilled to welcome Tony, Claire, and Ian to the board at ForHousing.

“Their combined expertise, spanning governance, strategic asset management, risk management, and customer engagement, will be invaluable as we continue to deliver on our strategic objectives and enhance our services putting tenants at the heart of everything we do.

“These appointments will strengthen our knowledge, expertise, and insight and we look forward to working with new board members, continuing to learn and improve the organisation.”