Executive directors

Matt Harrison - SQ 

Matthew Harrison

CEO and Exec Board Member

Matthew joined Great Places in 1993 and led the organisation through award winning development before being appointed Chief Executive in April 2013. He has vast experience in development and urban regeneration and has led on many iconic developments that have supported the growth of the business. He has also been involved with a Local Strategic Partnership, has been a PFI Company Board Member and has supported the NHF in a variety of ways. He is currently a Board member of the Sheffield Housing Company, Halton Housing and Forge New Homes.

Pete Bojar - SQ 

Pete Bojar

Executive Director Sustainable Assets and Repairs

Pete leads our Sustainable Assets and Repairs directorate and is responsible for our sustainable asset investment, repairs, building safety, carbon reduction, and developing our approach to modern methods of construction. He is a graduate of Sheffield Polytechnic and has worked in housing since 1989, starting his career in housing management before moving into development in 1992. He is highly experienced in regeneration and partnerships, and has led some of Great Places' most successful, high-profile schemes.

Guy Cresswell - SQ 

Guy Cresswell

Executive Director Customer Services

Guy is responsible for the customer-facing side of our business, ensuring the organisation provides a great customer experience. Alongside managing our neighbourhoods, he is also responsible for our work in Independence and Wellbeing, which supports our more vulnerable customers to develop life skills and achieve their goals, and is an active member in a number of sector-related partnerships and forums. Guy has extensive experience in all aspects of housing but his passion lies in health and housing, investment in communities and regeneration, and the importance of getting right the basics of property management.

Alison Dean - SQ

Alison Dean

Executive Director of People, Culture and Business Improvement

Alison Dean is Executive Director of People, Culture and Business Improvement at Great Places. She has over 20 years experience working in the housing sector, starting her career in customer involvement, before branching into regeneration and a variety of housing and management roles. Alison’s responsibility is to drive cultural change at Great Places through continual improvement of services, and keeping the needs of customers at the heart of what we do. She is also in charge of building our employer brand engagement, so we continue to attract and retain the best people to deliver our vision.

Phil Elvy - SQ 

Phil Elvy

Executive Director of Finance

Phil has responsibility for ensuring Great Places’ Finance, Business Systems, Business Intelligence and Governance functions provide high-quality, back office support to the rest of the Group. He is also in charge of making sure regulatory and statutory requirements are satisfied. One of Phil’s key challenges is balancing the need for the long-term financial viability and stability of Great Places with risks posed by the Group’s strategic growth and development objectives. He started his career in utilities and has worked in the housing sector for nearly 20 years.

Helen Pic Twitter

Helen Spencer

Executive Director of Growth

Leading our Growth directorate, Helen is responsible for the delivery of Great Places’ £1bn affordable housing development programme and the management of key stakeholder relationships like the recently announced Homes England Strategic Partnership. Helen is also responsible for leading Great Places’ Plumlife sales team, oversees the £750m Innovation Chain North construction framework and the growth of Great Places’ recently launched in-house building contractor, Terra Nova Developments Limited.

Helen joined Great Places in 2004 as an Assistant Development Officer and became Director of Development in 2016, delivering more than 4,000 new homes in that role. She has led on a number of high profile projects and bids, most recently running the successful Victoria North bid in Manchester. In addition, Helen has provided inspirational leadership for Great Places’ successful sales teams.